Retail Buyer

Typical Salary

£18,000 To £70,000

Typical Hours

38 to 40 a week

evenings attending events or appointments

How To Become a Retail Buyer

You can get into this job through:

a college course
an apprenticeship
working towards this role
a graduate training scheme

College / University

You could do a course at college to get some of the skills needed to work in retail. Examples are:

Level 2 Certificate in Understanding Retail Operations
Level 2 Diploma in Fashion Retail
Level 3 Diploma in Retail Skills

2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course

4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course

Apprenticeship

You might start your career with a retail team leader advanced apprenticeship or retail manager higher apprenticeship before moving into the buying side.

5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship

Routes into this Career

You can start as an assistant buyer and go on to become a junior buyer and work your way up. To go straight into a buying role, you'll usually need a qualification in retail or business.

It's possible to get experience in retail on the shop-floor, in visual merchandising, or as an admin assistant in a buyer's office. You can then spend time learning, doing training and getting qualifications on the job.

Other Routes

Some companies in fashion retail offer training schemes specifically for buyers. These tend to be aimed at graduates. Other types of retailers offer general store management training schemes with the option to specialise in buying later on.

Skills And Knowledge

You'll need:

the ability to work well with others
to be flexible and open to change
maths knowledge
to be thorough and pay attention to detail
customer service skills
the ability to sell products and services
the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
the ability to use your initiative
to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Day To Day Tasks

Your day-to-day tasks may include:

analysing and forecasting trends from consumer data
attending trade fairs to find new products
managing product quality and getting customer feedback
negotiating prices, orders and delivery dates
presenting collections to senior managers
tracking sales figures, managing stock levels and keeping to budgets
checking and reacting to competitor activities
adapting quickly to changing consumer behaviour

Working Environment

You could work in an office or at a store.

Career Path & Progression

With experience and training you could become a senior buyer, buying controller or head of buying. You could also move into product management, marketing or merchandising.

Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteering Opportunities are not listed for this job.

Tips & Information

Restrictions & Requirements are not listed for this job.

Restrictions & Requirements