Buying Manager 12 month FTC (Friends Like These)

At NEXT Wholly Owned Brands, we’re a collective of London-based fashion and lifestyle brands. From our beginnings with Lipsy in 1998, to becoming part of the UK’s largest fashion retailer, NEXT, in 2008. We’ve evolved into a group of bold, design-led brands, each with its unique identity.

At the heart of our business is a passionate team driven by creativity, innovation, and a shared ambition to deliver exceptional results. We foster a culture where individuality is celebrated, curiosity is encouraged, and challenging the status quo is part of how we grow.

Who are Friends Like These?

Friends Like These is for the go-getter - she’s strong, feminine and always on the move, so we offer her a gorgeous wardrobe line-up she can bank on every time.

Role Purpose

As Buying Manager, you will support the Buying Director in driving the creative and commercial direction of the brand across multiple categories. You will lead a high-performing team to develop a superb product offering that drives the overall profitability of the brand.

Role Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership & Commercial Performance
  • Drive commercial performance by developing and delivering short- and long-term brand objectives focused on profit, margin, and growth.
  • Maximise profitability through strategic decisions on product direction, category innovation, pricing, sourcing and intake.
  • Demonstrate high-level strategic awareness, understanding how departmental decisions impact different channels and overall company objectives.
  • Challenge and improve existing processes, contributing innovative ideas to evolve buying strategies and streamline operations.
• Range Planning & Product Development
  • Oversee the planning and structure of the range in collaboration with Merchandising and Design, ensuring a balanced, customer-focused offer.
  • Incorporate global fashion trends, market dynamics, and customer insights into commercially viable and trend-led collections.
  • Monitor and react to performance by reviewing sales and product data to identify opportunities for repeats, cancellations, or future optimisations.
  • Identity & implement new product categories that could enhance the brands current range and offer
• Supplier & Stakeholder Management
  • Oversee the sourcing and management of suppliers, assessing capability, supporting buying with supplier issues & finding solutions.
  • Lead buyers to strategically plan production & fabric booking to optimise cost prices & lead times.
  • Manage buyers to ensure ethical, timely, and quality production while maintaining existing relationships and encouraging new partnerships.
  • Build strong cross-functional relationships with Marketing, PR, Creative & Technical teams to align commercial and creative goals.
  • Collaborate across the wider business to share insights on trends and competitor behavior to influence broader strategy.
• Team Leadership
  • Lead and develop the buying team by managing workloads, delegating effectively, and setting clear objectives.
  • Conduct regular performance reviews to drive capability, engagement, and accountability within the team.
  • Mentor and motivate others, identifying and nurturing talent while fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

Technical Requirements

• Experienced Buying Manager with experience in a similar fashion retailer
• Multi-category womenswear experience
• Strategic, commercial, and innovative thinker.
• Deep knowledge of fashion trends and market dynamics.
• Strong commercial acumen and negotiation skills.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and influencing abilities.
• Leadership skills to motivate and develop teams.
• Adaptable, organised, and results-driven with a focus on growth and margin improvement.

Benefits