Assistant Buyer, Women’s

Who we are

lululemon is an innovative performance apparel company for yoga, running, training, and other athletic pursuits. Setting the bar in technical fabrics and functional design, we create transformational products and experiences that support people in moving, growing, connecting, and being well. We owe our success to our innovative product, emphasis on stores, commitment to our people, and the incredible connections we make in every community we’re in. As a company, we focus on creating positive change to build a healthier, thriving future. In particular, that includes creating an equitable, inclusive and growth-focused environment for our people.

About this team

Reporting to the Buying Manager, the Assistant Buyer is responsible for the assortment, execution and depth of the buy of their specific product category across all channels. The Assistant Buyer is responsible for supporting the team with strategic assortment planning, determining locally relevant assortments and being a competitive market expert for their particular region. This person will lead effective partnerships with Planning, Allocations, Visual Merchandising, Digital and Retail Operations to deliver “right product, right stores, right time”. The Assistant Buyer role is the stepping stone to Buyer through experience and time in role

A day in the life of

• Working with the Buyer – you lead the in-season management of your product category, through sales analysis, flow management, product education, chase, cancellations, markdowns and exit
• You work with the Buyer to formulate and define local pricing strategies
• You act as the primary point of contact for product feedback from your region’s product category
• You support the quarterly product reviews (“meltdown”) for your product category, delivering on timely, measurable, and actionable feedback
• You proactively gather, analyse and drive insight from local market knowledge and competitive landscape across all channels
• Using the preliminary Global Assortment to support buyer, create a compelling, locally relevant product assortment for the region’s store clusters
• You are a “market expert” in your product category and region for all channels and can effectively communicate key data points with buyer, including merchandising strategies, athletic and fashion trends, pricing and competition that inform the global product strategy
• You contribute to the financial success of the region by meeting and exceeding sales, gross margin and inventory productivity goals through all channels (stores, ecommerce) through the effective partnership with Planning team.

Qualifications

• Min. 1-2 years’ experience in retail in an assistant buyer, merchant or buying role
• Bachelor’s degree qualified (Business, commerce preferred)
• Vertical retail and omni-channel experience highly desirable
• Mastery of retail mathematics and Open to Buy
• Strong analytical skills, including the ability to interpret multiple data points across numerous channels and market segments
• Proven ability to work with a cross functional team
• Excellent sense of style and color trends; athletically minded
• Excellent communication skills – interpersonal, written and verbal
• Entrepreneurship – an ability to make decisions and take calculated risks
• Focus on creating an extraordinary guest experience, organizational and time management skills
• Strong knowledge of MS Office (Word, Excel and Outlook)
• Self-awareness, with a desire for constant self-improvement (goal-oriented)
• Willingness to travel and work on the retail floor

Must haves:

• Acknowledges the presence of choice in every moment and takes personal responsibility for their life.
• Possesses an entrepreneurial spirit and continuously innovates to achieve great results.
• Communicates with honesty and kindness and creates the space for others to do the same.
• Leads with courage, knowing the possibility of greatness is bigger than the fear of failure.
• Fosters connection by putting people first and building trusting relationships.
• Integrates fun and joy as a way of being and working, aka doesn’t take themselves too seriously.

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