Assistant Buyer

About the role

Fixed Term until March 2026 - 39 hours per week

Hybrid (Head Office – Windermere | Minimum 3 days per week)

We're looking for an Assistant Buyer to work in our Buying department at our head office in Windermere. You will:

• Be responsible for the set up on our system, and progression, of all new/updated products into the business including; testing, legal compliance, Lakeland quality compliance, instructions, packaging design and origination, price negotiation, payment terms, MOQs, delivery requirements.  Negotiate any aspects necessary in order to achieve the best solution for Lakeland
• Support new suppliers in order that they understand the high standards required by Lakeland and our customers
• Support our marketing department by ensuring copy notes and samples are ready in line with their deadlines. Present new/updated products at a Product Awareness Meeting with the copywriters, web team, catalogue production team
• Support our retail and contact centre teams with any product queries they have
• Support our product query team by answering any customer queries/ issues in a timely manner
• To ensure all new lines arrive into the business with the correct testing certificates and compliance testing, as required by the product type, and advised by a technologist
• Assist the Buyer with New Product Development(NPD) management by collating suggestions and helping to co-ordinate new innovations by providing administrative and communications support as required
• Brief packaging requirements ensuring that the packaging meets the design brief/packaging guidelines and will be informative, supportive and visually appealing.

Job Purpose

As an Assistant Buyer, you will work closely with the Buyer.  Your responsibility is to manage newly selected products through our setting up and compliance process and into the business.  All new products remain the responsibility of the Assistant Buyer until the point of arrival at our Distribution Centre in Kendal. Role modelling the Lakeland values and behaviours at all times you will ensure that excellent service and operational standards are achieved.

Knowledge, skills and experience

Essential – the ‘must haves’

• Be an effective communicator, with an ability to deal diplomatically at all levels, both internally and externally
• Have buying office/retail environment knowledge/ experience
• Have excellent planning and organisational skills to ensure deadlines are met
• Have strong numerical skills, ability to work accurately with data
• Understands the importance of meeting deadlines
• Able to work to a critical path, prioritise their workload, and ‘flex’ it as the needs of the business change
• Happy to be challenged by a fast pace role with a high interruption level
• Able to demonstrate a creative innovative approach to problem solving
• Capable of working unsupervised and able to use own initiative
• Have proven negotiation skills
• Have experience of working with Outlook and Microsoft Excel
• GCSE English & Maths Grade 4/C or equivalent 
• Ability to multi task
   

Desirable – the ‘nice to haves’  

• Knowledge of Lakeland Products
• Experience of working in a team
• Have an understanding of a multi-channel retail business and an interest in product
• Educated to ‘A’ level standard or equivalent

About Lakeland

Founded in the early 60s, with the same strong values of quality and customer care now as when we first started. From selling plastic bags for home freezing from the Rayner family garage in Windermere, to over 4000 kitchen and home products today, Lakeland has grown to the extent that we now send out thousands of parcels a day from our Kendal despatch centre, and we have stores nationwide, stretching from Aberdeen to Exeter, with more in the pipeline.

Benefits

There are many benefits to being part of the Lakeland team. Other than being part of a huge and happy working family, our colleagues are rewarded with a competitive salary, discretionary bonus scheme and a group personal pension plan.

There are 29 days’ paid holiday (including bank holidays) and generous discounts on our products. We offer a great retail environment, and the chance to be part of a team who like to work and socialise together.