Product Manager - Hardlines

Hardlines Buyer

Ganahl Lumber is seeking an experienced Hardlines Buyer to manage the purchasing, assortment planning, inventory performance, and supplier relationships for assigned hardlines categories. Product categories may include tools, fasteners, hardware, adhesives, sealants, safety products, jobsite supplies, and other building-material accessories.

The Hardlines Buyer will ensure the right products are available at the right locations and quantities while meeting company objectives for sales, gross margin, inventory turns, service levels, and supplier performance. This position works closely with vendors, sales teams, branch personnel, merchandising, operations, accounting, and company leadership.

The ideal candidate combines strong product and market knowledge with analytical ability, negotiating skill, and sound commercial judgment. This individual should be comfortable managing a broad product assortment, responding to changing customer demand, and using sales and inventory data to make timely purchasing decisions.

Key responsibilities include purchasing assigned hardlines products in accordance with sales forecasts, inventory targets, customer needs, promotional plans, and company objectives. Manage product assortments and inventory levels across assigned categories and locations. Maintain appropriate stock levels while controlling excess, obsolete, discontinued, and slow-moving inventory. Develop demand forecasts using historical sales, seasonality, current orders, market trends, promotional activity, vendor lead times, and input from branch and sales teams.

Establish and maintain productive relationships with manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, and manufacturer representatives. Negotiate product costs, purchasing terms, discounts, rebates, freight allowances, promotional funding, return privileges, payment terms, and volume commitments. Monitor product costs, market conditions, supply constraints, vendor programs, competitive activity, and emerging customer needs. Identify opportunities to improve product selection, pricing, availability, gross margin, and inventory turns.

Review category performance and recommend assortment additions, substitutions, expansions, reductions, or discontinuations. Evaluate new products and vendors based on customer demand, product quality, pricing, margin potential, availability, lead times, warranties, and overall value. Coordinate product launches, line reviews, seasonal programs, promotions, and vendor-supported sales initiatives. Collaborate with sales and branch teams to identify local market needs, customer preferences, special-order requirements, and product opportunities.

Work with vendors and internal teams to ensure accurate product descriptions, specifications, costs, units of measure, pack quantities, lead times, and other item information. Maintain accurate purchase orders, vendor records, product data, costs, and replenishment settings in company systems. Monitor open purchase orders, backorders, fill rates, shipment status, lead times, and delivery performance. Coordinate inbound freight and delivery schedules with vendors, carriers, distribution teams, and receiving locations.

Investigate and resolve shortages, overages, damages, invoice discrepancies, pricing errors, defective products, and warranty or return issues. Analyze sales, gross margin, inventory turns, stockouts, service levels, aged inventory, vendor performance, and other key performance indicators. Recommend transfers, markdowns, vendor returns, promotions, or purchasing adjustments to address inventory imbalances. Work with accounting to resolve vendor invoices, credits, rebates, promotional allowances, and payment discrepancies.

Support annual budgeting, inventory planning, category planning, and purchasing-strategy development. Ensure products meet company quality expectations and applicable regulatory, labeling, safety, and documentation requirements. Stay informed about new products, construction trends, building practices, competitor activity, and developments within assigned categories. Attend vendor meetings, trade shows, product demonstrations, and industry events as needed. Perform other purchasing, merchandising, inventory-management, and category-management duties as assigned.

Required qualifications include several years of professional buying, purchasing, merchandising, category-management, or inventory-management experience in hardlines, hardware, tools, building materials, home improvement, construction supply, industrial supply, or a closely related industry. Strong knowledge of hardlines products and the needs of professional contractors, tradespeople, builders, and retail customers. Demonstrated experience managing product assortments, forecasting demand, placing purchase orders, and controlling inventory. Proven ability to negotiate effectively with manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, and manufacturer representatives.

Experience evaluating product costs,…