Senior Closeout Category Merchant, Retail

Senior Closeout Category Merchant, Retail

Framingham, MA, United States (On-site)

Staples U.S. Retail is accelerating its off-price and closeout business, and we are seeking a Senior Closeout Category Merchant with deep experience operating in a fast-paced, opportunistic buying environment. This role is responsible for identifying, negotiating, and procuring high-value closeout deals that surprise and delight customers while driving strong financial results. You will cultivate vendor relationships, evaluate deal flow daily, and make rapid purchase decisions that support a true treasure-hunt retail experience in our stores.

This is a high-impact, high-visibility role for a merchant who thrives on agility, relationship-building, and the excitement of landing exceptional deals.

• Source, evaluate, and purchase closeout, excess inventory, and special-buy opportunities across multiple product categories.
• Make fast, well-informed buying decisions based on margin targets, brand value, quality standards, and store relevance.
• Partner with vendors, liquidators, manufacturers, and distributors to identify ongoing and one-time buying opportunities.
• Travel to vendor locations, trade shows, and marketplaces to assess products and negotiate deals.
• Build and maintain strong vendor networks to ensure a consistent pipeline of high-quality closeout offerings.
• Negotiate cost, terms, freight, quantities, and multi-load opportunities to deliver the strongest value for the business.
• Manage end-to-end deal flow—from discovery to purchase order to delivery into DCs and stores.

• Curate a compelling, ever-changing assortment that supports the treasure-hunt experience central to off-price retail.
• Balance branded opportunistic buys with core planned purchases to maximize customer excitement and sales productivity.
• Work closely with planning and allocation to ensure right quantities, flow, and in-store presentation.
• Own category financial performance including sales, gross margin, sell-through, turn, and targeted inventory levels.
• Analyze deal profitability quickly and accurately to ensure purchases meet financial thresholds.
• Manage OTB (Open-to-Buy) in a flexible, dynamic environment where deal flow changes daily.

• Partner with Store Operations, Marketing, Allocation, Inventory Planning, and Finance to support execution of off-price strategies.
• Influence partners to ensure fast movement from deal approval to store delivery.
• Support in-store presentation to highlight value, brand integrity, and the treasure-hunt experience.
• Develop and mentor junior buyers or merchandise specialists.
• Support cross-training in off-price buying practices, market trends, and negotiation strategies.

• Bachelor’s Degree in business, marketing or operations OR equivalent work experience.
• 6+ years of experience in off-price, opportunistic, closeout, or liquidation buying.
• Proven ability to evaluate deal profitability in real time and negotiate aggressively but strategically.
• Demonstrated success managing vendor relationships and securing high-value branded buys.
• Strong financial acumen with expertise in margin analysis, deal modelling, sell-through management, and Open-to-Buy ownership.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment with shifting priorities.
• Deep understanding of customer value perception within off-price retail.

• Experience purchasing across multiple categories (general merchandise, housewares, stationery, seasonal, consumables, etc.).
• Advanced negotiation training and experience handling multi-truckload or multi-million-dollar purchase commitments.
• Strong market intelligence: brand cycles, excess inventory patterns, supply chain trends, and off-price competitive landscape.

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