Buyer - Sports

Role Summary

The Buyer is responsible for managing the purchasing and inventory strategies within the assigned Business Unit. The role focuses on sourcing, selecting, and negotiating with suppliers to ensure the availability of high-quality, market-appropriate products at competitive pricing. The Buyer collaborates with the Category Manager to align buying strategies with organizational objectives, ensuring profitability and customer satisfaction.

Role Responsibilities

- Oversee the end-to-end buying process, from product selection and range building through to purchase order placement and on-time delivery to stores
- Conduct regular market, competitor, and consumer trend analysis to identify opportunities in categories, price points, and brands for Sports
- Build seasonal and in-season assortments in line with the category strategy, target consumer, store clusters, and financial plans
- Negotiate cost prices, trading terms, payment conditions, rebates, and other commercial agreements to maximize margin and profitability
- Review sales, stock, and margin performance by category, brand, and SKU, identifying risks and opportunities for rebuys, cancellations, and range optimization
- Manage stock levels in coordination with Merchandising and Allocation to ensure availability aligns with seasonal demand, promotions, and store capacities
- Collaborate with Logistics and Supply Chain to secure timely inbound flow, resolve delivery issues, and ensure accurate and complete shipments from suppliers
- Work with Store and Merchandising teams to gather feedback on product performance, customer preferences, and visual merchandising requirements
- Use tools such as SAP and Power BI to create and maintain reports on purchasing performance, supplier KPIs, and range effectiveness to support decision-making
- Ensure adherence to company procurement policies, ethical standards, and documentation requirements, maintaining accurate and complete records of all buying activities
- Support the planning and execution of promotions, campaigns, and seasonal launches by aligning product availability, pricing, and supplier support

Technical / Functional Competencies

- Strong negotiation and influencing skills with the ability to secure favorable commercial terms
- Excellent analytical skills, with the ability to interpret sales, stock, and margin data and translate it into buying actions
- Proficiency in SAP ERP and Power BI, with strong Excel skills for reporting and analysis
- Solid understanding of retail buying cycles, assortment planning, OTB, and inventory management
- High level of organization and attention to detail in managing multiple seasons and supplier relationships
- Ability to work under pressure

Experience / Qualification

- Bachelor's degree in Business; a degree in Supply Chain Management is preferred
- Master's degree is advantageous
- Certification in Procurement
- 6 years of total experience, including 4 years in procurement and 2 years in retail buying
- Experience in inventory management
- SAP ERP knowledge required
- Proficiency in Power BI
- Experience in sports retail