Apparel Buyer

Beginning Boutique has been a leader in the women’s fashion online retail field since 2008. Yep, back when iPods were a thing. We’ve been an essential part of our customer’s journey since then, being the go-to for the latest apparel and accessories, and designing must-have pieces for every important moment in our customer’s lives. And we’ve got our sights firmly set on worldwide expansion We’re an exciting place to work and develop your career (if we do say so ourselves).
Based in Brisbane, Australia, we’re looking for excellent people to join our expanding team. We love people who love what they do, push boundaries and strive for personal excellence. If this sounds appealing, then hey, hello, we’d totally love to meet you.

Overview:
The purpose of the Buyer role is to be responsible for the sourcing, development and ranging of product for the Beginning Boutique customer, that will allow Beginning Boutique to gain market share, achieve sales and GP growth. This will include identifying product opportunities, managing key metrics of sales, margin, markdowns, on time delivery, negotiating and communicating effectively with the supplier base to achieve best outcomes for the business and managing/leading a team to support this function. This role is dynamic in a fast paced environment which requires an individual that possesses organisation skills, merchant mentality, a can-do attitude, flexibility and out of the box thinking.

**Responsibilities**:

- Source and range in conjunction with the planner and HBD
- Communicate and liaise with factories, suppliers and agents in order to develop and produce required product
- Thorough understanding of past history and forward trends, work with the Designers to identify and maximize opportunities for growth within the departments
- Thorough understanding of fabric performance and fabric types across cut and sew, woven, denim and fully fashioned knits.
- Maximise sales and identify opportunities consistently by reordering bestsellers as required and maintaining stock of key lines
- Maintain a strong awareness of competitors and marketplace
- Ensure that all styles placed maintain Beginning Boutique quality and styling standards, and reinforce the brand position
- Negotiate best possible costs with factories, suppliers and agents in order to achieve first margin targets
- Develop ranges which work within monthly and seasonal spends plans
- Monitor OTB plans weekly in conjunction with the planner and HBD
- Work within sample budgets and minimize sample expenditure where possible
- In conjunction with the HBD, conduct monthly SWOTS and end of season PSA
- In conjunction with the HBD, review pricing, supplier mix, key attributes consistently in range development
- Ensure all garments have a commercial appeal and meet the BB quality standards and BB customer expectations
- Provide feedback and solutions collaboratively in fit sessions on how to fix, re-style a garment in order to make delivery month
- Identify any opportunities that will maximise efficiencies and profitability in fit sessions

**Requirements**:

- To be successful in this role you will need to have the following;
- Minimum 4 years experience in a buyer role at a retailer, with direct reports
- Retail experience desirable
- Knowledge and exposure to quality control and fitting of garments
- Understanding of buying/planning principles
- Fabrication or other technical knowledge
- Offshore buying and international travel experience desirable
- Understanding retail arithmetic
- Understanding of critical path
- Creative and Innovative
- Merchant mentality
- Exceptional Verbal and written communication skills
- Planning and organising skills
- Fabric knowledge
- Technical knowledge on how a garment is made to be able to negotiate best costs
- Knowledge of eCommerce and retail industries
- Strong Leadership ability
- Strong problem solving and analytical skills
- A wide range of financial knowledge
- Exceptional data analysis
- Ability to work well under pressure

Why work for Beginning Boutique:

- Flexible working arrangements available
- Excellent employee discounts on clothing
- Excellent workplace culture:

- Regular team events
- Work a team that loves what they do
- Work with like-minded people who are passionate and experienced in their fields
- We care about you:

- Training and development focus for staff
- A culture that supports on your health and wellbeing
- We care about the future:

- We donate 1% of profits to our charity partners through our BB Better initiative
- We have a sustainability and ethical targets
- We work with charities year-round

If this sounds like you, we would love for you to send your resume and cover letter through to