House Of Fashion Associates
BUYER - CHARACTER LICENSE FASHION & ACCESSORIES
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BUYER - CHARACTER LICENSE FASHION & ACCESSORIES
Buyer - Character Licence (Fashion & Accessories) – Print on Demand (POD)
Location & Role Type
Staffordshire – Full-Time, Head Office-Based Position
Company Overview
Our client is a rapidly expanding licensed pop culture merchandise and clothing wholesaler, supplying leading retailers such as Next, Matalan, Amazon, and M&S. Due to ambitious growth, they are seeking an experienced Buyer / Product Developer to lead offshore buying for new product ranges, collaborating with design teams, suppliers, and licensors to deliver prerogative collections.
This commercially driven, hands-on role covers both apparel and accessories across multiple licenses. The ideal candidate will oversee the full product lifecycle—from initial research to range sign-off—while also managing their Print on Demand (POD) project and supporting broader operations.
Key Responsibilities
Buying & Product Development
- Manage offshore buys for newness in the business portfolio.
- Conduct research across licences, categories, competitors, marketplaces, and pricing to inform strategic purchasing decisions.
- Follow master critical path calendars to meet production timelines and seasonal deadlines.
- Develop range plans, identifying appropriate licences and suppliers with clear budgets.
- Prepare and deliver briefs to design and supplier teams.
- Collaborate with design and production teams to select and develop chosen designs via sample reviews.
- Provide detailed buying and sampling feedback, ensuring real-time communication across stakeholders.
- Build comprehensive range plans (CADs, size ratios, quantities, estimated costs, RRPs, stock values, and RSVs).
- Ensure commercial viability of ranges against buying budgets.
- Utilise sales data, comparable products, and commercial judgement to set optimal quantities.
- Present finalised range plans for internal sign-off before handing off to costing teams.
- Review apparel and accessories samples, with focused scrutiny on fit, construction, and quality.
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Print on Demand (POD) Management
- Oversee the entire POD project, including calendar planning and execution.
- Annually forecast POD options, licences, and key ranges with data-driven insights.
- Prioritise styles based on sales performance, seasonality, brand approvals, and upcoming movie releases.
- Manage blank selection and replenishment across multiple styles to meet demand.
- Procure and maintain UK blanks for extended product availability.
- Forecast blank requirements to align with warehouse and printing resources, while streamlining outsourced printing through multiple channels.
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Cross-Functional Support
- Allocate buying-related workload to Buying Admins with clear priorities.
- Distribute design briefs to internal teams (including both designers).
- Support the Wholesale team with ongoing feedback.
- Maintain close collaboration with Production on all purchasable deadlines.
- Assist Sales Merch in replenishment quantity allocation decisions.
- Act as the primary liaison for both supplier and licensor inquiries.
Requirements
- Proven buying experience, preferably in character licensed product, apparel, or fashion wholesale—POD experience is highly advantageous.
- Strong commercial acumen with proven ability to operate within tight budgets.
- Experience interpreting sales data for quantity and range optimisation.
- Excellent supplier and stakeholder communication skills with a focus on clarity.
- Highly organised, capable of managing multiple deadlines and complex ranges simultaneously.
- Fundamental knowledge of briefing design teams and reviewing samples is a major advantage.
Benefits & Opportunities
- Work across a diverse portfolio of major entertainment and pop culture licences.
- Join a fast-growing organisation with opportunities to shape the buying function.
- Experience a collaborative, close-knit work environment.
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