The Manager Buying(Clothing) is responsible for driving the overall business performance, range strategy, and merchandise planning of the baby clothing category. This role ensures that the department meets its sales, margin, and inventory objectives through effective buying, product selection, supplier negotiation, and close collaboration with planning, allocation, and retail operations teams.
Responsibilities
- Business & Category Management: Responsible for driving business and category performance for the baby clothing department across the South East Asia region, including annual planning, sales and margin management, inventory and OTB control, and performance analysis. The role focuses on identifying growth opportunities, optimizing stock and sell-through, and executing promotional and markdown strategies to maximize profitability, with regional scope and international travel.
- Buying & Merchandising: Responsible for leading buying and merchandising activities for the clothing category, including defining seasonal assortments, ensuring the right product mix, and aligning ranges with brand positioning and customer demand. The role involves close collaboration with design, sourcing, and suppliers, vendor negotiations to optimize cost and margins, managing product development timelines, and maintaining balanced inventory to support availability and sell-through.
- Merchandise Planning & Analysis: Responsible for supporting merchandise planning and performance analysis, including sales forecasting, defining seasonal buying quantities, and evaluating range efficiency through regular performance reviews. The role involves recommending reorders, pricing adjustments, and product rationalization based on data insights, while partnering with allocation teams to ensure optimal stock distribution across stores and channels.
- Cross-functional Coordination: Liaise with Marketing, Retail Operations, and Visual Merchandising to ensure consistent product presentation and promotional alignment. Coordinate with the supply chain and warehouse teams to ensure smooth inbound flow, stock availability, and timely replenishment. Partner with finance on budgeting, margin management, and cost optimization initiatives.
- Leadership & Team Development: Responsible for leading and developing the category team, including mentoring Assistant Buyers/ Merchandisers, fostering cross-functional collaboration, and promoting a strong, performance-driven culture. The role emphasizes data-driven decision-making, capability building, and continuous improvement to enhance overall team effectiveness.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Fashion Merchandising, or Retail Management.
- Minimum 1013 years of experience in merchandising or buying within apparel retail, preferably in baby or kids wear.
- Strong commercial acumen with proven success in product planning, buying, and vendor management.
- Excellent analytical, negotiation, and communication skills.
- Proficiency in Excel and merchandise planning systems.
