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Retail buyer Buyer for retail

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Retail buyers choose products for shops to sell.

£18,000 to £70,000 average per year

35 to 40 per week

1. Entry requirements

You'll usually need a degree or college qualification in retail or business. Some retail experience will also help.

Some companies offer buyer training schemes or management training schemes where you can specialise in buying.

You may also be able to work your way up from the shop floor to the role of buyer's administration assistant, then assistant or junior buyer.

You could start retail training through an apprenticeship.

2. Skills required

You'll need:

excellent numeracy, IT and analytical skills
the ability to negotiate and network
strong judgement and decision-making skills
an excellent presentation style
the ability to work to strict deadlines under pressure

3. What you'll do

You may work for high street retailers, mail order companies or online sellers. You'll be responsible for one area like fashion, cosmetics, DIY or electronics.

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

4. Salary

Starter: £18,000 to £30,000

Experienced: £35,000 to £40,000

Highly Experienced: £50,000 to £70,000 (senior buyer, purchasing manager)

These figures are a guide.

5. Working hours, patterns and environment

You'll usually work 35 to 40 hours, Monday to Friday, although tight deadlines can often mean working late.

You'll spend most of your time in an office, usually the head office of your organisation. You may go out to visit stores or spend time away to meet suppliers and attend trade fairs in the UK and abroad.

6. Career path and 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.