Buyer - London, United Kingdom - Crew Clothing Head Office

Crew Clothing Head Office

Verified Company

London, United Kingdom

2 weeks ago

Posted by:

Tom O´Connor

beBee Recruiter

Description

**Buyer

Accessories**At Crew Clothing, we believe clothes are about so much more than "just clothes". Designed with the spirit of the south coast in every stitch, our crossed oars are a mark of timeless British style. These are clothes for life's best moments.

We believe in collaboration, kindness and creativity, in celebrating our successes and championing our customer at every step of the way.

From '93 to now, people have been at the heart of everything we do. It's in our name - Crew.

Purpose of the role:

As a Buyer you will have responsibility for the buying and production of the Womenswear department, through management of the Womenswear Buying team, working with in partnership with Design, Merchandising and Technical.

This role manages the process to ensure that the collections, once designed are appropriately developed, costed, and commercially assorted to deliver the best collection to Stores, E commerce and Wholesale partners in a timely manner.

Responsibilities

Accountable for:

Direct line management of the accessories product team at BAA level, while reporting into Head of Buying
Delivery of profitability of the assortment, adhering to intake margin targets set by Head of Buying
Ability and confidence to work directly with HOB on new season development
Maintaining and improving the product to ensure that it reaches the brand essence of Crew Clothing
Delivery of balanced assortment to different grading of stores/marketplaces/ecommerce and wholesale partners
Ensure that assortment is delivered to the product strategy
Delivery of range sign offs to Head Of

Product

Work closely with Design team to ensure product is signed off and agreed
Work in partnership with Merchandising in developing correct range mix and pricing, working with history, competitor analysis and new sales insight
Monitor and support Design's product development through to Final Design sign off
Work with Head of Buying to set the supplier strategy, evaluate key suppliers, strengths and weaknesses and evolve/rationalise accordingly within business parameters
In collaboration with Head of Buying, identify key suppliers for both volume and quick response business to increase margin, and ensure OTB demands/repeats can be delivered on time in season, when necessary
Manage and negotiate prices with all suppliers on set areas, ensuring seasonal strategy is met
Prepare documents for sign off with Head of Buying and business owner
Proactively problem solve any margin issues with key partners
Work with the technical team to ensure that all products developed and produced meets the brand essence and ensure with the support of the technical team that core fits are maintained.
Understand the Crew customer and their aspirations, monthly visiting of stores with cross functional partners and ensure competitor knowledge is always up to date
Manage the VRP throughout the process, ensuring accurate and up to date information
Ensuring any required changes to product are presented to Head Of/Business Owner with clear information of issues and actions proposed
Ensure signed off samples are lodged and stored clearly in the product library for reference, and available for relevant meeting
Approve print and product lab dips with Design, in line with the Crew brand essence
Approve bulk fabric and trim submissions, in line with business CP

Product Critical Path Management

Ensure suppliers are aware of the timeline at the start of the season
Manage team updates on product critical path ensuring POs are correct on the system and reflect latest intake
Trade the dept understand trade, so you can react in season and cut/infill where you've had success and failure
Ensure that all marketing & Ecommerce collateral is correct and up to date in accordance to business CP
Ensure 100% on time delivery of accurate salesman, product & shoot samples
Support team in weekly critical path reviews and offer guidance to junior members if the team

People Management

Lead by example and communicate with clarity and consistency.
Ensure team is fully functioning and that cross functional relationships are maintained.
Train and develop individual team members to improve their individual capabilities and deliver functional expertise.

Key Skills and Experience

Experience in Buying with clear track record of delivering margin improvement
Extensive experience of initiating and developing direct sourcing relationships in product.
Knowledge if supplier negotiation and have a proven track record of travelling alone to various sources across the globe.
Technical expertise in garment fabrication, construction and production
Market knowledge of clothing including competitor price architecture.
Strong commercial judgement
Selfmotivated individual, capable of driving change at pace
Good understanding of supply base and respectful way of working.
Passion for produ