At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the buying strategy for luxury womenswear and jewellery, driving sales and profitability.
- Company: Join Liberty, a trend-setting department store known for its unique product offerings.
- Benefits: Enjoy a dynamic work environment with opportunities for growth and collaboration across departments.
- Why this job: Shape the future of fashion while working with top brands and influencing market trends.
- Qualifications: 5 years of buying experience, preferably in a fast-paced multi-channel environment.
- Other info: Attend fashion events and trade fairs to stay ahead of trends and build supplier relationships.
The predicted salary is between 43200 - 72000 £ per year.
We are seeking a highly experienced and commercially minded Buyer to lead the Luxury Women’s Ready-to-Wear and Jewellery categories at Liberty. This role will be instrumental in shaping the product strategy, driving sales, enhancing profitability, and ensuring Liberty maintains a distinctive and trend-leading edit. You will work cross-functionally with key internal stakeholders and external partners to source, develop and deliver a compelling, commercial and press-worthy product offering.
Key Responsibilities:
- Create product strategy working closely with buying manager, merchandising, retail, customer insight, ecommerce and marketing to ensure each department has the most unique, commercial and press worthy brands and products which deliver sales and margin, profit targets.
- Deliver new concession launches and manage day-to-day performance, working with key stakeholders to ensure alignment and drive sales targets.
- Deliver the brand and product strategy within the agreed OTB. Effectively plan floor layouts to drive maximum sales, densities and margin growth.
- Negotiate optimum delivery, discount and payment terms with suppliers. Negotiate additional marketing support where relevant and work with marketing to plan and implement activity each season.
- Collaborate with key stakeholders across the business to align on strategy and ensure delivery of departmental KPIs.
- Work closely with the merchandiser each season to maximise re-order opportunities and minimise end of season markdowns.
- Attend floor walks with retail, merchandising and VM to review sales and sell through and drive appropriate actions to improve underperforming areas.
- Brief key internal stakeholders each season on the buy strategy, brand selection, and concession plans, ensuring alignment across merchandising, marketing, ecommerce, retail, and VM to support cohesive execution and storytelling.
- Constantly research and review the market to source new brands and products that provide Liberty with a point of difference and keep our offer relevant with current trends.
- Lead, manage and develop buying team ensuring there is a plan for progression.
- Attend key market events i.e. trade fairs and fashion weeks in the UK and abroad as appropriate.
- Develop key relationships with new and existing suppliers in order to leverage the Liberty point of difference and position in the market.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- Thorough understanding of global and local market, category and product with a keen eye for trend.
- Keen ability to identify declining trends early, making strategic decisions to pivot or step away from underperforming categories to protect profitability and maintain a fresh, relevant product offering.
- Demonstrate strong commercial and analytical acumen with a keen eye for detail.
- Strong critical thinking and problem solving skills.
- A strong leader who effectively coaches, develops and manages direct reports and wider team.
- Clear, confident communicator, able to communicate collaboratively and effectively across all functions.
- Highly organised and able to thrive in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment, efficiently managing multiple tasks and priorities while maintaining focus and delivering on a complex workload.
- Solid understanding of all buying processes and best practice.
- Ability to extract meaning from reporting, product feedback and market information.
- Strong project management skills.
- Department Store and concession management experience preferred.
Minimum Qualifications:
From a buying background with 5 years’ experience, ideally with some experience within a fast paced multi-channel department store.
Buyer - Womenswear & Jewellery employer: Liberty.
Contact Detail:
Liberty. Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Buyer - Womenswear & Jewellery
✨Tip Number 1
Network with professionals in the fashion and retail industry, especially those who have experience in buying roles. Attend industry events, trade fairs, and fashion weeks to meet potential contacts and learn about the latest trends.
✨Tip Number 2
Stay updated on current market trends and consumer preferences by following relevant fashion publications and online platforms. This knowledge will help you demonstrate your understanding of the market during interviews.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare to discuss specific examples of how you've successfully managed product strategies or improved sales in previous roles. Highlight your analytical skills and ability to make data-driven decisions.
✨Tip Number 4
Familiarise yourself with Liberty's brand values and product offerings. Tailor your discussions to show how your experience aligns with their mission and how you can contribute to their unique market position.
We think you need these skills to ace Buyer - Womenswear & Jewellery
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV highlights relevant experience in buying, particularly in womenswear and jewellery. Emphasise your achievements in driving sales and managing product strategies.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Write a cover letter that showcases your understanding of the luxury market and your ability to identify trends. Mention specific examples of how you've successfully managed product categories in the past.
Highlight Key Skills: In your application, focus on skills such as negotiation, analytical acumen, and project management. Provide examples of how you've used these skills to achieve results in previous roles.
Showcase Your Market Knowledge: Demonstrate your knowledge of current trends and market dynamics in your application. Mention any relevant trade fairs or fashion events you’ve attended and how they have influenced your buying decisions.
How to prepare for a job interview at Liberty.
✨Showcase Your Market Knowledge
Make sure to demonstrate your understanding of both global and local markets during the interview. Discuss current trends in womenswear and jewellery, and how you would leverage this knowledge to shape product strategies that align with the company's vision.
✨Highlight Your Negotiation Skills
Since negotiating with suppliers is a key responsibility, prepare examples of successful negotiations you've conducted in the past. Be ready to discuss how you secured better terms or additional marketing support, as this will showcase your commercial acumen.
✨Emphasise Cross-Functional Collaboration
This role requires working closely with various departments. Share experiences where you successfully collaborated with teams like merchandising, marketing, or ecommerce to achieve common goals. This will illustrate your ability to communicate effectively across functions.
✨Prepare for Scenario-Based Questions
Expect questions that assess your critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Prepare to discuss how you would handle declining trends or underperforming categories, and be ready to outline your strategic decision-making process in these situations.