At Lacoste, we think Life is a Beautiful Sport and hope you do too. If you want to be a part of a culture that values performance, innovation and joie de vivre then keep reading. Are you naturally competitive? Do others look to you for inspiration? Are you happy and upbeat? Do you want to play on the best team? If you answered yes, we want to talk to you! Lacoste strives to hire only the very best players who are at the top of their game.

Summary Description:

The Associate Buyer, Footwear & Leather Goods will give input for all buying and merchandising decisions in their assigned areas of responsibility, including the development of merchandise assortments, sales, and inventory plans for each department, as well as monitoring inventory levels to ensure that there are enough items in stock to fulfill customer orders.

This is an opportunity for someone who wants to take their career to the next level, and work alongside a team of buyer/merchandisers in a corporate retail environment. Our ideal candidate will have 2-3 years’ experience in a buying/merchandising role, (preferably in RTW or Leather Goods), and has the ability to work confidently in a cross-functional environment.

Essential Job Responsibilities:

1. Complete assortment buy and wholesale presentation for areas of responsibility during OTB.
2. Monitor competitive landscape to identify product opportunities.
3. Manage all aspect of their department’s OTB (sales, markdowns, receipts, etc.)
4. Analyze sales reporting on a weekly basis, proactively reacting to optimize sales and minimize risk
5. Determine assortment needs for each market/account and make recommendations based on specific business trends.
6. Partner with Central Merchandising to develop strong product assortments based on market needs.
7. Work cross functionally with planning, marketing, visual merchandising and ecommerce to ensure a best in class customer experience.
8. Prepare detailed weekly, monthly, and seasonal sales analyses based on historical data, current trends and future market forecasts.
9. Support wholesale team for any product inquiries or selling tools assistance.
10. Partner with Buyer on reviewing sales and inventory targets by door and classification plans to meet financial goals.
11. Remain informed of fashion/trends and apply knowledge to assortment and promotional plans.
12. Make pricing and promotional recommendations to maximize sales and turn while meeting margin targets.
13. Manage pricing updates in the system and communication flow to stores.
14. Participate in weekly sales review meetings.
15. Own upload of footwear and leather goods buys end to end.
16. Additional job duties may be assigned.

Requirements/Qualifications:

• Buying/Merchandising degree a plus, but will consider the equivalence of working experience
• Minimum of 2/3 years’ experience in buying/merchandising; strongly prefer a candidate who has experience in RTW or Leather Goods
• Demonstrated understanding of the RTW market within premium casualwear brand
• Strong retail math, oral and communications skills
• Must possess a proven track record of analytical skills and its practical application in the field
• Ability to travel internationally/ travel not required at this time, but may occur in the future
• Must be highly proficient in Microsoft Excel and Power Point.
• Must be able to lift, carry, or otherwise move objects weighing up to 20 lbs.

Core Values and Traits:

Play as One Team:

• Showing respect towards everyone

• Commitment for the team’s work and decisions

Play with Elegance:

• Striving for excellence

• Treating others with fair play and humility

Play by Daring:

• Having the courage to speak up, experiment and take initiative

• To explore new opportunities

Play with Tenacity:

• Constantly seek continuous improvement

• Learning from our failures