Buying Manager - Sportswear

Job Overview

Buying & Category Management

• Develop and execute seasonal buying strategy for Sportswear & Activewear categories.
• Identify market trends, consumer preferences, and competitor activities to build commercially viable assortments.
• Manage product lifecycle from concept to launch ensuring timely deliveries.
• Drive category sales, margin, sell-through, and inventory productivity.
• Collaborate with design, sourcing, and planning teams for assortment finalization.

Open-To-Buy (Otb) Management

• Prepare and manage monthly, quarterly, and seasonal OTB plans aligned with business targets.
• Monitor stock intake, inventory levels, and budget utilization to ensure healthy stock turns.
• Analyze sales trends, stock cover, and forecast demand to optimize buying decisions.
• Track actual vs planned OTB and recommend corrective actions.

Range Planning & Assortment Strategy

• Develop range architecture by category, price point, silhouette, fabric, and end use.
• Build balanced assortments considering fashion, core, seasonal, and replenishment products.
• Lead size ratio planning and store-wise assortment planning based on regional performance.
• Ensure effective SKU productivity and rationalization.

Vendor & Sourcing Management

• Negotiate pricing, MOQs, delivery timelines, and commercial terms.
• Work closely with sourcing and quality teams to ensure product compliance and on-time delivery.
• Evaluate vendor performance on quality, cost, and delivery KPIs.

Inventory & Performance Management

• Monitor sell-through, ageing stock, markdowns, and replenishment efficiency.
• Drive inventory optimization to reduce stock ageing and improve working capital.
• Plan promotions, markdowns, and end-of-season strategies to maximize profitability.
• Ensure healthy fill rates and stock availability across channels/stores.

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Coordinate with merchandising, planning, sourcing, marketing, operations, and retail teams.
• Support product launches, seasonal campaigns, and store expansion plans.
• Present category performance reviews and action plans to management.