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Retail Buyer job description

A Retail Buyer is a professional who plans, manages, and selects goods to be sold in retail stores to ensure their own company’s competitiveness with other retailers. They continually look for new products and review existing ones to ensure they’re up-to-date on current trends.

Nikoletta Bika
Nikoletta Bika

Nikoletta holds an MSc in HR management and has written extensively about all things HR and recruiting.

 

This Retail Buyer job description template is optimized for posting on online job boards or careers pages and easy to customize for your company.

Retail Buyer responsibilities include:

  • Identifying customer preferences and forecasting consumer trends
  • Evaluating supplier options according to prices, quality etc. and determine the best choices
  • Discovering and purchasing new products and checking the quality and popularity of those already on our shelves

retail buyer job description

Job brief

We are looking for a competent Retail buyer to select and purchase lines of products on behalf of our company. The role is very important since our business activities cannot begin without the necessary stock.

The quality and variety of products on our shelves are essential for our success. Therefore, the ideal candidate must be a responsible individual with great attention to detail. As a retail buyer, you will also need to negotiate with suppliers to secure competitive prices.

The goal is to ensure that the business will always have adequate stock that meets its requirements. That way we can deliver value to our customers through high-quality products and facilitate sustainable growth.

Responsibilities

  • Identify customer preferences and forecast consumer trends
  • Evaluate supplier options according to prices, quality etc. and determine the best choices
  • Discover and purchase new products and check the quality and popularity of those already on our shelves
  • Negotiate terms of agreements to achieve the best deal for our company
  • Ensure the timely delivery of products and compliance with the contracts of purchase
  • Monitor stock levels and make plans for buying within budget
  • Create reports on sales, budgets and customer satisfaction and adjust your strategies accordingly
  • Forge and maintain trust relationships with suppliers to promote fair dealing
  • Attend events, fairs and exhibitions to remain up-to-date with the market’s trends

Requirements and skills

  • Proven experience as a retail buyer or relevant role
  • Outstanding communication abilities
  • Excellent organizational skills
  • Demonstrable aptitude in effective negotiating
  • Up to speed with purchasing best practices
  • Familiarity with market research, data analysis and forecasting techniques
  • Excellent knowledge of MS Office; working knowledge of purchasing software (e.g. SpendMap) is an advantage
  • High school diploma; BSc/BA in business administration or relevant field will be considered a plus

Frequently asked questions

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