Trainee Buyer

About Vimwood

Vimwood Australia, is a leading provider of fashion accessories to prominent retailers within Australasia. Based in Alexandria, Vimwood has been in operation for over 30 years and has a reputation that has been built on integrity, trust and being specialists in our field. We offer an enjoyable and collaborative work environment, and a culture centred around our customers and team. We have experienced strong and ongoing growth across the Australian market and are looking to continue to grow our vibrant and entrepreneurial team.

About the Role

As a Trainee Buyer, you will support the Merchandise Manager in planning, sourcing, and developing customer centric & retailer specific ranges. You will work closely with suppliers, the planning team, and the design department to ensure collections are on-trend, commercially viable, and delivered on time. You will also provide supervision and support to direct reports.

This role is full time in the Alexandria office – parking is available on site.

Key Responsibilities

• Participate in development of seasonal product and pricing strategies, leading strategy for own retailer.
• Build commercially viable and customer centric range assortments that balance price, volume, quality and innovation to drive sustained growth.
• Provide direction to design for license product ranging where required.
• Liaise with suppliers to source and develop samples, negotiating cost prices in line with targets.
• End to end ownership: manage the full product lifecycle from concept to in-store delivery.
• Work with QA to ensure products meet compliance requirements.
• Creates critical paths in line with retailer partners and business requirements.
• Monitors sales performance and profitability, making data driven decisions to maximise results and mitigate overstocks.
• Translates global trends and customer insights into compelling product ranges.
• Plans regular meetings with retailer to build relationship, providing regular business updates.
• Supervise onshore and offshore administrative assistants in accordance with their role requirements.

Our Ideal Trainee Buyer

Essential:

• Strong interest in fashion, accessories, and retail trends.
• Excellent organisational skills with attention to detail.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook).
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple deadlines.

Preferred:

• Tertiary qualification in fashion, merchandising, or business.
• Previous experience in product development ideally within ladies' accessories and jewellery, working directly with offshore suppliers.
• Previous retail, merchandising, or buying assistant experience.
• Knowledge of the Australian accessories market and customer preferences.

Some Benefits and Perks

• Opportunity to be highly creative within the accessories and fashion categories
• Working with an energetic collaborative team
• Competitive salary and bonus
• Bring your dog to work days
• Birthday leave day
• Free parking on-site