Assistant Buyer

Job Title: Assistant Buyer

Employer: Eastern Mountain Sports

Classification: Full-Time, exempt

Location: Meriden, CT

Company Overview:

We believe success comes down to people. Since 1967, Eastern Mountain Sports has been helping people of all ages and abilities to have more fun outside. As a trusted source of top-quality outdoor gear, apparel and advice, we operate over 20 locations in twelve northeastern states, working with top active brands such as Timberland, The North Face, Columbia, Carhartt, Marmot, ON, Sorel and many more!

At Eastern Mountain Sports, we take a lot of pride in hiring people who have a genuine passion for the outdoors and the desire to inspire happiness by connecting people to nature and each other. If you’ve got passion for the outdoors and a commitment to the environment, an obsession for properly outfitting our customers, and a high degree of personal integrity, EMS may be the place for you.

About the role:

As a part of the team, you will play a crucial role in shaping our buying decisions and ensuring our products resonate with market trends and customer preferences. You’ll delve into comprehensive market research, analyze business trends against projections, and scrutinize competition dynamics. Through meticulous review of sales, inventories, receipts, gross margin, and markdowns, you will lay the foundation for strategic purchasing choices.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Provides a foundation for buying decisions by researching market trends, product direction, and competition; analyzing business trends vs. plan; and reviewing reforecasts of sales, inventories, receipts, gross margin, and markdowns
• Maintains knowledge of product and industry trends through market trips, online services, industry journals and fashion magazines
• Manages key vendors by maintaining strong working relationships while effectively negotiating terms such as unit costs, delivery windows, and vendor-added services as well as by proactively negotiating for off-price merchandise
• Accurately coordinates, processes and tracks POs and delivery of goods to the stores and websites by maintaining accurate files and effective communication. Ensures appropriate ship windows are set and adhered to
• Manages selection, turn, and profitability of assortments by ensuring timely Warehouse processing of receipts and returns-to-vendors; generating timely price changes to liquidate dated, slow selling inventories and to support sales events
• Helps forecast adequate ongoing and sales-event inventory levels by analyzing individual store characteristics and nuances with regard to product mix
• Sets direction for advertising preparation process by ensuring accurate data entry into AdPrep and timely merchandise turn-ins for advertising photo shoots. Brings forward marketing suggestions to generate sales
• Facilitates effective coordination of tasks and information by maintaining accurate, timely, effective communication with all internal and external business partners. Acts as information funnel through interaction via phone calls, emails, and memos

Experience and Qualifications:

• Recent Graduate with evident academic achievement
• A thorough understanding of retail math
• Can relate to the needs and wants of the outdoor customer
• Ability to work with cross functional groups
• Proficient in using MS Office – particularly Excel
• An analytical mind set; enjoys digging in and producing recommendations
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; comfortable communicating with all levels
• Interest in retail buying

Values:

1. Personal Improvement & Wellbeing: We are committed to doing the work to become the best versions of ourselves physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually in order to explore the world, build community, and curate living in a healthy state of joy, love and inspiration.

2. Empowered Thinking: We agree to do the work to metabolize our irrational fears so we can make rational decisions to achieve the outcomes we are looking for. This means we will be bold and courageous in failing forward, and we accept risk within well-managed parameters. The faster we hypothesize, test, validate or iterate, the sooner we succeed. There shall be no fear of rejection for speaking up; good ideas can come from anywhere; everyone has a voice; negative behaviors must be surfaced.

3. Integrity & Fairness: We seek a meritocracy where equity, inclusion, belonging, authenticity, honesty and integrity are paramount.

4. Service: We seek to deliver vastly more value than we cost and to make the world a happier place everyday.

Company Benefits:

At EMS & Bob’s Stores, we offer an industry leading benefits package that includes a variety of benefits including paid time off, health insurance, dental insurance, tax deferred retirement plans, and access to experts in preventative care. We also offer fun perks such as access to online yoga classes through YogaWorks, Access Perks discount shopping, dining and travel network, and GoDigital University, our internal training program that is hosted by industry leaders in entertainment, music and more. We also offer Vendor Training opportunities that provide generous discounts through their online sites.

Additional Information:

EMS & Bob’s Stores are committed to creating an inclusive work environment that reflects the diversity of our community. We are an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their race (or traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles), religious creed (including religious dress and grooming practices), color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, reproductive health decision-making, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), gender, gender identity, gender expression, age (40 and over), sexual orientation, veteran or military status.

Eastern Mountain Sports