Buyer, Linens & Bar at CSC Generation

Seattle, Washington, United States

CSC Generation Logo
Not SpecifiedCompensation
Mid-level (3 to 4 years)Experience Level
Full TimeJob Type
UnknownVisa
Retail, Consumer GoodsIndustries

Requirements

  • Bachelor’s degree in Merchandising or related field (relevant work experience considered in lieu of education)
  • 2+ years experience in Buyer Role, preferably in a hard-goods omni-channel retail environment
  • 2+ years in private label product development (preferred)
  • 2+ years managing and negotiating with vendors and third-party brands
  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
  • Knowledge of housewares industry and relevant product

Responsibilities

  • Analyze past performance, develop, communicate and execute seasonal and core department strategies
  • Own the department KPIs including sales, gross margin dollars, initial and maintained margin rates, sell-through, open-to-buy, and on time delivery. Build recovery plans when off-track
  • Develop pricing and promotional strategy for core and seasonal products while understanding the impact of tariffs to demand and profitability
  • Partner with internal product development team, as well as domestic and foreign partners to drive product development and product needs in both core and seasonal categories
  • Identify product trends using a mixture of qualitative and quantitative analysis
  • Partner on inventory health with planning through open-to-buy management, minimum order quantity negotiations, investment alignment and profitable transition and exit plans
  • Build quarterly line plans and assign key metrics in line with department initiatives and goals
  • Provide leadership, direction, mentoring and coaching to staff
  • Collaborate with visual team to ensure monthly floorsets are reflected of both core and seasonal initiatives
  • Partner with creative team to drive packaging and signage needs for both core and seasonal products
  • Work with each direct report to establish goals and objectives and monitor and advise on progress to ensure business results are achieved and to enhance the professional development of staff
  • Cultivate strong relationships both internally to Sur La Table and externally with vendors
  • Communicate complex ideas and or concepts clearly, concisely and effectively to multiple audiences
  • Lead vendor business planning including negotiating product launches, pricing, timing, and exclusivity. Negotiate funding for training, promotions and co-op programs
  • Partner with Planning & Allocation to determine order quantities, receipt flow and product life cycle
  • Work cross-functionally to ensure the in store and online experience and marketing reflect the strategic direction
  • Additional responsibilities to support the function as assigned by manager

Skills

Key technologies and capabilities for this role

Product Trend AnalysisMerchandising StrategyVendor ManagementSales AnalysisGross Margin ManagementPricing StrategyPromotional PlanningProduct DevelopmentCross-Functional CollaborationKPI ManagementOpen-to-BuySell-Through Analysis

Questions & Answers

Common questions about this position

Is this position remote or office-based?

The Buyer position is based out of the Sur La Table Headquarters in Seattle, Washington.

What salary or compensation does this role offer?

This information is not specified in the job description.

What key skills are required for the Buyer role?

Key skills include analyzing past performance and product trends using qualitative and quantitative analysis, developing pricing and promotional strategies, vendor relationship management, and leadership including mentoring staff.

What is the company culture like at Sur La Table?

The culture emphasizes creating happiness through cooking and sharing good food, working in a fast-paced team environment, and collaborating across cross-functional areas like Planning, Stores, Ecommerce, and Marketing.

What makes a strong candidate for this Buyer position?

Strong candidates demonstrate experience in merchandising strategy, product trend analysis, vendor management, cross-functional collaboration, and leadership skills including mentoring staff to achieve business KPIs.

CSC Generation

Acquires and revitalizes struggling retail brands

About CSC Generation

CSC Generation specializes in acquiring and revitalizing struggling retail brands to make them profitable. The company identifies underperforming brands with potential and integrates them into its operating platform, which includes technology, skilled personnel, and efficient processes. This approach has allowed CSC Generation to successfully transform several well-known brands, such as DirectBuy and Sur La Table, into profitable ventures. The company generates revenue through the sales of products from its portfolio, which features over 325,000 items and attracts around 10 million monthly page views. Unlike many competitors, CSC Generation focuses on "unsexy" opportunities—brands that others might overlook but have significant turnaround potential. The goal of CSC Generation is to drive growth and profitability for the brands it acquires, ultimately enhancing the customer experience and increasing sales.

Merrillville, IndianaHeadquarters
2016Year Founded
$107.6MTotal Funding
SERIES_ECompany Stage
Consumer Software, Consumer GoodsIndustries
51-200Employees

Risks

Increased competition may lead to higher acquisition costs for CSC Generation.
Operational challenges in integrating new brands like Backcountry could affect performance.
Economic downturns could reduce consumer spending, impacting CSC's profitability.

Differentiation

CSC Generation specializes in acquiring and revitalizing struggling retail brands.
The company integrates brands into its platform to drive growth and profitability.
CSC Generation identifies 'unsexy' opportunities with significant potential for turnaround.

Upsides

CSC Generation's acquisition of Backcountry expands its consumer-centric brand portfolio.
The rise of AI-driven personalization can enhance CSC's customer engagement and conversion rates.
Direct-to-consumer models offer CSC increased profitability by cutting out intermediaries.

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