Living Spaces Hiring for ASSOCIATE MERCHANDISING BUYER – Bedroom at La Mirada, California Full Time

Living Spaces is a growing home furnishing brand and  we continue to open new locations. We know in order to stay current with the times and trends, we have to perpetually update our look and selection. What has truly sustained our growth — from 1 to over 20 locations, from 100 employees to over 2,000, from a humble home furnishings store to a widely recognized and respected lifestyle brand — are the talented individuals who have taken us there. We are looking for innovative,  driven, and passionate professionals to join our team so we can reach even greater heights together.

We believe that a great team member experience leads to an even better guest experience. That is why we place a huge emphasis on building a great culture within our teams. Our ideal candidate will have natural talent: meaning, they possess the capacity and commitment, along with an openness to being coached around skills that will ensure they delight and exceed the expectations of our guests in all areas of Living Spaces business. We also believe in our team members taking ownership of their performance and how that contributes to the overall success of their role.

Position Summary ​

The Associate Buyer works with the Merchandise Buyer in identifying, developing and executing business strategies and assortment plans, product development and selection, vendor negotiation, and marketing of specific categories. Works closely with the merchandise planning, marketing, visual and retail teams to drive sales, gross margin and inventory turn growth. Will be responsible for developing a competitive merchandise assortment plan that is customer focused and adjusts to sales plans based on competition, business needs, and industry trends.

Position Description

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following.  Other duties may be assigned. 

• Manage all aspects of product development and assortment planning, product placement, marketing, pricing, signing, and markdowns to achieve sales, margin, inventory plan & GMROI targets for assigned departments
• Build strong product assortments with suppliers and negotiate pricing for assigned categories
• Present to senior management the business strategies, marketing plans and merchandise assortments to achieve financial plans
• Evaluate suppliers on new and existing products, including but not limited to quality, pricing, shipping time, customer demand and return on investment
• Partners with the Planning team to complete accurate forecasts, evaluating sales, markdowns and receipts Determine item lifecycles and exit strategies
• Identify items to maximize promotional and marketing strategies
• Analyzes sales trend, key items, vendor profitability, and aged inventory and make recommendations for driving improved performance
• Participate in the development of the annual strategic financial plans
• Provides correct information and inputs for point of sale signage and maintains the integrity of the quality of signage for ease of store execution level
• Recommend and collaborate with Visual to plan floor layouts
• Attend market weeks, store trips, trade shows and conferences
• Leverage feedback from customers, stores and suppliers to improve product and add to collections. Ensure guest is at the center of our decision making
• Energize cross-functional partners through consistent communication on merchandising and pricing plans, inventory flow and exit strategies with Purchasing, Visual, Store Operations, Marketing, E-Commerce and other stake holders impacted by changes in assortment
• Maintains knowledge base of industry and competitor market trends as it relates to their assigned business area
• Investigate and respond to field issues
• Coordinate communication strategies with Store Operations and provide appropriate product information for retail team
• Able to travel up to 30%

Qualifications

Education/Experience: Bachelor’s degree (B. A. or B. S.) or equivalent from four-year college. 4 years of experience in merchandising experience.  Equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.

Computer Skills: To perform this job successfully, an individual must have experience in Microsoft Office programs including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.  

Equal Opportunity Employer 

It is our policy to abide by all federal, state, and local laws prohibiting employment discrimination based solely on a person’s race, color, religious creed, sex, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, pregnancy, physical disability, mental disability, age, military status, or status as a Vietnam-era or special disabled veteran, marital status, registered domestic partner or civil union status, gender (including sex stereotyping and gender identity or expression), medical condition (including but not limited to, cancer related or HIV/AIDS related), sexual orientation, or any other protected status except where a reasonable, bona fide occupational qualification exists.

E-Verify

Living Spaces participates in E-Verify. All newly-hired team members are queried through this electronic system established by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) to verify their identity and employment eligibility.