Buying Controller: Homestyling & clothing group

Range, reach, results.

From store shelves to online search results, you’ll shape what our customers see, love and buy – across homestyling and clothing, in store and online. If you’ve got a sharp eye for a great range and the commercial nous to make it profitable, this is your chance to run the show.

Location

Leekes Head Office, CF72 8XU

About the team:

Our homestyling & clothing buying team shapes the product story across every retail store and leekes.co.uk. Working closely with the omni-channel marketing team, this group drives everything from supplier selection and range planning to seasonal promotions and online performance – keeping the offer fresh, competitive and profitable across every channel.

About the role:

We’re looking for a commercially sharp buying manager to lead supplier and category selection across our retail stores and online store for the homestyling and clothing group of departments. You’ll own range construction, pricing, seasonal themes and promotional activity to hit sales and profit targets while keeping stock levels on point. You’ll work closely with the omni-channel marketing team to prioritise online categories, optimise product descriptions, manage the drop ship operation, and schedule marketing activity – including social media and blog content – to maximise performance across the board.

Your responsibilities will span:

• Buying – retail stores – agree supplier, category and range construction to drive sales and profitability; ensure ranges include regular newness, the right price tiers, and appropriate promotional and core stock to hit sales-per-square-metre targets; negotiate cost prices, terms, discounts and rebates with suppliers; control stock levels and forward orders in line with sales; review return rates and resolve overstock issues; keep product information accurate and up to date; hit KPIs on out-of-stocks, overdue orders, confirmations and returns; manage supplier performance, de-listing poor performers where needed; track competitor activity and industry trends.
• Buying – leekes.co.uk – formulate and deliver a strategy by department and section to hit sales, stock and profit budgets online; maintain online price integrity against agreed margins; ensure items are categorised correctly and easy to find in the customer journey; review site navigation and search to catch and fix visibility issues; identify significant online-only ranges and assess their cross-business value; source drop ship partners to strengthen the range; review return rates and resolve problem items; spot trends and products for social and email marketing, feeding into regular marketing meetings.
• Promotional activity – maintain the store promotional calendar and take part in all company promotions; contribute ideas for Privilege Customer campaigns, in store demonstrations and footfall drivers; maintain the e-commerce promotional calendar, including social media and affiliate campaigns; provide content for landing pages, buying guides and blogs; work with suppliers on extra promotional campaigns outside regular sale periods to drive sales with best-in-market pricing.
• Communication & reporting – report regularly to the Buying & Merchandising Director on sales performance, price changes, store and online newness, and evolving supplier, competitor and KPI issues; communicate promotions, range changes and price updates to store management via the company communications platform.
• Operations – manage trends and themes across the homestyling and clothing departments; drive the drop ship buying operation to grow sales and profitability; maintain accurate pricing records and ensure ticketing complies with Trading Standards legislation; work with the store merchandising team on departmental layouts, bay plans and moves; visit stores regularly to agree and implement actions with store management.
• Management & development – communicate effectively across your areas of responsibility; oversee team development through company personal development reviews setting and reviewing clear objectives; ensure the team is well trained and up to date with changing practices; motivate the team to hit departmental goals; manage performance fairly and promptly; mentor team members to develop future managers for the business.