Retail Junior Buyer Opportunity at Toys R Us and Babies R Us South Africa Durban

Toys R Us and Babies R Us South Africa is inviting suitably qualified and commercially minded candidates to apply for the Retail Junior Buyer position based in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. This permanent opportunity is part of the Babies Department and is suited to an individual who has a strong interest in retail buying, merchandise planning, supplier management and the baby products market. The successful candidate will support the Category Manager or Buyer in achieving sales, gross profit, margin and inventory targets while helping ensure that the Baby Hards Local product portfolio remains relevant, competitive and aligned with customer needs.

The Junior Buyer role combines commercial analysis with product and supplier management, making it an excellent opportunity for someone looking to strengthen their retail merchandise capabilities. The successful candidate will work with sales and stock data, assist with range selection and product reviews, manage product and supplier information, coordinate promotional activities and follow up on orders and deliveries. Strong analytical ability, attention to detail, organisation and a sense of urgency will be essential, particularly because the role involves managing multiple products, suppliers, launches, promotions and deadlines.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the Category Manager or Buyer in achieving sales, gross profit, margin and inventory targets for the Babies Department.
• Assist with the management of the Baby Hards Local product portfolio.
• Track and analyse sales, gross profit, margin, stock turn, aged stock, weeks cover and rate of sale.
• Support Open to Buy monitoring and identify potential stock and sales opportunities.
• Analyse promotional performance and competitor pricing to support commercial decision-making.
• Highlight top-selling products, slow-moving products, out-of-stock items and potential commercial risks.
• Identify opportunities and issues relating to sales, stock levels and product ranges.
• Support range planning and product selection activities.
• Assist with sample management and range reviews.
• Research baby trends, new products, brands, competitors and emerging product opportunities.
• Monitor product life cycles and assist with markdown and product exit recommendations.
• Help ensure product ranges meet the needs of parents and babies across different development stages.
• Accurately load and maintain product information within relevant retail systems.
• Maintain supplier, cost, retail price and SKU information accurately.
• Process product listings and delistings according to required procedures.
• Process price changes and promotional updates accurately and within required deadlines.
• Ensure new products are listed correctly and within agreed launch timelines.
• Monitor SKU counts and core product availability to help minimise lost sales.
• Communicate with suppliers regularly regarding orders, deliveries, samples and outstanding actions.
• Follow up on supplier commitments and ensure outstanding actions are resolved within agreed timeframes.
• Assist with supplier meetings, performance reviews and negotiations.
• Follow up on supplier claims, rebates, co-operative advertising and other supplier-related matters.
• Support product compliance checks, particularly for safety-critical baby products such as car seats, strollers and cots.
• Track customer complaints, store feedback and quality issues relating to products.
• Escalate product quality, safety or compliance concerns promptly.
• Work with Marketing to ensure product information, pricing, photography and promotional details are accurate.
• Ensure promotional activities are aligned with stock availability and planned launch dates.
• Collaborate with Planning, Supply Chain, Warehouse, Operations and Stores to address stock and delivery challenges.
• Manage multiple suppliers, orders, promotions, product launches and deadlines while maintaining accuracy.
• Take ownership of assigned responsibilities and proactively follow up to ensure deadlines are met.
• Maintain confidentiality of company information and commercially sensitive information.
• Complete required training and participate in performance and development reviews.
• Work closely with the Category Manager or Buyer to develop broader merchandise and category management capability.
• Develop commercial and category management skills as part of the department’s succession planning process.
• Undertake other reasonable duties assigned by the Category Manager.

Requirements and Skills

• Candidates should have relevant retail buying, merchandise or commercial experience appropriate to a Junior Buyer position.
• Basic to intermediate negotiation skills are required.
• Supplier management skills are important.
• Strong analytical ability is essential.
• Candidates should understand retail measures such as sales, gross profit, margin, stock turn, sell-through, weeks cover, rate of sale and markdowns.
• The ability to identify sales, stock and range opportunities or risks is important.
• Strong attention to detail is essential.
• High levels of administrative accuracy are required.
• Candidates should have an understanding of baby products, baby development stages and the needs of parents.
• Relevant experience in the baby product category will be advantageous.
• A strong customer-focused approach is required.
• Candidates should understand the importance of safety, trust, value and appropriate advice in baby retail.
• Strong Microsoft Excel skills are required.
• Candidates should be able to use VLOOKUP or XLOOKUP and Pivot Tables effectively.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Outlook is important.
• Familiarity with retail systems is required.
• Excellent organisational skills are essential.
• Strong time-management skills are required.
• A strong sense of urgency is important when managing listings, launches, promotions and supplier actions.
• Good communication skills are required.
• Strong teamwork and collaboration abilities are important.
• Problem-solving skills are essential when dealing with stock, supplier, product or delivery issues.
• Candidates should be commercially aware and able to use data to support business decisions.
• An interest in baby trends, new products, brands and competitor activity is important.
• Candidates should be able to manage multiple priorities without compromising accuracy.
• The ability to take initiative and follow through on assigned responsibilities is essential.
• Candidates should demonstrate accountability and ownership of their work.
• The ability to maintain confidentiality when handling company and commercial information is required.
• Candidates should be adaptable and willing to develop broader merchandise and category management capabilities.

The Retail Junior Buyer opportunity at Toys R Us and Babies R Us South Africa offers an exciting career path for an individual who wants to develop practical experience in retail buying and merchandise management. The position is particularly suited to someone who enjoys working with commercial data while also having an interest in products, customers and the retail market. By supporting the Buyer and Category Manager, the successful candidate will gain exposure to key areas of the buying cycle, from product selection and supplier management through to promotional execution and stock analysis.

A major component of the role involves analysing sales and inventory performance to help identify opportunities and potential risks. The Junior Buyer will work with measures such as gross profit, margin, stock turn, sell-through, weeks cover and rate of sale to understand how products are performing. This information will help support decisions around range planning, stock availability, promotions, markdowns and product exits, making analytical thinking a crucial part of the position.

The role also involves supporting the development and management of the baby product range. Candidates will research baby trends, competitors, new products and changing customer needs while assisting with range selection and product reviews. Because baby products can have important safety considerations, the successful candidate will also support compliance checks and escalate quality or safety concerns involving products such as car seats, strollers and cots.

Supplier management is another important aspect of the Junior Buyer position. The successful candidate will communicate with suppliers regarding orders, deliveries, samples and outstanding actions while assisting with supplier meetings, performance reviews and negotiations. Following up consistently and ensuring that supplier-related matters are resolved on time will be essential to maintaining product availability and supporting smooth retail operations.

Accurate system administration will also be central to the role. The Junior Buyer will maintain product, supplier, cost, retail and SKU information and process listings, delistings, price changes and promotional updates. Ensuring that products are loaded accurately and within required deadlines can directly support product launches, promotional campaigns and customer availability, making attention to detail and strong organisational skills particularly important.

The position also provides an opportunity to develop broader commercial and category management capability as part of the Babies Department’s succession plan. Candidates will work across functions including Marketing, Planning, Supply Chain, Warehouse, Operations and Stores, gaining a broader understanding of how different parts of a retail business work together. This cross-functional exposure can help the successful candidate build stronger commercial judgement and prepare for increased responsibility within the merchandise function.

Toys R Us and Babies R Us South Africa is a well-established retail group focused on providing children, parents, families and other customers with a broad range of products and a positive shopping experience. The business operates physical stores as well as an online store and has a presence beyond South Africa through stores in Namibia, Botswana and Zambia. For an ambitious Junior Buyer, the role offers an opportunity to develop within an established retail environment while contributing to the performance of an important baby product category.

The permanent Retail Junior Buyer position is based in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, within the Babies Department. Candidates who have strong analytical and organisational abilities, an interest in baby products and a desire to develop their retail buying career are encouraged to apply. The successful candidate will need to combine commercial awareness with strong administrative accuracy, effective supplier communication and a customer-focused mindset.

Apply here