Do you have an eye for fashion and sports lifestyle footwear trends? If so, we are looking for you!
JD Finish Line North America is seeking a trend led footwear fashion & lifestyle Buyer. You will be working across key multiple brands including: Adidas, Nike, Converse, Vans and many others. We are looking for a talented individual who has a willingness to learn, and be part of a major global sports fashion retailer. This individual should effectively exhibit JD Finish Line's core values of Customer, People, Winning, Community, and Financial Responsibility in everything they do by performing the following main duties:
Owns and advises the Buying function on relevant fascia and category selections
Leads appointments by selecting and editing products
Develops brand product launches throughout the year as specified
Identifies current/new trends and applies observations to drive sales and differentiate JD Sports from competition
Plans and develops seasonal assortments to achieve and or exceed departmental/corporate financial plans
Assist in driving sales in your relevant department
Partners with vendors to develop products which align with our 'premium' positioning and differentiate JD Sports from our competitors
Purchases merchandise to satisfy corporate financial plans that include but are not limited to Retail Sales, Gross Margin Percent, Gross Margin Dollars, Inventory Turn and GMROI
Lead the review of previous week's sales with the planning department to propose and drive actions for the week ahead
Negotiate with selected brands regarding trading terms and conditions
Negotiate budgets and planning within internal teams and external brands
Manages and reports on Vendor Profitability
Manages current trends and applies observations to assortments to drive sales and differentiate JD Finish Line from the competition
Manages budgets and Open-To-Buy on in seasons and forward budgets
Develops and trains Associate Buyers
Provides input/vision on Visual planners
Attends relevant trade shows, and regular market travel and retail store visits
Partners with internal and external individuals at all levels
Presents on performance in trade meetings
Additional duties and projects as required
Required Education and/or Experience
Bachelor's degree from a four-year college or university is preferred, and/or 4 - 7 years of applicable experience in merchandising, buying, planning or other related retail function at a multi store retailer, or equivalent combination of education and experience. Solid knowledge of retail math, forecasting, and negotiation skills are required. Working knowledge of the sports industry and apparel is preferred. Internal JD Finish Line experience strongly preferred. Other desired experience includes:
Experience of buying/merchandising Sports Fashion
Experience of buying/merchandising branded goods is essential
Strong knowledge of retail math, forecasting and negotiation skills are required
Strong understanding and knowledge of current and upcoming sports fashion trends at a high street and mall premium level price point
Extensive knowledge of our store base and website
Extensive knowledge of product area and market
Brand awareness around new brands and opportunities to diversify and drive departments/category sales
Highly numerate and skilled within budget forecasting and planning
Ability to work under own initiative
Ability to work in a fast-paced buying office environment
Required Computer and/or Technical Skills
Should have intermediate to advanced knowledge and abilities with Google Suite applications or Microsoft equivalents such as Word and Excel.
The company reserves the right to modify this job description with or without notice. Employees may be asked to perform additional duties outside of normal job scope on a temporary basis per company policy.