Assistant Buyer (Footwear and Accessories) at Footgear SA

Key responsibilities will include:

• Buying & Product Development Support – Assist in managing the buying calendar, developing seasonal ranges, coordinating briefs, and maintaining accurate product data across all import brands.
• Supplier & Stakeholder Coordination – Liaise with international and local suppliers, support product development requests, and ensure smooth communication across teams.
• Trend & Range Analysis – Contribute to trend forecasting, seasonal reviews, and range planning while ensuring brand alignment and avoiding product overlap across Exclusive and Global Brands.
• Pre-Buy Preparation & Meeting Support – Assist with accurate documentation ahead of buy meetings to ensure alignment on OTB, units, pricing, and product details.
• Order Placement & Supplier Coordination – Support order placement, price negotiation and packaging, communicate final product details to suppliers.
• Post-Buy Administration & Communication –Assist with accurate system loading, barcode and pricing confirmation. Coordinate with suppliers, Merchandise, Marketing, and Visual Merchandising on final production and stock updates.
• Shipping Process – Assist with the import shipping process by tracking schedules, managing costings and duties, reporting status updates, and communicating key details to the Merchandise team.
• QC and Fit processes – Assist with managing sample testing, providing feedback to suppliers, and ensuring only approved samples proceed to production.
  Ensure all fit samples meet size standards, coordinating revisions where necessary.

Requirements

Essential Experience:

• 1-2+ years in retail buying or sourcing, with a passion for footwear & accessories.
• Strong numerical skills, price negotiation experience, and awareness of the current economic climate and competitive landscape in South Africa.
• Proactive, dynamic, and detail-oriented with a sense of urgency, able to manage high volumes of work, multitask, and prioritize effectively to achieve results.