Associate buyer - London

Associate buyer - London, United Kingdom

Position Overview

Ref #

W

State/Region

London

Department

Merchandising & Planning

Location

United Kingdom

City

London

COMPANY DESCRIPTION

Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) is a global leader in the design, marketing and distribution of premium lifestyle products in five categories: apparel, accessories, home, fragrances, and hospitality. For more than 50 years, Ralph Lauren's reputation and distinctive image have been consistently developed across an expanding number of products, brands and international markets. The Company's brand names, which include Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Collection, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Polo Ralph Lauren, Double RL, Lauren Ralph Lauren, Polo Ralph Lauren Children, Chaps, among others, constitute one of the world's most widely recognized families of consumer brands.
At Ralph Lauren, we unite and inspire the communities within our company as well as those in which we serve by amplifying voices and perspectives to create a culture of belonging, ensuring inclusion, and fairness for all. We foster a culture of inclusion through: Talent, Education & Communication, Employee Groups and Celebration.

POSITION OVERVIEW

Supporting our LAUREN Wholesale Buying & Planning Team with operations to establish the optimum commercial cross channel assortment for the EMEA region, whilst maximizing the financial plan and respecting the category/brand objectives and direction.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Direct accountabilities

• Assort, price and forecast the line
• Maintain the line in the IT system
• Order & track samples orders
• Track business performance weekly
• Benchmark decisions against competition & broader market landscape
• Prepare & present the assortment at line opening meeting

Shared accountabilities

• Define seasonal assortment needs upfront & share with Global Merchandising teams
• Contribute to brand elevation both on qualitative and quantitative point of view
• Develop seasonal product assortment strategies that align with planning sales targets, SKU counts, productivity and product trends
• Participate/initiate business development projects

EXPERIENCE, SKILLS & KNOWLEDGE

Experience, Skills & Knowledge:

• High proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint
• Strong analytical skills and retail math comprehension
• Effective cross-functional communication and presentation skills
• Decision making capability clearly driven by conceptualizing future opportunities and developing strategic product and businessinitiatives
• Creative, assertive and solution-oriented when faced with business performance and/or challenging directives from theBuyer and Planner
• prioritize and direct multiple activities
• Highly organized and detail-oriented
• Experienced 4 Seasonal Buying cycles
• Fluent in English, additional languages are a plus
• Passion for Diversity & Inclusion values
• Excitement about team work

Stretch Skills/Qualities:

• Multi-category and multi-channel experience
• Work independently of the Buyer
• Effective team building skills, including the ability to motivate, negotiate and influence effectively across departments and divisions
• Consistently make confident and independent recommendations and accountability for achieving business goals
• Establish, nurture and utilize internal and external partners to drive the business
• Encourage a culture and an environment that fosters respect for the ideas of others and supports ongoing collaboration to execute business strategy