Senior Assistant Buyer Backpacks and Bags

We’re looking for an enthusiastic and driven Senior Assistant Buyer to join our Hardgoods team, with a focus on own‑brand rucksacks and bags. This is a great opportunity for someone who loves product, thrives in a fast‑paced environment, and wants to play a hands‑on role in shaping a growing category.

You’ll bring experience at Assistant Buyer level, along with a sharp eye for detail and the confidence to build strong, effective relationships across design, merchandising, supply chain, and our supplier base. While direct experience in bag buying isn’t essential, a genuine interest in the category—and a willingness to learn quickly—will help you hit the ground running. If you’re resourceful, proactive, and excited by the idea of developing innovative, high‑quality bag products, we’d love to hear from you.

• Assisting in seasonal range plan development - analysing customer buying patterns, forecasting sales and predicting future trends, presenting findings in reports and presentations in a clear and logical format, this will include ratio calculations for size and colour;
• Buying global markets: UK, EU, NA, NZ, AUS, ensuring each market has the right balance of technical, lifestyle and travel‑focused bags.
• Working with your Buyer to maximise profits and build a commercially viable, competitive assortment.
• Assisting in regularly reviewing stock, sales and orders and react with necessary urgency to ensure sales, stock & profit targets are achieved.
• Maintaining relationships with suppliers.
• Liaising with other departments within the organisation to ensure projects are completed.
• Participating in promotional activities, helping the buying and merchandising team to identify slow moving stock, suggesting marks downs or promotions, as well as coordinating promotions and clearance events in store.
• Creating style books for products, identifying when to update trim labels, fabrications and packaging, and liaising with graphic designer to ensure a consistent brand image.
• Managing the critical path, monitoring all orders from initial product development through to delivery, ensuring the smooth running of the development process, maintaining delivery schedules and key deadlines throughout.
• Managing sample process ensuring all designs and fabrications are executed correctly, meeting brand requirements.
• Lab dip and trim approvals and feeding back to suppliers.
• Training and mentoring the BAA in the team.
• Approving PTS for shipments.
• Attend fit meetings with QC, making suggestions on fit, styling, trims etc., as well as signing off sample.

• You will have relevant experience at Assistant Buyer level within an own buy retailer.
• Experience in Bags or Rucksack buying beneficial.
• Experience of fully managing the critical path for your department.
• Be aware of competitors and help to try and keep MW the best value on the high street.
• Confident approach to offer suggestions on the type and quantity of product for the department given the budgeted OTB.
• Good interpersonal skills – able to build and manage relationships with colleagues and suppliers, communication is key at all times.
• Strong IT skills most importantly in Excel or equivalent.
• Commercial and keeps up to date and aware of market trends, changes in demand.
• Able to fully understand customer needs and demands (e.g. price, quality, availability).
• Strong time management skills and able to prioritize as this is a never‑ending job and there will always be more to be done.

• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• Hybrid working, 3 - 4 days in London based office & 1 - 2 working from home.
• Holiday allowance.
• 50% staff discount & 25% for family and friends.
• Pension scheme.