What is the day to day role of a buyer ?
"The role is really varied day to day. On a typical week you cover many things but I will outline our key responsibilities. On Mondays we work with our merchandising team and review our best and worst sellers from the previous week. We look at whether we need to place repeat orders and report back to Senior managers. Buyers are responsible for planning and delivering ranges into store. We plan all ranges with merchandisers and review what worked well last year for us. We build the ranges with the design teams to see what is right for our customer. We then have to negotiate prices with our suppliers to an agreed margin target. . Once we have placed orders we follow the life cycle of that product, including fitting the garments with our garment technologist, we approve fabrics and colours to make sure the final garment looks exactly right."
Why did you want to become a buyer ?
"I worked at George on a placement year as a Visual Merchandiser, whilst I was at university. I really enjoyed working along side the buying teams. Buying is a really varied role, you spend time working across functions and also with suppliers. It is a very hands on role - we spend a lot of time choosing the right product, discussing trends and colours. As well as this we are also challenged on working on costings and budgets which is really challenging also. There is also travel involved in the role and this can be very tiring but rewarding and you learn a lot."
"What previous past have you had to reach this job and how do you make your way up ?
I did a degree in Fashion and Textile Management. This was at Nottingham Trent, this included a placement year which was really helpful. At school I did A Levels in PE, Biology & English Literature - which is not related at all to what I do now! Within George I have made my way through the business by being open to opportunities and working really hard, but also focusing on my key development areas and learning from others so that I could continuously improve."
What different departments of a buyer is their ?
"Within George there are a lot of different areas. E.g. Within womenswear there are around 10 buyers and we split areas across e.g. there is a Ladies Knitwear buyer, a Ladies Denim buyer etc. this also happens across the Mens, Kids and essentials areas."
What is it you buy and where do you buy the clothing from ?
"I buy Ladies jersey and there are varying country of origins such as Bangladesh, China, india, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Lithuania, Morocco, Egypt, Romania and the UK."
Do you have any communication with shop floor ?
We have a store development team who communicate to the stores regularly including any changes, store layouts etc. As buying teams we undertake store visits regularly to discuss with colleagues and managers what their thoughts are of the ranges and also to talk to customers.
Do you travel much with the job ?
"Depending on the departments you do travel. On my area we work a lot in turkey so we travel at least once every other month."
What qualifications and skills are needed to be a buyer ?
"You need to have a passion for the product. You need to keep up with trends. It is very fast paced so you need to be open to change. you need to be a clear decision maker, and take risks. You have to be a good team worker and trust others to make decisions for you. Communication skills are also imperative as you have to communicate not only within the business but also with suppliers in this country and abroad.
Qualification wise - if you have a degree that is related to fashion this is a good head start but not always necessary. If you can get the experience you can work your way up."
What do you think as for the future of buying ?
"Wherever there is a product needed, you will need a buyer to buy it!"
