Buyer & Merchandiser

Prodirectcareers; Highweek; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading sports retail company in the UK is seeking a Buyer & Merchandiser to curate and deliver an assortment of footwear, apparel, and equipment. The successful candidate will analyze market trends, manage supplier communication, and coordinate with internal teams to align strategies. Applicants should have strong experience in buying and merchandising, particularly within the sports sector, and possess excellent organizational skills to manage multiple projects. This role is critical to enhancing retail experiences and driving sales performance.

Qualifications

• Experience in Buying, Merchandising, or Category Management is a must.
• Strong understanding of Football performance technologies and cultural trends.
• Excellent negotiation and communication skills with suppliers.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage product assortment across Football Performance and Culture.
• Analyze consumer trends and market insights for growth opportunities.
• Coordinate with internal buying teams for merchandising strategies.

Skills

Experience in Buying, Merchandising, or Category Management within Sportswear

Strong product instinct

Excellent negotiation and communication skills

Commercial acumen

Highly organized and detail-focused

Proficiency in assortment planning

Visual merchandising experience

Job description

#TeamProDirect is built on passion for sport, product and service, our team has worked relentlessly over the past 30years to ensure we connect athlete’s world-wide with the best choice of products.

We made it our mission to engage with and awaken the passion within our customer; we thrive to produce the best possibleexperience and want them to love sport and product as much as we do.

We are a hard hitting and lively team or professionals, dedicated to change the world of online sports retail.

Role overview

The Buyer & Merchandiser is responsible for curating and delivering a compelling assortment of Footwear, Apparel, and Equipment across Football Performance and Football Culture categories for our APEX Retail stores. Working closely with leading Sports and Fashion brands and cross-category internal buying teams, this role ensures that the product offering is both commercially viable and aligned with brand direction and consumer demand.
The role acts as the central point of contact between internal stakeholders and external suppliers, driving end-to-end product planning—from range selection and buying to launch planning, merchandising execution, and in-store storytelling.

What we look for in our team

• To add cultual and professional value to the team
• Be 100% yourself, we are geniuine and love what we do
• Passion…without it we would not be where we are today
• A true team player, we work and play hard together
• A True desire to deliver outstanding customer focused solutions

What we need you to do

• Develop and manage a curated product assortment across Football Performance and Culture, spanning footwear, apparel, and equipment.
• Analyse consumer trends, sales data, and market insights to identify opportunities for innovation and growth within the category.
• Coordinate with internal buying teams to ensure alignment with broader merchandising strategies and seasonal direction.
• Manage supplier communication, product briefs, order timelines, and delivery performance.
• Own the planning, coordination, and execution of seasonal and key-launch moments in-store.
• Work cross-functionally with marketing, retail operations, and VM teams to deliver impactful retail experiences.
• Monitor weekly sales, sell-through, and stock levels to react quickly with in-season adjustments with brands and suppliers.
• Conduct store visits to assess product performance, visual execution, and consumer feedback.
• Report on category performance and make recommendations to drive revenue, margin, and inventory efficiency.

Your Skills

• Experience in Buying, Merchandising, or Category Management within Sportswear, Fashion, or Footwear retail.
• Strong product instinct with an understanding of Football performance technologies, cultural trends, and the global sportswear landscape.
• Excellent negotiation, communication, and relationship-building skills with both internal teams and external suppliers.
• Commercial acumen with experience using data to form actionable insights and recommendations.
• Highly organised, detail-focused, and able to manage multiple deadlines and cross-functional projects.
• Proficiency in assortment planning, merchandising systems, and product lifecycle management.
• Visual or retail merchandising experience preferred, particularly in branded shop-in-shop or category-focused presentations.
• Direct involvement in working with premium sports or fashion brands (e.g., Nike, adidas, Puma, New Balance, etc.).
• Experience supporting in-store launches, range builds, or visual merchandising planning for physical stores.

Apply for position

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