Cotton Traders is a British clothing retailer established in 1987 by England rugby captain and legends Fran Cotton and Steve Smith. Supported by a growing online and offline (catalogue) presence, we have 80 stores nationwide in England, Scotland and Wales and employee 800 people across the country. We have an ambitious plan to grow the business across all touch points and we can only do this with the best people around us.

Our vision and our values are what make us unique, and they are deeply ingrained in everything we do here at Cotton Traders. Our people are part of the fabric that makes us what we are, and when you’re as passionate about your people as we are, job satisfaction and career progression come hand in hand.

What’s in the role and what are we looking for?

We are recruiting for a Menswear Buyer to take sole responsibility for the product design and development of our licensed brands and rugby collections. You will have bundles of passion and energy to successfully drive our ranges forward and ensure this meets both the customer’s needs and is profitable for the business.

Some of the key responsibilities include:

• Work to source the best products and the best prices using confident negotiations in order to achieve and exceed the set margin targets.
• Develop supplier relationships through effective sourcing as well as liaison with our external license holders.
• Take part in regular review meetings to ensure the critical path is followed through.
• Complete regular competitor visits in order to ensure you stay ahead of what key competitors are doing.
• Actively train and develop more junior members within team.
• Engage with creative & e-commerce teams building productive relationships to drive product sales.
• Provide seasonal direction based on knowledge and trends.
• Working collaboratively with teams across the business to maximise sales across all channels.

The Successful Candidate will:

• Have at least 2 years’ experience at Buyer level but we welcome experienced applicants looking for their next step
• Have a good knowledge of fabrics and garment costing
• Have an excellent eye for product with the ability to react to future trends
• Exceptional attention to detail ensuring accuracy in all tasks
• Good analytical skills, utilise sales information to improve overall sales
• Be confident with strong presentation skills
• Proactive in decision making and problem solving, with the ability to work under pressure at all times.
• Natural ability to identify future fashion trends and a real passion for product.
• Be confident when working with suppliers to negotiate the best prices.
• Have an in-depth knowledge of the current market.

What’s on offer?

We are protective and proud in equal measure of our culture and suggest you take a look at our values on our web-site to gain a better understanding of life at CT. Once part of the team, you’ll be rewarded with, amongst other things:-

• Flexible working culture, adopting a hybrid working approach
• 25 days holiday rising to 30 days, plus bank holidays
• Employee Assistant Programme
• Health cash plan
• Long service awards

Next steps

If you are interested in the excellent opportunity on offer, we would love to hear more from you! Please click apply and send through your CV and a covering letter.