Buyer Assistant Merchandising - Banter

About the Company

Signet Jewelers is the world's largest retailer of diamond jewelry, operating more than 2,800 stores worldwide under iconic brands: Kay Jewelers, Zales, Jared, H.Samuel, Ernest Jones, Peoples, Banter by Piercing Pagoda, Rocksbox, JamesAllen.com, and Diamonds Direct. We are a people-first company, valuing diversity, inclusion, and equity while empowering our team members and fostering the communities we serve.

About the Role

The primary responsibility of the Assistant Buyer is to assist their Buyer on all aspects of the job or step in as needed to help with Merchandise Coordinator/Detail Assistant duties. This role involves sourcing and developing product, pricing, determining assortment groups, forecasting order quantities, and participating in competitive shops.

Responsibilities

• Develop understanding and knowledge of the jewelry category.
• Work with the Buyer to learn merchandising elements applicable to the position.
• Maintain and understand the assigned merchandise category in conjunction with the Buyer.
• Identify sales trends and develop new product designs for testing and assortment opportunities.
• Attend vendor meetings, actively participate in product selection and review, and manage meeting notes and follow-ups.
• Determine marketing vehicles, SKU selection, new merchandise programs, sales trends, and assortments to drive sales growth and productivity.
• Be jointly accountable for the success of the specific merchandise category regarding sales, inventory levels, and gross margin goals.
• Participate in ongoing competitive shopping from an omni-channel perspective to identify opportunities and advantages.
• Adjust quickly to changing market trends, conditions, priorities, and corporate strategies.
• Set up SKUs, descriptions, retails, and packaging attributes.
• Assist the Buyer with assortment development, working with Planners and Inventory Analysts to set program parameters (e.g., product attributes, assortment size, targeted inventory, turn levels, open-to-buy requirements).
• Monitor and help develop forecasted sales quantities for marketing items and new programs in conjunction with the Inventory Analyst and Buyer.
• Communicate and manage vendor relationships regarding product qualities, costs, terms/ownership, delivery dates, and return of merchandise requests.
• Establish retail prices in line with margin requirements.
• Update departmental category assortment sheets, reporting, and analysis.
• Proof advertising materials (catalogs, emails, website, customer mailings, in-store signage) for accuracy.
• Merchandise items for all marketing channels to ensure competitiveness in the marketplace.
• Attend open-to-buy meetings and provide merchandise status updates as needed.
• Complete and submit Project Request Forms and develop store communications.
• Collaborate with the Visual Merchandising team for in-store presentations (planograms).