Buyer, Retail

The Buyer owns the day-to-day category strategy, assortment selection, vendor execution, pricing recommendations, and business performance for assigned categories. This role is accountable, with Planning & Allocation, for delivering sales, gross margin dollars, inventory efficiency, SKU productivity, and clean inventory exits.

The Buyer must be product-obsessed, customer-aware, store-connected, and financially disciplined. The role requires strong product judgment, vendor management, speed, and willingness to test and learn. The Buyer’s work should make the store easier to shop, improve in-stock position on priority products, and deliver better value within the defined square footage of the category and Zone.

Business Ownership

• Own category performance across sales, gross margin dollars, gross margin rate, inventory productivity, sell-through, turn, and markdowns.
• Partner with Planning & Allocation on buy depth, flow, replenishment, inventory risk, and exit strategy.
• Review business results regularly and translate performance into clear actions.
• Identify risks and opportunities early and escalate with recommendations.

Assortment & Product

• Build customer-right assortments for assigned categories.
• Build assortments to the category’s defined space within the Zone, balancing customer choice, inventory depth, presentation needs, and productivity.
• Know product features, benefits, quality, durability, use cases, competitive alternatives, and price-value equation.
• Identify great product that does what it says it does and delivers reliable value without being over-built or over‑priced.
• Reduce duplication and low-productivity clutter.
• Use sales per square foot, GM dollars per square foot, inventory per square foot, and turn to improve SKU count, depth, and space allocation recommendations.
• Test new products, brands, classifications, and store-specific opportunities.
• Manage vendor line reviews and day-to-day vendor relationships.
• Partner with the DMM and Vendor Strategy & Partnerships on strategic vendor opportunities.
• Push vendors for better product value, availability, funding, product information and marketing assets, and customer storytelling.
• Evaluate vendor productivity and recommend growth, maintenance, reduction, or exit actions.
• Recommend pricing and promotional strategies based on customer value, competition, margin, and inventory position.
• Partner with Planning on markdown timing, inventory exposure, and exit plans.
• Connect promotions to business objectives and customer relevance.

Cross-Functional Execution

• Partner with Visual Merchandising and Planning & Allocation to ensure the assortment fits the space, is easy to navigate, and supports productive inventory placement.
• Partner with Marketing on product stories, campaign priorities, and vendor assets.
• Partner with Stores to understand execution realities and customer feedback.
• Partner with Ecommerce to support online assortment, product content, and drop‑ship opportunities.
• Spend time in stores and use what is learned to improve category decisions.

The Buyer owns or leads:

• Product selection within assigned categories
• Category and classification assortment direction
• Vendor Strategy within the category
• Pricing and promotional recommendations
• Buy depth recommendations in partnership with Planning
• Category space and productivity within the Zone’s standard footprint
• Markdowns and exits
• Product storytelling priorities
• Category test‑and‑learn opportunities

Success in the role will be measured by improvement in:

• Gross margin rate
• Inventory productivity
• Turn
• Sell‑through
• Markdown efficiency
• Space productivity, including sales and GM dollars per square foot
• In‑stock position on priority items
• Customer experience and shopability
• Speed of testing, learning, and scaling
• Category productivity
• Vendor support and responsiveness

• 4+ years of progressive merchandising, buying, category management, or equivalent retail experience; experience owning a meaningful category or high‑SKU business preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree in merchandising, business, finance, or a related field preferred; equivalent relevant experience…