Salary Range: £18,000 – £70,000 per year
You will definitely need a degree to do this job and it would give you an advantage if the degree was in Retail or Business.
Working for a high street retailer, online business or mail order company you will be responsible for getting the goods into your business that customers will want to buy. You may be the one to spot that next big trend at Christmas, remember Furby or Hatchimals! You will specialise in one area such as fashion, cosmetics or electronics and be responsible for seeking out those goods.
Your day-to-day tasks may include:
- analysing and forecasting trends from consumer data
- attending trade fairs to find new products
- managing product quality and getting customer feedback
- negotiating prices, orders and delivery dates
- presenting collections to senior managers
- tracking sales figures, managing stock levels and keeping to budgets
- checking and reacting to competitor activities
- adapting quickly to changing consumer behaviour
Working hours, patterns and environment
You’ll usually work 35 to 40 hours, Monday to Friday, although tight deadlines can often mean working late.
You’ll spend most of your time in an office, usually the head office of your organisation. You may go out to visit stores or spend time away to meet suppliers and attend trade fairs in the UK and abroad
Career path and progression
With experience and training you could become a senior buyer, buying controller or head of buying. You could also move into product management, marketing or merchandising
Further links
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