Footwear Buyer

Company Description

Lamey Wellehan Shoes, established in Lewiston, Maine in 1914, has expanded to six retail branches and an online store. We offer over 110 brands of footwear, insoles, socks, handbags, and accessories, with more than 75,000 pairs of shoes in our inventory. Our team of 70 associates, including board-certified pedorthists, is dedicated to providing the best shoe fit for our customers' needs.

We are looking for a buyer for the Women’s and Children's footwear departments to join our Merchandising Team. This leadership position involves a balance of strategic vision and tactical execution to build a footwear plan that meets the needs of our guests while maximizing company sales, profit, and gross margin. Our Buyers work to develop and maintain strong vendor relationships, research the market landscape for category trends, and collaborate with department managers and sales associates to enhance category performance. As company leaders, our buyers play a critical role in championing company standards, our heritage, and our culture.

Responsibilities include:

• Managing a collection of approximately 1,500 product codes, which are categorized across multiple classes of footwear, sourced from a wide variety of vendors

• Analyzing product performance by monitoring key metrics and planning future purchases based on projected sales

• Interacting with suppliers and many different types of Lamey Wellehan associates – fellow buyers, department managers, store managers, finance staff, warehouse associates, and sales associates

• Creating a product line for each category and within brands based on past performance and expected future performance

• Field travel to Lamey Wellehan stores and trade shows

• Managing multiple tasks and meeting deadlines, all while remaining flexible to changing priorities

• Understanding product, customers, and market & fashion trends

Requirements & desired qualifications:

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in the field of retail footwear

• Ability to communicate effectively and clearly by email, by phone, or in -person

• Familiarity with Microsoft Office software applications (Excel, Word, and Outlook). Knowledge of Chaindrive is a plus

• Knowledge of retail buying process and product life cycles and strong retail math and analytical skills are needed

• Demonstrates understanding of our product, guest, and fashion trends

• Collaboration within the merchandising team and cross-functional associates (marketing, e-commerce, etc.)

• Strong ability to be oriented, organized, and self-focused

This is a salaried in office leadership position that requires a 40-hour workweek, typically Monday through Friday. When workloads and deadlines require it, work over 40 hours and weekend work will be required.

Store visits are a part of the position, and reliable transportation is required

• Those interested or seeking further details should contact Chris Stanley at :Chris@lwshoes.com