Urban Outfitters Buyer - Denim

The Urban Outfitters Denim Buyer is responsible for curating a customer-oriented product mix that is thoughtful, trend-relevant, and commercially viable. This role blends creativity with analytical rigor, using data to minimize risk and maximize sales opportunities. The Buyer collaborates closely with vendors and the in-house design team to introduce new concepts, manage core business categories, and ensure alignment with brand vision and customer expectations.

Responsibilities:

Assortment Strategy

• Utilize customer feedback, market trends, and performance data to build a brand-appropriate and balanced assortment.
• Consider fashion vision, quality, fit, value, price point, and SKU count in all assortment decisions.
• Develop and manage core business categories while incorporating fashion newness and test silhouettes.
• Ensure an appropriate blend of private label and branded products to support brand differentiation and margin goals.

Fashion & Trend Awareness

• Stay current on fashion trends, styles, and cultural shifts through fashion shows, industry publications, and social media.
• Contribute to product selection with a strong sense of style, taste, and customer relevance.
• Monitor emerging trends and translate them into actionable product opportunities.

Product Development

• Research new products, suppliers, and vendors to expand and differentiate the assortment.
• Generate innovative and creative ideas that support brand growth and customer engagement.
• Partner with the Design team to develop fashion-forward, relevant designs aligned with seasonal strategies.
• Collaborate with Production to balance manufacturing limitations with goals for quality, lead time, and price/value.
• Support web expansion through the development of a variety of digital-first styles.

Vendor Relationships

• Represent the brand with integrity and professionalism in all vendor interactions.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with suppliers and brands to create a differentiated product mix.
• Attract new vendors and negotiate pricing, delivery, exclusivity, and terms to support business objectives.
• Planning & Financial Management
• Manage the Open to Buy (OTB) plan using flow sheets and item plans; adjust based on business needs and performance.
• Analyze business trends and react with timely reorders, cancellations, and markdown strategies.
• Understand seasonality and maximize profitability through strategic inventory management.

Data Utilization

• Make informed decisions that align with customer preferences and market trends.
• Analyze velocity, attributes, returns, and markdowns to optimize assortments and drive profitability.
• Conduct in-season and post-season analyses to evaluate performance and inform future strategies.

Leadership & Collaboration

• Build trust and professional relationships across cross-functional teams including Design, Planning, and Production.
• Communicate effectively with peers, team members, and vendors to align product and business goals.
• Offer thoughtful, constructive product feedback and contribute to a collaborative team culture.
  
  

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Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

Education: Fashion or merchandising degree or equivalent experience desired. 

Experience: 5 years of experience in a buying role is preferred. 

Demographic Knowledge: Demonstrate an understanding of the target customer and the ability to select the appropriate product/trend that will appeal to the customer and meet their expectations.

Analytical Understanding: Comfort with use of statistical components of the business (IMU%, MD%, GM%, selloff, WOS, etc.) and the OTB. 

Communication: Positive, professional, and timely communication with teams, supporting departments, vendors, and suppliers. 

Assertiveness: Clearly and confidently express ideas, needs, and boundaries in a respectful manner.

Time Management: Proactively plans and controls time to efficiently deliver team priorities and meet deadlines. 

Detail Orientation: Focus on and manage the small details of a task or project to consistently produce high-quality work. 

Ownership: Take responsibility for the outcomes of your work and the decisions that lead to those outcomes. Hold yourself accountable. 

Inclusivity: Commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion within the workplace. 

Key Attributes: Models behaviors that align with URBN’s values: 

Unite in communicating and collaborating with integrity.

Respect our planet, our world, and each other. 

Build lifestyle brands through creative entrepreneurship. 

Nurture meaningful connections with customers and employees.

URBN offers comprehensive Perks & Benefits to employees. Availability and eligibility to specific benefits may be subject to your location and employment status. Benefits include medical, dental, vision, PTO, generous employee discounts, retirement savings and much more! For additional information visit www.urbn.com/work-with-us/benefits

URBN celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We are proud to provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex (including gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression), religion, creed, age, physical or mental disability, national origin or ancestry, ethnicity, citizenship, service in the uniformed services, genetic information, or any other protected characteristic as established by law. We believe strongly in fostering a safe, fair and respectful work environment. To ensure compliance with our non-discrimination and anti-harassment policies, we offer anti-harassment training to managers and employees.