Buyer of Sports Equipment

Recently, a sporting-goods retail chain posted a job listing for the position of Buyer of Sports Equipment. The applicant cho­sen would work in Pittsburgh. Following is the position descrip­tion placed at the National Retail Federation Job Board.

Pittsburgh has transformed itself into one of the best “made over towns,” evolving from steel to science, and was recently declared the “#1 Most Livable City” for the second time in the last three years! With a national average of 40 percent lower cost of living, Pittsburgh is also sixth in the United States for job growth. There are about 3,200 high-tech companies; and 36 colleges and universities surround the area. With its low crime rate, arts and leisure, and sports teams, Pittsburgh appeals to audiences of all ages.

This full-line sporting-goods retailer offers a broad assort­ment of branded sporting-goods equipment, apparel, and foot­wear in a specialty store environment. The firm also has a golf specialty retailer, E-commerce Web sites, and catalog opera­tions. At this company, the buyer owns a product category; this includes creating assortments, developing strategies and ads, and maintaining an omnichannel experience within all channels of the firm’s businesses for its customers. The person maxi­mizes vendor relationships.

These are the major job duties and responsibilities: Achieve sales, profit, and inventory turnover plans by creating, driving, and ensuring the execution of merchandising strategies. Build a visual merchandising strategy and E-commerce experience that will support the sales, margin, and turnover objectives. Devise, market, and review consumer trends. Assortment creation includes selecting and buying merchandise by type, and creat­ing and managing merchandise assortments by category, with existing and new brands that align with quality, source, timing, delivery, mix, and promotions. Management of assortments includes the continual evaluation of pricing, demand, forecast­ing, and product flow. Analyze economic, financial, market, competitive/noncompetitive, and industry data to assess current business strategies or identify future business opportunities. Assume the customer’s perspective and ensure merchandis­ing strategies will meet customer needs (current and future). Ensure execution of regional marketing and pricing strategies to showcase the current assortment to drive customer traffic and increase sales. Leverage relationships with vendors and the product development team to deliver exclusive products to all channels of the business.

Also included in the manager’s duties will be: Work closely with product team members to ensure feedback, performance management, and career development conversations. Interview candidates and make hiring decisions. Build and manage rela­tionships with vendors and cross-functional teams. Leverage vendor relationships to gain knowledge and data as pertains to the product category. Utilize established relationships in prod­uct selection and pricing negotiations. Shop at the firm’s national and global store branches, as well as other comparative retail stores, to identify new trends and opportunities, evaluate the merchandise mix, evaluate competition, and translate find­ings into executable product plans.

These are the minimum job requirements: Education— Bachelor’s degree in marketing, merchandising, or other business-related field. Experience—Seven to 10 years, with a background in a leadership/management role. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities—Excellent written and verbal com­munication skills; customer-service oriented; strong inter­personal and client consultation skills; self-motivated and results oriented; strong presentation skills; supervisory and leadership capabilities; problem solving and troubleshooting capabilities and execution skills; project management knowl­edge; ability to drive projects and manage project teams, and to work well in a team environment; in-depth analytical skills, strong detail orientation, and superior organizational abilities; process and procedure oriented; and willingness to travel.

Source: Barry Berman, Joel R Evans, Patrali Chatterjee (2017), Retail Management: A Strategic Approach, Pearson; 13th edition.