ASSISTANT BUYER

Join the Follett Team where employees are valued, respected and offered career paths throughout its many campus locations.

Follett serves over half of the students in the United States, and works with 80,000 schools as a leading provider of education technology, services and print and digital content.

We're higher education's largest campus retailer and a hub for school spirit and community as we operate over 1,000 local campus and online stores across the continent.

We take pride in the fact that for more than 140 years, we have been helping to improve people's lives by supporting a lifetime of learning and education.

We are looking for a results-driven Assistant Buyer to join the Follett Advanced Online team.

Position Overview Assist Buyer with all activities related to product selection, vendor and distributor relations, analysis, execution and communication to support company merchandise strategy and goals.

Internal teams including ecommerce, marketing, store design, visual merchandising, merchandise and inventory control and key vendors (list department specific vendors such as Apple, Dell, Microsoft for technology or Nike, Under Armour and Adidas for apparel).

Position Responsibilities :

Maintains accurate SKU assortment listings and provides updates to all team members including visual merchandising, planning, replenishment and merchandise control.

Ensures accurate SKU creation and maintenance as well as vendor graphic pages (if applicable). Updates and distributes assortment plan-o-grams, term sheets and correspondence to vendors.

Recommends suggested retail price considering department margin goal.

Prepares weekly sales reports for distribution to general merchandise and operations management teams. Analyzes sales and recommends changes to seasonal assortment, reviews plan-o-grams, vendor reviews, internal / external presentations, test programs and additional reporting as necessary to support sales and merchandise strategy.

Complete independent market research on the fashion trends of the season and presents the findings during assortment presentation meetings.

Communicate with and respond to store / planner merchandise requests as well as other department specific operational inquiries.

Sources products by gathering preliminary specifications from preferred suppliers. Works with buyer(s) to determine need for a new vendor.

Researches and interviews potential suppliers to determine suitability to specification requirements. Recommendations made to sourcing team on vendor choice.

Executes purchase orders as required.

Responsible for curating select vendor seasonal assortments throughout the year and presenting that line to management and the planning organization.

Participate in vendor evaluations and line reviews. Compares vendors overall ability to supply product, quality of merchandise, minimum orders, packaging, pricing, shipping methods and freight charges, bar coding, digital imagery, lead times, terms and conditions and availability.

• May be involved in one or more of the following processes : new store openings and / or closings, plan-o-grams, and follow-up regarding vendor payments, credits and allowances including co-op, markdown allowances and rebates.
• Maintains and organizes vendor samples of approved products for current season / plan-o-grams as well as ensures accurate online copy and image compliance.
• Assist in managing promotions including submitting promotional pricing, drafting internal and store communications, providing reporting and analysis of promotional activity and ad / catalog proofing.

Requirements :

• 1-3 years merchandise buying experience. Work experience in a retail environment or an internship with Follett or similar retailer would qualify.
• Bachelor's Degree business, marketing, or retail merchandise preferred.
• Solid, inter-personal, communication and organizational skills are required.
• Intermediate to advanced computer proficiency in Microsoft Excel / Microsoft Suite.
• Strong analytical skills, including an understanding of retail math.
• Ability to work cross functionally and build relationships with other departments.
• Interest in and knowledge of technology products strongly desired.
30+ days ago