We're on the hunt for a trendsetter, analytical guru, and all-round fashionista to join our team as a Footwear Buyer. Your thirst for product knowledge coupled with your eye for trends, is exactly what we’re looking for. If you're ready to bring your A-game and make an impact on the world of kids fashion, hit that apply button now!
Key Responsibilities
Develop and execute a balanced product range in Girls Footwear
Build seasonal ranges with a strong focus on fit, function, and Value
Analyse sales data, customer insights, and market trends to inform buying decisions
Manage supplier relationships, negotiate pricing, and ensure margin targets are met
Work closely with design, planning, and sourcing teams to deliver on time and in line with Ackermans product strategy
Monitor product performance and take proactive action to optimise sales
Knowledge required:
Knowledge of SA’s retail clothing market, customers and competitors.
An in-depth understanding of the fashion retail cycle, critical path & buying processes.
Understanding of relevant product trends for your target market
Understanding of product fit, fabrication, and customer needs in Kids Footwear
Skills required:
A sound ability to analyse and work with numerical data
Merchant skills and a sound trader mentality
Excellent negotiation and supplier management skills
Competent in working with a Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system
Identify, distinguish, understand and assess colours, CAD approvals and strike offs
Ability to engineer products to achieve the desired value proposition
Communicate effectively at all levels both within, as well as outside the company
Presentation skills
Competent in all the latest Microsoft applications
Experience Required:
3-5 years proven retail experience in the procurement/development of Footwear products.
Qualifications Required:
A Grade 12 Certificate/Matric
A relevant qualification in Fashion Design, Textile Design / Clothing Production / Product Development /Merchandising or a related field would be an advantage
The Ackermans story goes back as far as 1916, when Gus Ackerman opened the first store in Wynberg in Cape Town. His vision for the store was to create a place where customers could find great products at fantastic prices, which is exactly what Ackermans became. Ackermans was, subsequently, bought by the Pepkor Group in 1986.
Today, there are more than 850 Ackermans stores in 5 countries, making us a leading value fashion retailer for the whole family – continuously setting the standard for value and affordability. With a wide selection of fashion for ladies, kids, babies and men, as well as homeware, cellular and key financial products, we’ll keep bringing value to your life every day.
Our purpose at Ackermans is: Bringing Value to Life, and it lies at the heart of everything we do, whether it’s to the lives of our customers and employees, or to the wider community and value retailing as a whole.
The secret to our success is simple – people. Hiring people who love what they do, and giving them every opportunity to shine. In fact, at Ackermans we’re so committed to this philosophy that we’ve named our staff members Phadimas – which means ‘shine’ in Northern Sotho. Every day, each of our employees is encouraged to shine, reach for the stars and take each other, and the Ackermans brand, to new heights of achievement and success.
We firmly believe that the future of our company rests in the hands of the people we employ. As such, every new Ackermans Phadima is put through a rigorous selection process and chosen with the greatest of care. This process ensures that each new Phadima is a perfect fit for our company culture, and will thrive in our environment of encouragement, motivation and inspiration.
If you feel that this is an environment that you could succeed in, we’d love for you to join us. View our current vacancies, and we could soon be welcoming you on-board as our newest Ackermans Phadima!
