Beach Accessories & Souvenir Buyer

Job Description

Job Description

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced and creative Beach Accessories & Souvenir Buyer to manage the selection, purchasing, and performance of beach accessories, souvenirs, gifts, and related merchandise for our retail locations.

The ideal candidate will have strong retail buying experience, an eye for new and trending products, and the ability to balance product appeal with pricing, margins, inventory levels, and sales performance.

 

Key Responsibilities

 

• Select and purchase beach accessories, souvenirs, gifts, novelty items, and related merchandise for retail locations.
• Identify new products, trends, and merchandise opportunities that appeal to tourists and beach-market customers.
• Develop product assortments based on store location, customer demand, seasonality, and historical sales.
• Research and identify new vendors, manufacturers, brands, and product opportunities.
• Negotiate product costs, minimum order quantities, payment terms, delivery schedules, and other purchasing terms with vendors.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with domestic and international suppliers.
• Review product samples for quality, design, packaging, pricing, and overall suitability.
• Create and manage purchase orders and follow up with vendors regarding production and delivery.
• Monitor sales, inventory levels, sell-through, margins, and product performance.
• Make recommendations for reorders, markdowns, discontinuations, and new product introductions.
• Work with Inventory Control and Operations to maintain appropriate inventory levels and minimize overstock.
• Develop merchandise appropriate for different stores and geographic markets.
• Attend trade shows, markets, vendor showrooms, and industry events to discover new products and suppliers.
• Monitor competitors and retail trends to identify new merchandise opportunities.
• Collaborate with management on seasonal purchasing strategies, merchandise budgets, and category performance.
• Maintain accurate product, vendor, cost, pricing, and purchasing information in company systems.
• Collaborate with the Marketing Department to provide product information, images, pricing, and other necessary details to ensure new merchandise is accurately and timely published on the company website.

 

Qualifications

 

• Previous experience in retail buying, merchandising, purchasing, souvenirs, gifts, accessories, or specialty retail preferred.
• Strong product selection and merchandising skills.
• Experience negotiating with vendors and managing supplier relationships.
• Understanding of retail margins, inventory, sell-through, and product profitability.
• Ability to analyze sales and inventory reports and make purchasing decisions based on performance.
• Strong organizational, analytical, and negotiation skills.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and purchasing/inventory systems.
• Experience with Microsoft Dynamics AX or Dynamics 365 is a plus.
• Ability to travel to trade shows, markets, stores, and vendor locations as needed.

 

Ideal Candidate

 

The ideal candidate combines strong business judgment with a good eye for products and trends. This person should be able to identify merchandise that customers will want to purchase while ensuring appropriate costs, margins, inventory levels, and profitability.

Experience buying for beach stores, souvenir stores, gift shops, resort retail, tourist destinations, or specialty retail chains is highly desirable.

\nCompany Description

At Alvin’s Island, we believe that life is better at the beach, and we’re committed to providing our customers with everything they need to enjoy their time on the sand and surf. Whether you’re looking for beachwear, souvenirs, or just a refreshing drink, we’ve got you covered.

Our story began After the success of the first Alvin’s Island, built on Front Beach Road in 1957 in Panama City Beach, Florida. Since then, we’ve grown to become the largest beach store chain in the Southeastern United States, with 34 locations in Florida and Alabama.

Company Description

At Alvin’s Island, we believe that life is better at the beach, and we’re committed to providing our customers with everything they need to enjoy their time on the sand and surf. Whether you’re looking for beachwear, souvenirs, or just a refreshing drink, we’ve got you covered.\r\n\r\nOur story began After the success of the first Alvin’s Island, built on Front Beach Road in 1957 in Panama City Beach, Florida. Since then, we’ve grown to become the largest beach store chain in the Southeastern United States, with 34 locations in Florida and Alabama.