Buyer

**Department**: Buying Department

**Reports to**: Head of Merchandising/Buyer

**Liaises with**: Warehouse, Finance, HR, Operations, IT, Marketing, Stores, E-Commerce

**Purpose**:
To support the Head of Merchandising in developing and delivering the most appropriate and comprehensive product range for each category that maximises profitability through buying efficiencies, pricing and sales strategies.

**ROLE DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES**

**Merchandising Support**
- Provides category reports
- Visits stores (both Mothercare and competition) regularly to proactively understand assortments, pricing and store presentation
- Assists stores with product and customer enquiries

**Category Planning**
- Plans buy based on set annual category budgets
- Delivers budgeted sales and margin targets at class level
- Determines merchandise gaps within each category and sources products to fill the gaps

**Space Planning**
- Works with the Operations team to develop category planograms/option counts
- Conducts store-level analysis to maximise the space and drive sales through optimum store ranging
- Interacts with store managers/supervisors to discuss best sellers and merchandise placement

**Pricing**
- Conducts competitive price checks and ensures Mothercare is competitively priced
- Ensures Mothercare prices are aligned with the local distributor prices
- Ensures retail price changes are communicated and implemented in a timely manner

**Promotion Planning & Markdowns**
- Recommends an annual or seasonal promotional plan to optimise profit and sales
- Maintains inventory needs to support promotional strategy
- Ensures margin management of all activity to hit budget
- Executes and implements promotion in-store in a timely and effective manner
- Develops promotional plans with key vendors

**Stock**
- Monitors stock level and keeps healthy inventory.
- Clearance and management of ageing and discontinued stock
- Management of slow moving product and excess stock lines
- Constant analysis of stock situations to ensure immediate rectification of overstock or understock situations

**Market**
- Full understanding of market positioning and competitor activity through constant market research and feedback from customers and staffs
- Analyses consumer buying patterns and predicts future trends.

**Vendor**
- Attends Mothercare Franchise meetings as necessary
- Liaises with UK on merchandise ranges, retail and cost price fluctuations, overstock and understock issues.
- Meets local suppliers to fill in merchandise gaps within the UK range and negotiates best possible cost prices to maximise margin
- Maintains relationships with existing suppliers and sources new suppliers for future products/brands.
- Ensures consistent replenishment and prompts delivery of suppliers
- Attends trade fairs to propose new product selection

**KEY DECISIONS & PROBLEM-SOLVING**
- Product selection planning for each season
- Analyses per department, per store performance to be able to buy accordingly
- Home and travel product range and planograms for each store / Clothing Option plans for each store for each season
- Analyses stock turnover and decides on promotions whenever necessary

**COMPETENCIES**

**Behavioural**
- Resonates with core company values of ‘Nurture’, ‘Honour’, and ‘Unite’ with ‘Integrity’.
- Demonstrates initiative, interpersonal skills, problem-solving, and communication skills
- Demonstrates creativity, integrity, passion, and self-motivation
- Ability to make decisions, meet targets, work under pressure, and manage workload with little direction
- Has a business-like approach, uses tact and diplomacy when negotiating
- Absorbs and assesses information quickly
- Enjoys dealing with people, whether by phone or in person
- Team-player

**Functional**
- Knowledge of key business drivers (e.g. pricing, promotion, assortment, margins)
- Knowledge of financial retail calculations—OTB, markdowns, margins
- Negotiation skills
- Well-versed in Microsoft Office, especially Microsoft Excel. Good worksheets skills to generate structured reports

**Qualifications & Experience**
- Bachelor’s degree in the related field.
- Minimum of 1 year experience in a buying role.

**Job Types**: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: RM3,000.00 - RM5,500.00 per month

**Benefits**:

- Cell phone reimbursement
- Free parking
- Health insurance
- Maternity leave
- Parental leave
- Professional development

Schedule:

- Monday to Friday

Application Question(s):

- Which of the following statements best describes your right to work in Malaysia?
- Which of the following Microsoft Office products are you experienced with?
- What's your expected monthly basic salary?
- How much notice are you required to give your current employer?

**Experience**:

- Buyer: 3 years (required)
- Retail sales: 3 years (required)