Buyer - Undergarments & Shapewear (Cape Town)

A leading Fashion retailer based in Cape Town is seeking a highly commercial and customer-focused Buyer – Undergarments & Shapewear to develop and deliver commercially successful, trend-relevant product ranges that meet customer needs and align with the organisation’s overall brand and business strategy.

The successful candidate will be responsible for driving sales, profitability, and market share through effective seasonal range planning, product development, sourcing, and in-season trading. This role requires strong commercial and analytical capability, a sound understanding of fashion retail and lingerie product, and the ability to use customer, market, and sales insights to make informed buying decisions.

• Develop and execute the departmental seasonal buying and range plan in line with overall business objectives.
• Collaborate with Planning, Design, and Sourcing teams to develop product, fabric, and trading strategies that deliver agreed commercial KPIs.
• Utilise design direction, local and international trend research, current and historical trade data, customer analytics, competitor intelligence, benchmarking, and relevant industry platforms to inform seasonal product direction.
• Present seasonal product plans, including key strategic areas, must-win categories and items, and channel-specific considerations.
• Build balanced, commercially viable, and profitable Undergarments and Shapewear ranges.
• Conduct range development workshops to ensure products are on-brand, trend-relevant, customer-focused, and aligned with strategic growth objectives.
• Work closely with Design to deliver the appropriate balance of styling, fabric, colour, and price architecture.
• Ensure product development remains aligned with critical path and merchandise cycle milestones.
• Collaborate with Sourcing on product development, including new concepts, supplier selection, costings, technical packs, packaging, and quotation approvals.
• Work closely with Technical Product Development teams on sample approvals, final sign-offs, product reviews, presentations, and innovation opportunities.
• Conduct product reviews and present final concepts, pre-production and production samples, packaging, and display considerations.
• Collaborate with Planning to align financial targets and assortment plans across relevant grades and sales channels.
• Develop a strong understanding of the target customer and incorporate customer insights into seasonal range development.
• Partner with Marketing and relevant customer teams to understand changing customer needs, preferences, and behaviour.
• Conduct market and trend research to understand competitor activity, range offerings, product differentiation, pricing, and merchandising strategies.
• Analyse customer ratings and reviews to identify product preferences and opportunities to enhance the customer experience.
• Utilise supplier knowledge and international market exposure to identify emerging trends, new product opportunities, and market insights.
• Develop product marketing proposals to optimise the customer experience across physical and digital channels.
• Conduct weekly sales and trade analysis to assess product and sales performance across channels.
• Analyse relevant sales, item, product, and market intelligence reports to identify opportunities, risks, and required actions.
• Make informed trading decisions to optimise sales, stock, margin, and profitability.
• Communicate changes arising from current trade to relevant departments, including Marketing and Visual Merchandising.
• Participate in regular cross-functional trading meetings to align on production, shipments, supplier communication, and trade actions.
• Proactively identify high- and under-performing products and implement appropriate actions to maximise commercial performance.

• Relevant tertiary qualification in Fashion, Retail Buying, Commerce, or a related field.
• 2–3 years’ proven buying experience within a retail environment.
• Previous experience in lingerie buying within a fashion retail business would be advantageous.
• Sound understanding of retail buying principles and critical path management.
• Strong knowledge of the retail market, customer trends, competitor activity, and the broader fashion industry.
• Proven experience managing the full product lifecycle, from concept and range development through sourcing, buying, and in-season trading.
• Strong understanding of margin management, pricing architecture, and profitability drivers.
• Advanced computer literacy, including proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, PLM systems, and relevant market intelligence platforms.

Key Competencies

• Strong commercial acumen with a passion for fashion and lingerie retail.
• Excellent numerical, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong understanding of the lingerie customer, market, and competitive landscape.
• Ability to interpret sales, customer, market, and trend data to inform buying and trading decisions.
• Strong product and trend awareness, particularly within undergarments and shapewear.
• Highly organised with excellent attention to detail and accuracy.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines within a fast-paced environment.
• Strong stakeholder management and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across Buying, Planning, Design, Sourcing, Technical, Marketing, and Supplier teams.
• Strong communication, presentation, influencing, and negotiation skills.
• Confident in presenting recommendations and constructively challenging decisions where required.
• Proactive approach with strong initiative, sound judgement, and effective decision-making ability.
• Resilient and adaptable, with the ability to respond effectively to changing business priorities and market dynamics.
• Curious and customer-centric, with a strong interest in consumer behaviour and emerging market trends.
• Committed to continuous learning and professional development.
• Passionate about fashion, lingerie product, and delivering compelling, commercially successful, customer-focused product assortments.

Please forward your CV to ***email_hidden***. Should you not be contacted within 2 weeks, kindly consider your application unsuccessful.