Buying Admin Assistant

Al Tayer Insignia | Buying Admin Assistant – Luxury Brands

About Us

As a leader in luxury retail in the Middle East, Al Tayer Group's retail division, Al Tayer Insignia, hosts a portfolio of some of the world’s best luxury brands in the fashion, jewellery, home, and department store categories. Complementing its position in luxury retail, Al Tayer Insignia has also built new frontiers in lifestyle retail, representing leading brands in the Beauty, Home, Fashion and Hospitality sectors. Our brands include Bloomingdales, Harvey Nichols, Armani, and newly added Gym Shark and The White Company, to name just a few!

About The Role

The Buying Administration Assistant will support the Luxury Brands Buying team by providing administrative support and contributing to the Buying process. This will be a key role to support the Buying team drive the performance against sales and margin targets, maximizing in-season opportunities and affecting future inventory.

What You’ll Be Doing

Functional Roles and Responsibilities 

·        Generally, support the buying department team in their daily and weekly tasks

·        Run periodic reports to share with Stores/Buyers

·        Support with the creation of product look books and seasonal trend presentation

·        Run competitor price analysis, shopping reports/benchmarking

·        Support in validating buy data for marketing team

·        Support buyers completing sizing during Market

·        Review Sales and propose replenishment re-orders for License Products

·        Ensure products are being uploaded by digital channels upon delivery, monitoring the accuracy of copy, product descriptions etc..

·        Support in organizing seasonal product training for stores, ensuring stock fulfilment

·        Ensure all necessary records, master files and databases are maintained accurately and updated in a timely manner

·        Support with the creation of enrichment files for PO Raising (including UDAs, HS codes, COO, etc..)

·        Maintain the product hierarchy; ensuring product data is accurate and consistent

·        Monitor the product flow for digital channels, solving digital rejections for missing information

·        Check supplier order confirmation details received are correct, support the Buyers to resolve any queries with the supplier and buying in a timely fashion

·        Communicate with brands for ready stock and pick up / delivery acceptance

·        Supporting delivery process through coordination between buyers and planning

·        Support Buyers to manage end of delivery window strategy (delay discount, request for cancellation…)

·        Manage return to vendor requests (RTV's), ensuring effective communication to suppliers.

·        Customer Complaints & Damage Products Handling (B&M, Digital Channel and Warehouse)

·        Store Related Inquiries & Technical Advice on Product Damages

Department Specific 

·        Run Weekly report such as, Trade Dashboard, Seasonal Sell-T, Best Sellers, Slow mover, etc…

·        Analyze the never out of stock list, provided by Buyers, ensuring stores are well covered and propose reorders, taking in consideration production/delivery lead time.

Before Market

·        Prepare seasonal buying analysis

·        Ensure all needed assets are timely provided by the brand and saved in shared folder

·        Prepare a clean version of the buying files, ensuring sizing analysis is updated

During Market

·        Support Buyers to prepare working files from wishlists.

·        Helping buyers in sizing

·        Updated files for cancellations and change of codes.

·        Cooperate with buyers to prepare approvals presentation

Post Market

·        Support Buyer in order confirmation check and updating the relevant buy tools

·        Ensure enrichment files are prepared timely for PO loading, being active point of contact with the brand to solve any issue with the OC.

·        Ensure to attend Store visit periodically, collecting feedback and organizing them on weekly base.

·        Have a strong working knowledge of Business KPI’s to act as Buying representative for Trade Meetings during buying periods.

·        Be able to attend cross functional Meeting during buyers absence. Being confident to contribute, ensuring business attitude.

·        Prepare Supplier Analysis reports to be sent on a monthly base.

·        Be the main point of contact for all the special customer requests, actively communicating with the brand for feasibility, and follow up on the full delivery process.  

About You

• Minimum 2 years of buying merchandise / planning experience in luxury retail.
• Strong understanding of Merchandising financials.
• Advanced computer skills in Excel and MS Office.
• Numerate with strong analytical skills and financial acumen
• Excellent communication, organizational and problem-solving skills.
• Aptitude to function within deadlines, while working both independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to recognize, analyse and quantify market trends.
• Able to successfully manage and execute priorities in a timely manner within a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
• Demonstrate ability to build and foster productive working relationships with cross-functional teams and vendors.
• Product / brand orientation with good knowledge of fashion industry and benchmarks.
• Stakeholder management skills to build and maintain collaborative relationships with internal and external stakeholders and counterparts.
• Commercial skills with the ability to identify opportunities and potential business risks.