Buying Trainee (Emiratisation)

As a Buying Trainee for Lacoste , you'll get a front-row view into how fashion, product and commercial decisions come together to create the right collections for our customers. You'll gain hands-on exposure to the full buying cycle, combining the creative side of fashion with the analytical and operational side of retail. Working closely with the Buying team, you'll learn how products are selected, collections are built, stock is tracked and market insights influence future buying decisions. Your responsibilities will include: • Maintain and update Buying Excel trackers , ensuring product and buying information remains accurate and organized. • Support the development of seasonal assortment plans and presentations. • Gain exposure to product selection and learn how previous purchasing decisions and performance influence future buys. • Identify repeat-buy opportunities and support the team in understanding product needs. • Bring a fresh fashion perspective by sharing observations on products, competitors and emerging trends . • Work closely with Supply Chain to monitor stock deliveries and help ensure products reach stores on time. • Support additional stock and delivery follow-ups during key buying periods such as Fashion Week. • Conduct online and in-store competitor research to identify trends, customer preferences and potential product opportunities. • Participate in regular market visits to develop an understanding of how customer profiles and product preferences differ across locations. • Gain exposure to important commercial moments including Ramadan, Back to School and Back to Work , learning how previous seasons inform future assortment and buying decisions. • Develop an understanding of how Buying, Retail, Supply Chain and the brand work together to take a collection from selection through to the customer. This traineeship is designed to help you understand that Buying isn't only about choosing great products. It's about combining fashion instinct, customer understanding, data and commercial thinking to make informed decisions. We're looking for someone with potential, curiosity and a genuine interest in understanding both the creative and commercial sides of fashion . Previous Buying experience isn't essential, your willingness and ability to learn are more important. You will ideally bring: • UAE National with a Family Book. • A background in Economics, Finance, Business Managment, Analytics, or another relevant field. • A genuine interest in fashion and retail business operations. • In addition to researching competitors, stores, customer behavior and emerging fashion trends. • Good Microsoft Excel skills and comfort working with structured data. • Knowledge of Pivot Tables and VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP is an advantage, or the willingness to learn them quickly. • Strong attention to detail and organizational skills. • A proactive approach and confidence asking questions. • The ability to balance creativity with analytical and commercial thinking.