Features: Becoming a retail buyer

Written by Rachel Shepherd, Editor, Graduate Prospects, February 2013

As a retail buyer you'll need to be able to recognise future trends, know what the customer wants and have excellent communication skills. Find out what else is involved…

Most buyers specialise in one product type such as clothes or food. Then, depending on the size of the shop, this could be further broken down into ladieswear and menswear or buying for a specific brand within the shop.

On a daily basis you could be:

• managing stock levels;
• reacting to changes in demand;
• meeting suppliers and negotiating contract terms;
• participating in promotional activities;
• writing reports and forecasting sales.

Carrie Mathews studied BA (Hons) Fashion Marketing at Northumbria University before becoming a buyer for the Red Herring brand at Debenhams, she explains what her role involves, 'On a typical day I will be range building with my designer and merchandiser. This involves looking at emerging trends, sales history and strategy. I attend supplier meetings to develop new products and find fabrics, yarns and shapes.'

'The best thing about being a buyer is reading the Monday trading figures and seeing a bestseller, after months of hard work it makes it all worthwhile,' says Carrie.

Be commercial

It is possible to become a buyer from any degree subject, but your chances will be increased with a degree in retail or business as this will give you the commercial awareness that you need to be successful.

If you want to go into a specific area of buying such as fashion then a related degree such as fashion marketing will be beneficial, as shown by Carrie. Whatever your degree, gaining as much experience as possible is essential.

Aside from the qualifications, to become a successful buyer you will need:

• creative flair;
• the ability to work under pressure;
• excellent communication skills;
• commercial awareness;
• strong analytical skills.

'I had always wanted to be a buyer as I am quite analytical and creative and this role allows me to combine the two skills. In addition, being a retail buyer is a challenging job and to be successful you need passion and dedication.' says Carrie.

Career path

Some of the larger shops, mainly fashion retail, have graduate schemes that provide access to buying roles. Usually this will be in the form of a general management scheme with the option to specialise in buying after completing the programme.

The most common path is to become a buyer's assistant and then a trainee buyer or assistant buyer. With experience you then progress to a junior buyer and then a buyer.

However, due to strong competition for positions you may have to take a role on the shop floor and then gain an internal promotion to buying.

Once you've got a job as a buyer, you will learn your trade from other more experienced members of staff while working. You could be shadowing them to trade fairs or joining them as they search for new materials or products.

Salaries vary depending on the size of the shop, the product you are buying and the location. You may also receive a bonus if the store performs well. You must also balance the salary with the stress you will have if a product you have selected doesn't perform well and you lose the business money.

A junior buyer can expect a starting salary of £18,000 to £25,000. This increases to £35,000 for those with more experience and to £55,000 at senior level.

'My advice to anyone considering becoming a buyer is to do your research before applying. You need to have a full knowledge of the latest fashion, industry news and the role that you are applying for. I have interviewed many placement students and graduates who are not fully aware of the role that they are applying for,' advises Carrie