Hudson Group is an international retailer and distributor primarily involved in the sport and fashion wear sectors. The Group’s head office is in Malta but is also present through offices in Italy, Cyprus, Morocco, Nigeria and Algeria.
Though Hudson Holdings was founded in 2006, the Group’s roots reach as far back as 1987 when the first pair of NIKE was sold in Malta.
Role purpose
As a Buyer for Nike products, you will play a pivotal role in curating an outstanding collection of athletic footwear, apparel, and accessories. You will collaborate with various teams, including Merchandising, Inventory Management, and Vendor Relations, to ensure that our assortment aligns with customer preferences, brand guidelines, and market trends. Your analytical skills, strong vendor relationships, and passion for sportswear will be critical in optimizing sales, maximizing margins, and delivering a seamless customer experience.
The key duties and responsibilities of the role are as follows:
- Assortment Planning: Collaborate with the Merchandising team to develop seasonal assortment plans that align with Nike’s brand strategy and our retail company’s objectives.
- Seasonal Buying Meetings: Participate in buying meetings with Nike representatives to gain insights into product lineups and present our company’s strategies and plans.
- Promotions and Markdowns: Collaborate with the Marketing team to plan promotions and markdown strategies to optimize sell-through and manage inventory.
- Interprets the company product strategy into product ranges
- Adheres to brand product strategy to ensure cohesive statement is maintained
- Balances the range for the target consumer and by market in terms of price points, styles, fashion colour, etc.
- Continuous review of in-season collection to maximise range, sales, and profit
- Analyse competitor product ranges and actions to ensure we are leading
- Interface with all different functions of the business i.e., planning and merchandising and ensures a constant information flow
- Drive opportunities using critical path to ensure maximum flexibility to decrease markdown risk and maximise sales
- Review department performance on a weekly basis and proposes action for trading out of poor performing areas and buying into successful areas
- Coordinate with VM and Marketing for the implementation of the Marketing/VM/Trade calendars; Ensure understanding of all the critical dates in the calendar
- Understand the market and competition well and is up to speed with trend activity
- Meet deadlines in buying calendars and critical path
- Work with the Merchandiser to ensure merchandise is phased in to provide the correct level of ‘newness’ for the customer according to divisional strategy.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate with various departments, including Marketing, Visual Merchandising, and Operations, to execute seamless product launches and drive brand initiatives.
KPIs
- Annual Turnover
- Sell Out
- Margins
- Terminal Stock
Core competencies, knowledge, and experience
- Diploma in Business Administration, Finance, or another relevant field
- Must have 4 years of experience as a Buyer with a medium to large size retailer
- Computer proficiency with advanced knowledge of Excel
- Strong aptitude with numbers and clear understanding of retail math skills
- Strong organisational skills with ability to manage multiple projects, prioritize and meet deadlines
- Ability to communicate persuasively, influentially, and responsibly across a broad spectrum of stakeholders
- Excels in team-environments and in building and developing strong interpersonal relationships, while maintaining an individual determination to accomplish goals.
