The first Woolworths store opened its doors to the public in Cape Town in October 1931. And it was founder Max Sonnenberg who captured the public’s imagination with dynamic store policies that set Woolworths apart from its competitors.
Three years later, a second branch opened in Durban, with another two in Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg a year later. And...
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You will be responsible for building a customer-focused, profitable seasonal product strategy that aligns with the department's goals and brand vision. You will ensure ranges are trend-appropriate, commercially viable and resonate with our customers, overseeing the entire journey from product conception to in-store execution. Your aim is to deliver an on-brand product offering that not only meets customer expectations but also drives sales growth and profitability.
Job description
Develop and Execute a Seasonal Plan: Collaborate with Planning, Design, and Sourcing teams to create a strategic product, fabric, and trading plan. Use global and local trend insights, customer analytics and competitor intelligence to drive product direction and present seasonal product plans highlighting key strategic areas and must-win categories.
Build a Profitable Balanced Range: Build a trend-appropriate product range that aligns with customer expectations and departmental goals. Work closely with the Design team on styling, fabric and colour choices, ensuring the range fits within the agreed price architecture and meets critical merchandise milestones.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with the Sourcing team on product development, supplier selection, costings and technical requirements. Collaborate with Technical Product Development to ensure sample approvals, product reviews and final presentations are aligned with the critical path milestones.
Customer Understanding & Competitive Intelligence: Work closely with Marketing to understand our customers through quarterly updates, customer analytics and online reviews. Conduct market and trend research to stay ahead of competitors and ensure product differentiation across various channels.
Minimum requirements
A relevant degree /qualification in Fashion, Textile Design/Product Development /Merchandising or a related field.
4-6 year's relevant buying experience.
Homeware Buying experience preferred
Sound knowledge of material, fabric and product development and is crucial.
Passion for keeping up to date with latest homeware trends.
Proven ability to interpret trends and conceptualise products
Computer literate with proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint, PLM.
Strong administratively, proactive and well-structured ways of working
Understanding of business and buying processes and systems
Retail market and industry knowledge
Knowledge of markdown and mark up pricing, visibility to drive sales, sell-through.
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