Buyer Recruitment

Fashion and lifestyle businesses use Encore Recruitment to hire buyers across brands, retailers, suppliers and importers.

The title alone does not tell you what the person owns, influences or decides. One buyer may lead a category, range and supplier relationships. Another may work within a wider structure where OTB, final approvals or parts of the commercial plan sit elsewhere.

Before the search begins, we establish what this person needs to take responsibility for, which commercial decisions sit with them and what should be shared, reviewed or escalated.

Key Takeaways

An established buyer carries defined range and commercial responsibility. That can include category direction, product selection or development, supplier relationships, negotiation, OTB, trading activity and commercial performance.
Buying responsibility changes by level. Buyer admin assistant/buying assistant, assistant buyer, junior buyer, buyer, senior buyer, buying manager and head of buying roles differ through ownership, independence, authority and wider accountability.
A recommendation needs evidence behind the buyer title. We look at the ranges, suppliers, commercial decisions and outcomes the candidate has been responsible for. If our assessment supports it, and they want Encore Recruitment to represent them, we recommend them to the client.

What Does a Buyer Take Responsibility For?

A buyer takes responsibility for the product or brand offer and the commercial buying decisions within their remit.

That can include using customer and trading information to shape a range, selecting or developing products, working with suppliers or brands, negotiating costs and terms, working with OTB and responding to commercial performance.

The activity alone does not define the level.

Working with OTB is different from controlling the total budget. Negotiating with a supplier is different from having final authority to accept every commercial term. Presenting a range is different from holding final approval for all product, financial or technical decisions.

Own-brand and branded buying also place different demands on the role.

In own-brand buying, the buyer may work through design, samples, product development, suppliers and technical.

In branded buying, greater emphasis may sit on brand selection, buying appointments, commercial terms, exclusives, returns and trading performance.

Buyers also work closely with merchandising. Buying may lead range and supplier decisions while merchandising carries greater responsibility for forecasting, WSSI, stock planning or financial analysis.

The recruitment question is not simply whether someone has worked as a buyer. It is what they owned, what they recommended or decided, what somebody else approved and where final commercial responsibility sat.

How Does the Role Change at Different Levels?

As buyer roles progress, responsibility tends to move from supporting buying activity towards independent range ownership, wider commercial authority and leadership of the buying function.

At buyer admin assistant/buying assistant level, the person may maintain product and order information, organise samples, follow up with suppliers and support buying activity.
An assistant buyer can move further into range activity, trading analysis, supplier contact, negotiation and defined commercial recommendations.
A junior buyer can mark a supported move into broader commercial responsibility, although the boundary with an experienced Assistant Buyer is not universal.
At established buyer level, range ownership and commercial delivery become more central.
A senior buyer may add wider category direction, supplier complexity, approvals, budget oversight, escalation and development of other Buyers.
A buying manager moves further into responsibility for a wider buying area, commercial plans, several categories or brands and the people delivering them.
A head of buying may lead the whole buying function or a major division, with wider responsibility for strategy, commercial performance, sourcing priorities and team capability.

For more detail, read our dedicated pages for:

H2: Buyer Salaries

Buyer salaries reflect more than the job title. Product category, commercial responsibility, buying model, location, team structure and the level of authority carried can all affect salary. Indicative salary ranges include:

Buyer Admin Assistant/Buying Assistant: £25,000–£29,000
Assistant Buyer: £30,000–£32,000
Junior Buyer: £32,000–£37,000
Buyer: £40,000–£50,000
Senior Buyer: £75,000+
Buying Manager: £80,000+
Head of Buying: salary varies according to the scope and structure of the role

Salary ranges updated August 2026.

These ranges are indicative and should be considered alongside the responsibility and scope of the role. Any salary offered must also reflect contracted hours and UK National Minimum Wage requirements.

What Sits Behind an Encore Recruitment Recommendation?

An Encore Recruitment recommendation is based on evidence of the responsibility the role requires, not the candidate’s job title alone.

We start by establishing what the client needs the Buyer to take responsibility for, including the product or brand area, buying model, range responsibility, suppliers, commercial outcomes, OTB involvement and approval routes.

We then speak with the candidate about the buying responsibility they have carried, what they want from their next role and how the opportunity compares.

That conversation gives us more context around the ranges they have worked with, supplier or brand relationships they have handled, commercial information they have used, negotiations or recommendations they have made and which decisions were theirs to take.

For a move between product categories or buying models, we compare the customer, price structure, product process, supplier environment and responsibility already carried rather than relying on a matching title.

We give the candidate the role to review and they decide whether they want Encore Recruitment to represent them.

If they do, and our assessment supports the recommendation, we recommend them to the client under the Encore Recruitment Recommendation Standard.

That recommendation is Encore Recruitment’s assessment. The hiring decision remains with the client and candidate.

Explore how the Recommendation Standard sits within our recruitment process.

FAQ

What does a buyer do?

A buyer helps shape the products or brands a business offers and the commercial decisions behind them. Responsibilities can include range direction, supplier relationships, negotiation, OTB, pricing and trading activity.

What is the difference between a buyer and a retail merchandiser?

A buyer focuses more on the product or brand offer, range decisions, supplier relationships and commercial buying activity. A retail merchandiser focuses more heavily on forecasting, stock, WSSI, OTB planning and trading performance.

Can buyers move between product categories?

Yes. The useful comparison is the customer, price structure, product or development model, supplier environment and the decisions the person has already carried. Some moves require additional product or technical knowledge.

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