Buying Intern

Main Duties

As a Buying Intern, you’ll play an active role in supporting and collaborating with the wider buying team. Your responsibilities will include assisting with the daily operations of the department, managing and organizing samples, conducting market and competitor research to inform buying decisions. This internship offers a hands-on introduction to a fast-paced, dynamic buying environment and is ideal for individuals passionate about pursuing a career in fashion buying. You’ll gain valuable exposure to the full buying cycle and work closely with the COS Buying team.

We are looking for two buying interns, one within our womenswear team and one within menswear, if you have a preference please indicate it clearly on your application. 

Please be considerate in your application choice and only apply to the internship opportunity that best suits your skillset and desired career path.

What you will do:

• Assist the buying team in all organizational and administrative tasks.
• Support weekly sales analysis and prepare rails for trade meetings.
• Conduct market research of our competitors and aspirational brands, compiling competitive shop reports.
• Maintain the sample library and prepare samples for meetings.
• Prepare garments and assist in fittings (dependent on department).
• Collect, prepare, and distribute sample deliveries daily to the teams.
• File and organize fabric hangers, bulk fabric, and lab dips.
• Convey approvals and updates to our production offices.
• Send and amend official orders.

Alignment with our company values is the most important characteristic we look for in all new joiners. Our values are the behaviours that we appreciate above and beyond anything else. We are open-minded and curious, we dare to be different, we believe in constant improvement, and we empower and trust you to take ownership. Our values are part of who we are, what we stand for, and how we act.

What you need to succeed:

• Relevant education or industry experience in Buying, Fashion, or a related field (Bachelor’s degree preferred).
• Trend-conscious and commercially aware, with a good understanding of the fashion market and consumer behaviour.
• Intermediate knowledge of Microsoft 360 including excel
• Use of PLM (Product Lifecycle Management & data analysis reporting tools beneficial
• A proactive team player with a positive, solution-oriented attitude and eagerness to learn.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to collaborate across cross-functional teams.
• Excellent organizational and time-management abilities, capable of handling multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment.

What will the internship offer the student and what will they learn while they are with you? E.g. skills they could learn/develop and experience they could gain.

What are the learning outcomes:

• Gain a thorough comprehension of key buying tools (e.g., Boston matrix, customer segmentation, and product lifecycle).
• Learn how to analyze sales to inform your work and drive full-price selling/reduce closing stock and markdown.
• Develop a clear understanding of the full product development process from concept to final production.
• Comprehend each stage of the fit and approval process and how these are linked to the critical path.
• Learn how to champion sustainability and uphold high-quality standards.
• Understand how roles within the wider business are linked with the buying and design teams.
• Gain an understanding of range building and department strategy.