Data & network

Retail buyer

Retail buyers choose products for shops to sell, like clothing, toys, electrical goods and food.

Annual Salary

£23,000 to £50,000

Working hours

38 to 40 a week

You could work: evenings; attending events or appointments

1.8%
Future employment

There will be 1.8% more Retail buyer jobs in 2029.
In your local area

What's it all about?

Day-to-day tasks

As a retail buyer, you couldattend trade fairs to find new products; negotiate prices, orders and delivery dates; manage product quality; obtain and analyse customer feedback; forecast trends based on consumer data; present collections to senior managers; track sales figures, manage stock levels and keep to budgets; check and react to competitor activities; adapt quickly to meet changing consumer behaviour and trends

Working environment

You could work in an office or at a store.

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship
  • working towards this role
  • completing private industry-recognised training
University

You can do a degree before joining a retail company graduate scheme. Employers recruit from a range of degree subjects.

Relevant subjects include:

  • marketing
  • fashion buying and merchandising
  • fashion and business
  • retail business management

You could choose a course that includes a year's work placement to get relevant experience alongside your qualification. Or you could gain experience from a part-time job or a summer internship.

Your university careers service can help you to find part-time roles, placements and internships.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
For more information
  • student finance for fees and living costs|https://www.gov.uk/student-finance
  • university courses and entry requirements|https://www.ucas.com/
  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
College

You could do a course at college to get some of the skills needed to work in retail.

Useful subjects include:

  • understanding retail operations
  • fashion retail
  • retail skills
  • procurement and supply

A course may help you to get your first job. You could then move into buying as your experience grows.

Apprenticeship

The following apprenticeships are relevant to this role.

On the retail side:

  • Retail Team Leader Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
  • Retail Manager Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship

On the buying side, you could apply to do an Assistant Buyer and Assistant Merchandiser Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship
For more information
  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
  • guide to apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide
Work

You can start as an assistant buyer and go on to become a junior buyer and work your way up. To go straight into a buying role, you'll usually need a qualification in retail or business.

It's possible to get experience in retail on the shop-floor, in visual merchandising, or as an admin assistant in a buyer's office. You can then spend time learning, training and getting qualifications on the job.

Other routes

Some companies in fashion retail offer training schemes specifically for buyers. These tend to be aimed at graduates. Other types of retailers offer general store management training schemes with the option to specialise in buying later on.

You can also take procurement and supply qualifications through the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply.

Further information

You can find out more about becoming a clothing retail buyer from the Fashion Retail Academy.

More information

With experience and training you could become a senior buyer, buying controller or head of buying. You could also move into product management, marketing or merchandising.

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

  • the ability to work well with others
  • persuading and negotiating skills
  • to be flexible and open to change
  • the ability to use your judgement and make decisions
  • maths knowledge
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • the ability to use your initiative
  • the ability to sell products and services
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently
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