Trainee Assistant Buyer

Application Deadline: 30 September 2025

Department: Buying

Location: London

Description

At Mountain Warehouse, we’re passionate about helping our customers enjoy the great outdoors. With a focus on sustainability, we design quality products that are made for adventure and built to last, whether it’s for hiking, running, skiing, or just exploring closer to home. As a team, we’re united by our passion for the outdoors, our commitment to exceptional customer service and our belief in working together to achieve great things.

We value individuality and teamwork, believe diversity drives innovation and success, and are committed to building an inclusive and supportive workplace where everyone feels valued and empowered. We’re proud to create an environment where we can all contribute our unique skills and ideas. If you’re excited about leading a team, delivering outstanding service, and being part of a brand that inspires adventure, we’d love to hear from you!

Job Purpose

As an Assistant Buyer, your role is to support the development and delivery of product ranges that meet customer needs and drive sales. You’ll work closely with the buying team, suppliers, and other departments to ensure the smooth execution of the critical path, from managing samples to coordinating approvals. By maintaining organisation and attention to detail, you will help ensure that products are delivered on time, in the right quantities, and at the best prices. Your proactive approach to problem-solving, communication, and collaboration will be key in supporting the buying team and contributing to the overall success of the business.

Key Responsibilities

RANGE BUILDING

• Competitors, Customers & Demographics: You will leverage your deep understanding of competitors, sales trends, and customer preferences to shape product development and make strategic commercial decisions. Your ability to factor in regional and store profiles will ensure successful range planning.
• End Use & Seasonality: You will ensure products are designed with their purpose in mind and delivered at the perfect time, aligning seamlessly with seasonal trends and customer needs.
• Suppliers: You will collaborate with top-tier suppliers for each product type, skillfully balancing costs and securing the best prices to drive high-quality product development.
  
  

CRITICAL PATH

• Samples: You will take responsibility for the BAA's sample management, ensuring the area is always organised and well-maintained. This includes taking full ownership of samples and arranging them appropriately without needing prompts from the AB/Buyer.
• Critical Path: It is essential that you understand CP deadlines and can manage the BAA to keep the CP up to date. You will identify delays, escalate issues when needed, and support supplier meetings while working with Tech to ensure testing aligns with CP dates.
• Approvals: You will make informed approval decisions based on sales and commercial insights. Presenting PP approvals to the Buying Director and anticipating sample needs for approvals will also be key parts of your role.
• Fits: Your role will involve improving products by providing input, checking samples before fit sessions, and proactively managing necessary samples. You will also identify and remove any outdated samples without being directed.
• Sign-Offs & Range Reviews: You will prepare department rails for meetings, ensuring all the necessary samples are in place for sign-offs and range reviews.
• Parcels and Post: Managing parcels will include supporting the BAA with timely collection, logging, and distribution. You will also need to flag approval arrivals promptly.
  
  

Branding Guidelines: You will identify the appropriate swingers, stickers, labels, trims, and packaging for each department. Ensuring these branding elements meet product requirements and assisting suppliers with FTP navigation and briefing documents will also be part of your role.

ANALYSIS & TRADING

• Pricing: You will benchmark products against competitors, justifying new development prices and interpreting pricing structures. Where necessary, you will suggest price increases to maintain competitiveness and profitability.
• Photography/Photoshoot & Web: Managing photoshoots and ordering samples will be part of your role, ensuring product features are effectively communicated to the web team. You will also resolve web tracker issues with the BAA and suppliers to deliver projects on time.
• Space Planning & VM: Using your understanding of store fixtures and displays, you will plan ranges that are both visually appealing and commercially effective. By analysing sales data, you will build a range based on colour, size, and option width/depth.
• Analysing & Trading: You will analyse historical data and current sales patterns to make informed decisions when building ranges, ensuring they align with customer demand and commercial goals.
• System Skills: Your proficiency in Office systems (Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, Word) and buying systems such as BB, Maximus, Dashboard, and Range Planner will enable you to efficiently complete tasks, generate reports, and perform detailed data analysis.
  
  

We Would Like To Meet Someone Who Is

• Communication: You should communicate clearly and professionally across various platforms, confidently speaking up to positively influence the team. Contributions to meetings and driving improvements through both written and verbal communication would be key aspects of your role.
• Problem Solving: You should proactively find solutions to tasks, supporting the BAA with problem-solving and sharing accurate solutions with colleagues. Managing your workload with adaptability and a proactive approach would be essential.
• Accountability & Managing Self: You should take accountability for your workload, handling peak times with maturity and effectively multitasking under pressure. Creating time for self-learning to improve your skills and buying behaviours would also be expected.
• Presentation Skills: You would be confident in presenting relevant information during meetings, embracing challenges positively, and seeking feedback to further refine your presentation skills.
• Innovation & Creativity: You should apply creativity to your daily tasks, understanding their broader impact. Sharing ideas to improve efficiency and consistency, while supporting the BAA with innovative solutions, would be a valuable part of your contribution.
• People Management/Relationship Management: Building positive working relationships with colleagues and management should come naturally to you. You would model effective buying behaviours and manage expectations to ensure tasks are completed efficiently.
• Pacey & Positive: Tasks should be completed efficiently while maintaining a positive and constructive attitude. You would handle setbacks and challenges with resilience and support the BAA in fostering this approach.
  
  

Benefits

• Competitive salary and benefits package
• Hybrid working, 3 days in London based office & 2 working from home
• Holiday allowance
• 50% staff discount & 25% for family and friends
• Pension scheme