Harvey Nichols, a prestigious luxury retailer, is seeking an experienced and passionate individual to join our Beauty Department as a Permanent Beauty Buyer. This key role involves spearheading the buying function, driving sales, and achieving margin targets.
Key Functions
Relationship Management with Suppliers & Internal Teams:
- Build and maintain strong relationships with suppliers.
- Contribute to new launch strategies and joint business objectives in supplier meetings.
- Collaborate with Head Office departments, ensuring Beauty's success across merchandising, marketing, media, online trade, and logistics.
- Act as a point of contact for store teams, addressing buying queries, new launches, and promotions.
Maximizing Department Sales & Margin Opportunities:
- Record, review, and analyze weekly sales information, providing strategic recommendations.
- Lead negotiations for optimal margins, staffing, and support plans for brands.
- Collaborate with the merchandising team on launch buys and trade promotions.
- Project manage seasonal GWP activations in coordination with marketing, logistics, and online teams.
- Support the Online team in new launches and trade initiatives to accelerate online business.
Support Harvey Nichols as a Leading Luxury Beauty Destination:
- Research and suggest new brands for the Beauty department.
- Drive key strategic projects and contribute to the development of buying strategies.
- Contribute presentations, reports, and ideas for the improvement of buying strategies.
- Maintain the unique Harvey Nichols identity for beauty across marketing, trade, and content channels.
Stores, Space Planning & Densities :
- Liaise with in-store Department Manager to review local trends and adapt ranges.
- Manage store promotional sites, windows, and pop-ups to drive trade and activate key launches.
- Lead space planning for new brands and run-down plans for exiting brands.
Operational & Analytical Support :
- Manage purchase orders, vendor contracts, and creation.
- Monitor payments and deliveries, alerting the Buying Manager of any concerns/issues.
- Submit supplier invoices for payment and handle discrepancies on physical stock receipt.
- Confirm markups with brands and Buyers to maintain regional pricing, mark up, and margin.
Financial & Inventory Performance:
- Generate sell-through reports for Suppliers Sales & Stock Analysis.
- Prepare seasonal reports for the Head of Buying, analyzing brand performance.
- Process orders, confirm order details with suppliers, and manage vendor creation and contracts.
- Arrange documents for vendor creation and assist in processing new vendor creation requests.
- Collect data for PO creation, maintain seasonal trackers, and support in-season re-orders and stock transfers.
Behavioral
Attributes
- Proactive and passionate about beauty, with an eye for niche and emerging brands.
- Commercial acumen and analytical mindset.
- Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written.
- Strong attention to detail.
- Relationship building and negotiation skills.
- Intermediate Microsoft skills including advanced Excel level.
- Excellent knowledge of Harvey Nichols brand portfolio, customer base, market positioning, and beauty trends.
Onboarding Profile
- Proven success as a Beauty Buyer or similar role.
- Beauty experience required, preferably within the luxury sector.
- E-commerce experience preferred.
- Experience in press, marketing, especially social media, highly desirable.
