Assistant Buyer – Vintage Watches

Job Introduction

Selfridges has always been much more than a shop. We’re a social space where everyone is welcome and feels a sense of belonging, a creative playground where culture and commerce collide, and an experimental hub where you can discover the most innovative and sustainable ideas in retail. We’re here to help make the world brighter. And you can be an important part of this. We’ll talk more about the role below, but before we get to that, let’s share with you the good stuff…  

Rewards and benefits 

Life at Selfridges is dynamic, exciting, and always evolving. As well as working with some of the most cutting-edge, iconic and boundary-pushing brands, designers and creatives, we also offer our team members opportunities to help make a positive difference through our network of communities, both within and outside Selfridges. Here are just a few of our rewards and benefits that help make our team experience that bit more extraordinary. 

• Flexible working options to benefit you, your family and your wellbeing that can include part-time, flexi-time, job sharing or hybrid working

• Generous annual leave that increases with length of service 

• Up to five paid volunteering days – from beach cleans to co-ordinating food and clothing donations 

• Family leave that suits your set up including Maternity, Paternity, Adoption, Surrogacy and Shared Parental leave policies 

• Defined pension contribution scheme  

• Generous bonus and/or commission scheme  

• Enviable team member discount including sale previews and double discount days 

• Exclusive local discounts on a range of restaurants, bars, beauticians and entertainment 

• Subsidised gym memberships  

• Annual travel pass and cycle-to-work schemes  

• A sustainable car salary sacrifice scheme 

• Several internal communities to get involved in from our Diversity Board and Green Warriors who are leading the charge on D,E&I and sustainability, to the Wellbeings who are always thinking of new ways to champion healthy minds, bodies and routines for our team members 

• Workplace Options, our confidential team member assistance programme for when life gets tricky or you need a little guidance 

• Access to a wide range of training programmes to help your career development 

Read on to find out how you can play your part in Reinventing Retail… 

Role Responsibility

As an Assistant Buyer, you will be responsible for our Vintage Watch department (OB & Concession), supporting the Buyer in sourcing partners, product, managing spaces and activations.

You will work with the Buyer to develop and strategize the long term Vintage Watch business. Working closely with your B&M team and the wider business to deliver the ambitious growth targets. As Assistant Buyer, you will:

•Supporting the buyer across the Watches business – ensuring thorough knowledge of product and market, with a passion for Vintage Watches and the pre-loved market.

•On boarding new ‘Vintage watch’ partners and working with existing Jewellery and Watch partners to develop accredited vintage businesses. This will include negotiating the best possible terms with suppliers i.e. margin, trade discounts, exclusivities, working with the Buyer and Director where appropriate.

•Work closely with Personal Shopping, for day to day requests and key event planning from a commercial angle. Create and manage a VIC process.

•Work with the Buyer and Director to ensure that Buying decisions are based on a sound commercial framework to drive sales and profit

•Work closely with digital to develop and maximise the vintage

•Monitor and review trade in season, making trading recommendations and trading the stock to the Buyer/Director where necessary.

•Support the with weekly trade packs, feeding back and presenting key findings and actions to Senior stakeholders.

•For OB Watch products, be responsible for re-ordering, trading, reporting and working within the OTB structure.

•Work closely with Marketing and PR to amplify business

•Defining and documenting resale processes to help wider teams better understand resale ways of working and requirements e.g. pricing and product matrix, stock management and movement, reporting, partner onboarding, partner T&Cs

•Carry out research into key trends and put together look books for the area

•Work closely with VM to ensure product placement optimises the look and performance of the department

•Ensure effective communication with retail operations teams, particularly with regard to new partners, themes, activations and product training.

The Ideal Candidate

•Highly knowledgeable. You will have a well-developed understanding of the product/market

•Strategic and operational. With strong analytical skills and experience driving long-term and profitable commercial strategies, you’ll be able to successfully manage projects through to completion. ​

•Engaging. Able to influence your stakeholders, retail and brands, you know how to use both data and market trends to drive commercial opportunities ​

•Customer focused. Combined with exceptional taste and instinct, you are able to push the boundaries to offer new and exciting product​

•All over the numbers. You are numerate with a highly commercial approach, as well as proficient in excel​

•Collaborative. Working flexibly as part of the wider Buying team you will support in projects and cross functional meetings as appropriate

•Organised with attention to detail

•Excellent interpersonal skills

•Ability to influence​

•An example of our values, a trusted and respected colleague

About the Company

Everyone is welcome 

Selfridges is a place where we want everyone to feel a sense of belonging. We embrace every self and are committed to cultivating a diverse and inclusive working culture. We are leading with purpose to not only increase the visibility and recognition of under-represented talent within our organisation, but the wider industry too. Here at Selfridges, everyone is welcome – irrespective of race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, age or disability, we stand by equal opportunities for all.   

Our awards cabinet  

We’re not ones to brag, but since you asked...Selfridges has won the award for The World’s Best Department Store an unprecedented four times at the IGDS awards, with an additional award for the Best Sustainability Campaign. We were also recognised as a ‘Best 25 Big Company to Work For 2020’ as awarded by The Sunday Times. 

Selfridges