- Iconic Australian owned and operated retail business
- You must have at least 3 years’ proven experience as a Buyer
- Hybrid role in a vibrant team culture offering profit share, discounts & more!
Spotlight Retail Group (SRG) is part of Spotlight Group Holdings, Australia's largest privately-owned and operated family business. Alongside iconic market leaders like Anaconda, Mountain Designs, and Harris Scarfe, we are acknowledged leaders in the Australian retail space. Our mission is to inspire creativity. We are looking for an experienced and innovative Retail Buyer to join our dynamic Art, Craft & Hobby Department and help us continue to lead the market.
Why Join Us?
At Spotlight, we value creativity, collaboration, and continuous improvement. We offer a supportive and inclusive environment where everyone can thrive, along with:
- Competitive salary and benefits package.
- Great perks: Excellent team/employee discounts, gym membership discounts, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
- Work flexibility to support your lifestyle.
- Direct exposure to key senior stakeholders and clear career progression opportunities.
- A fantastic, centrally located office close to the South Melbourne Market.
The Role:
As the Buyer for Yarn, you will own the end-to-end buying function for the Yarn and Needlecraft category. This role is ideal for a commercially minded buyer with apparel experience that has an eye for trend and loves developing product. You will build strong overseas partnerships, curate compelling ranges, and market them to customers with inspiring content and projects, delivering outcomes aligned with customer demand and business strategy.
Key Responsibilities:
- Own the end-to-end buying function for Yarn and Needlecraft category
- Develop and execute category strategies aligned to customer trends, innovation pipelines and margin targets
- Manage sales, profit, stock turn, markdowns and lifecycle planning
- Analyse performance and translate insights into actionable range and pricing decisions
- Build, maintain and grow strong relationships with global craft brands and suppliers
- Lead commercial negotiations including cost prices, terms, exclusivity, marketing support and business planning
- Collaborate with suppliers on product development, launches and innovation roadmaps
- Represent Spotlight as a strategic retail partner in global supplier discussions
- Source and develop compelling product ranges that reflect customer needs with an eye on fashion trends
- Partner with Marketing and VM teams to inspire our customers through content and projects.
- Engage with a team of makers to develop new garments and projects that align with market trends.
- Work closely with Planning, Supply Chain, Marketing, Digital and Operations teams
- Support omnichannel growth, including online assortment and promotional strategy
- Ensure all purchased goods comply with relevant legislation, legal requirements, and company standards.
- Achieve profitability targets, including sales growth and gross margin.
- Manage inventory and stock flow in collaboration with the planning team.
- Coach and develop a Buying Assistant.
Success Profile & Requirements
To thrive in this role, you will bring a data-driven approach, strong attention to detail, and a knack for making prompt, clear decisions utilizing financial data and numerical analysis.
Our ideal candidate has:
Experience: Minimum 3 years of experience as a Category Manager or Buyer, ideally in knitwear, apparel or craft-related categories. An interest or background in knitting or crocheting is a plus.
Education: A degree in merchandise buying or business is highly regarded.
Capabilities: Proven ability to negotiate and manage global supplier relationships, manage complex ranges, and work productively under pressure in a fast-paced, agile environment.
Skills: Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office, excellent communication skills to influence across teams, and strong organization skills to manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
How to Apply
If you are a proactive, detail-oriented professional with a genuine passion for products, we want to hear from you. Apply now to join the Spotlight team
