Jr. Retail Buyer
Posted by Alterra Mountain Company on 11/21/2019
Job Basics
Industry Sector: Snow
Job Categories: Merchandising
Company Type: Recreation
State: CO
City: Denver
Country: United States
Required Experience: 1 - 3 years
Job Type: Full Time
Salary:
Required to Relocate:
Required to Travel: Yes
Employee May Telecommute: No
Job Seeker Must Live Within:
Job Description & Requirements
Alterra Mountain Company (the Company) is a family of 14 iconic year-round destinations, including the world’s largest heli-ski operation, offering the Ikon Pass, the new standard in season passes. The Ikon Pass connects the most iconic mountains across North America, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Chile, delivering authentic, memorable snow adventures. The Company owns and operates a range of recreation, hospitality, real estate development, food and beverage, retail and service businesses. Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, with destinations across the continent, Alterra Mountain Company is rooted in the spirit of the mountains and united by a passion for outdoor adventure. Alterra Mountain Company’s family of diverse playgrounds spans six U.S. states and three Canadian provinces: Steamboat and Winter Park Resort in Colorado; Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, Mammoth Mountain, June Mountain and Big Bear Mountain Resort in California; Stratton in Vermont; Snowshoe in West Virginia; Tremblant in Quebec, Blue Mountain in Ontario; Crystal Mountain in Washington; Deer Valley Resort and Solitude Mountain Resort in Utah; and CMH Heli-Skiing & Summer Adventures in British Columbia. Also included in the portfolio is Alpine Aerotech, a worldwide helicopter support and maintenance service center in British Columbia, Canada. Alterra Mountain Company honors each destination’s unique character and authenticity and celebrates the legendary adventures and enduring memories they bring to everyone.
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties.
POSITION SUMMARY
As part of our Retail/Rental Merchandise Team and reporting directly to the SVP of Retail/Rental, the primary role of the Jr. Retail Buyer/Admin is to support destination initiatives to successfully grow revenues, increase stock turns and increase gross margin and targeted profitability of assigned categories. The Jr. Retail Buyer/Admin is responsible for determining and developing an all-encompassing merchandise plan including building and communicating assortments, procurement and operational follow-through to assure delivery of the plan. A critical success factor for the Jr. Retail Buyer/Admin will be the ability to work closely with our industry partners and destination leaders to understand current and future trends along with opportunities to maximize our position as a destination retailer and to expand our business in the assigned categories.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES
- Develop the merchandise and assortment plans, allocating product to destination & store locations based on those plans
- Write purchase orders and manage purchase orders
- Establish and enhance quality relationships with new and existing vendors
- Contribute to strategic merchandise planning sessions
- Work with SVP of Retail/Rental and provide input on merchandise budgets, inventory plans and vendor relationships
- Manage inventory levels according to established budgets and business trends
- Work directly with Destination Retail Directors, Group Managers and Supervisors
- View product lines (new and existing) to determine the best assortments for our businesses
- Negotiate industry best terms and conditions including discounts, payment terms, co-op allocation, supply chain considerations and specific vendor agreements
- Consistently monitor and analyze KPIs and take immediate action to drive growth and profitability
- Respond to sales trends quickly with reorders, product transfers, clear outs, markdowns or order cancellations
- Develop, communicate and monitor sell thru and markdown plans
- Track movement of stock and ensure timely deliveries
- Coordinate product knowledge sessions for assigned categories, involvement with merchandising, training and motivating sales staff
- Work with vendors, marketing and operations to develop strategies such as in-store displays, promotions and events to drive revenues and awareness of our locations
- Develop, prepare & review weekly reports for the merchandise team including but not limited to: Sell thru, sales, on hand, out of stocks, replenishment, top seller, bottom seller, margin, turn and GMROI.
- Attend buying and product demo shows
- Identify product/category trends and successfully incorporate them into the product mix
- Monitor competition & vendors in the sporting goods & apparel industry
- File and retrieval of documents related to purchasing
- Assist in developing merchandising standards and optimal assortment strategies
- Assist with store layout and planning and in-store merchandising
- Administrative support
- Other duties as assigned
COMPETENCIES
- Communication: Able to communicate effectively in writing and verbally across all levels of the organization. Able to effectively present information to management, employees, and customers.
- Organization: Demonstrate ability to proactively prioritize needs, put first things first, and effectively manages resources and time. Excellent organizational and problem-solving skills with the ability to handle multiple tasks.
- Reasoning Ability: Able to make independent judgments which have considerable impacts on the organization. Able to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.
- High level of interpersonal skills to handle sensitive and confidential situations and documentation.
- Working knowledge of computers including MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, Access)
Travel Requirements
Yes
EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE
- Business or merchandise degree preferred or equivalent retail experience considered in lieu of the degree; 2-3 years’ experience in multiyear buying or merchandise for high volume retail/rental environment; or equivalent combination of education and experience
- Previous experience in ski, snowboard, bike or other sporting goods business would be an asset
