As the Associate Buyer, you will be responsible for providing support to the Buyer with a focus on business management. Your responsibilities will be associated with an assigned merchandise category, comprising of the merchandise selection, forecasting, assortment optimization, collaborating on marketing tactics & inventory tactics This role requires the ability to leverage technical expertise to identify opportunities and develop assortment strategies.

• Overall P&L responsibility for assigned categories
• Maintain and perform all activities related to procurement of merchandise and financial performance for assigned merchandise category within the department or sub-department
• Create and implement a merchandise assortment plan by using market trend analysis that supports the financial and merchandising objectives
• Create a balanced assortment partnering with Private Brands team on opportunities
• Assist in setting the vision and determine call to action for assortment building opportunities in partnership with different departments – Marketing, Space Planning, Pricing & Promotions, Inventory, and Supply Chain & Private Brand
• Partner with category planner to develop and maintain category receipt and inventory strategy
• Determine exit strategies & item lifecycle movement by working closely with Pricing teams
• Manage marketing and promotional activities to get maximum benefit
• Attend vendor appointments prepared with strategic assortment plans and an understanding of products needed for the business growth
• Direct vendor negotiations, promotional plans and strategies the drive sales and profitability
• Develop effective relationships with vendors and follow up on business needs per Buyer
• Occasional business travel for visiting vendors, attending trade shows, and retail location review of products
• Stay current on industry and competitive landscape by attending primary industry events and by regularly visiting competitors to understand what they offer and to validate our competitive advantages and positioning
• Responsible for developing working knowledge of the buying function including merchandise selection, negotiating, pricing, and planning/marketing of merchandise
• Provide analysis of business data and reporting, as directed by the Buyer, including monitoring merchandise reports, stock analysis, and other ad-hoc reports
• Analyze sales reporting and proactively react to optimize sales and minimize risk
• Build and communicate category intelligence throughout the organization per Buyer’s direction and support
• Assist in development and coaching of Assistant Buyers.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Nutrition or related Field
• 2-4 years in Merchandising
• Current or previous category merchandising expertise

Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to build strong partnerships partner with negotiation skills and experience negotiating with multinational vendors.
• Advanced analytical rigor with ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
• Expertise using market share data to aid decision making and promotion cadence
• Passion for the health and wellness industry
• Passionate hands-on leader with the ability to execute in a fast paced organization
• Professional maturity and ability to respect other people’s values and backgrounds, take responsibility for your actions and behave appropriately in the workplace

Equal Opportunity Policy

The Vitamin Shoppe is an equal opportunity employer. We respect diversity and accordingly are an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, sex, gender, gender identity or expression (including transgender status), sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, physical or mental disability, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.  Our management is dedicated to ensuring the fulfillment of this policy with respect to hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, separation, recruitment, pay and other forms of compensation, access to facilities and programs, training and general treatment during employment.

We firmly believe that every Health Enthusiast has the right to be treated with dignity and respect. Our goal is to maintain a satisfied and productive team of Health Enthusiasts. The keys to reaching that goal are effective leadership, equal application of fair human resources policies, competitive wages and benefits, and close attention to all health enthusiast matters. The Vitamin Shoppe is committed to the principle of fair and impartial treatment of our Health Enthusiasts.

Health Enthusiasts with questions or concerns about equal employment opportunities in the workplace are encouraged to bring these issues to the attention of their Human Resources representative.  We will not allow any form of retaliation against Health Enthusiasts who raise issues of perceived discrimination in good faith.  To ensure our workplace is free of artificial barriers, violation of this policy may result in disciplinary action, up to and including discharge.

The wage for this position is based on many factors such as role requirements, skill set, years of experience and other organizational needs. The estimated range is $70,000 - $85,000 per year.