Assistant Buyer- Grocery

About the role

The focus of this role is to assist the buyers with their daily responsibilities. This role ensures accuracy in the ordering process while facilitating communications between vendors, corresponding buyers, stores, and other departments within the company.

Responsibilities

• Support Buyers on all day-to-day functions of the department.
• Aid Buyers in writing purchase orders and monitoring production timelines, fulfilment accuracy, as well as shipping and receiving of shipments.
• Maintain future purchase orders and manage weekly receipt flow into the 4 different distribution centers to ensure timely arrival of orders.
• Initiate recalls when needed, reduce prices after approval, and work closely with accounts payable if cost discrepancies arise.
• Manage Direct-to-Store Delivery (DSD) vendor-store-item linkages and maintain the Flexible Order Guides (FOG’s), especially changes in costs, retail, values, and effective dates.
• Track and maintain monthly promotional ad plans.
• Collaborate with the inventory planning team to support buyer forecasting and managing of imports.
• Ensure complete and thorough communication (written/verbal) with vendors, internal partners, and stores.
• Assist Buyers in analyzing suggested reorders of products and look for opportunities to improve efficiencies.
• Communicate directly with vendors as issues arise with exciting purchase orders.
• Review sales by store by SKU; identify hot and slow sellers.
• Establish and maintain a reputation of credibility and responsiveness; promptly return vendor and store phone calls, ensuring timely follow-up on issues within 24 hours.
• Assist in marketing event planning and promotional execution.
• Identify and shop competition (including price checks); understand the target customer.
• Identify trends within the department to help reach and exceed sales and margin plans.
• Keep communication with stores top of mind and write articles addressing new trends/items/processes or providing additional information for upcoming challenges.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or 1 to 2 years of retail/sales or related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Ability to prioritize, multitask, and manage multiple projects with broad workload to meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

Keen to details and highly organized.

Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Able to effectively and respectfully communicate with all levels of staff and management.

Excellent interpersonal skills, willing to learn, and shows a positive attitude towards change.

Proven team player, self-motivated, independent thinker.

Highly analytical.

Resourceful and able to research problems and recommend solutions.

Proficient in the use of Excel, Microsoft Word, and Outlook.

Qualifications

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