Asst. Manager - Buyer - Merchandiser

Chez-Del Home Furnishings & Interior Design is a family-owned Akron furniture retailer and interior design store known for curated furniture collections, personalized interior design services, and a commitment to exceptional customer experience. The team blends practical retail expertise with creative showroom staging to help Northeast Ohio homeowners create beautiful, functional living spaces.

About The Role

We are seeking an organized, market-savvy Assistant Manager – Buyer – Merchandiser to join our residential and commercial interior design team in Akron, OH. This hybrid role supports managing interior design team, strategic product buying, visual merchandising for our showroom, helping drive sales growth and maintaining strong vendor relationships.

Key Responsibilities

• Support category buying: analyze sales data, monitor trends in home furnishings and interior design, and help create a product offering that meets customer demand.
• Manage vendor relationships: coordinate purchase orders, lead times, pricing negotiations, and product allocations to maintain optimal inventory levels.
• Inventory Planning: track stock levels, forecast replenishment needs and lead-times, collaborate with operations to minimize stockouts and overstock.
• Merchandising Execution: develop and implement in-store merchandising strategies, ensuring displays reflect various brand offerings and local market preferences. Manage all floor moves to incorporate new merchandise.
• Sales & Performance Analysis: produce weekly and monthly reports on category performance and gross margin. Work closely with designers on sales goals and management of clients. 
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: work closely with design consultants, store management, and marketing to align product assortments with promotional calendars and customer projects.
• Process Improvement: streamline PO workflows, inventory reporting, and visual merchandising processes to increase efficiency and support scalable growth.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of retail buying, merchandising, or inventory planning experience, within furniture, home décor, or interior design-focused retail.
• Proficiency with retail analytics and inventory systems; experience using Quickbooks, Furniture Wizard, or Excel-driven forecasting tools.
• Strong analytical skills with a knack for turning sales data into actionable merchandising strategies.
• Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple product categories simultaneously.
• Effective communicator who builds strong vendor and internal partnerships; comfortable negotiating terms and resolving issues.
• Creative eye for product presentation, with practical experience arranging showroom displays or styling product scenes.
• Ability to prioritize and make decisive buying choices that balance margin, turnover, and customer experience.

What You’ll Gain

• Opportunity to shape assortments and visual presentation at a respected local home furnishings and interior design firm.
• Collaborative workplace culture with clear paths for professional growth and greater buying responsibility.
• Exposure to brick-and-mortar merchandising  product strategies in the Akron/Cleveland regional market.

If you enjoy blending analytical buying with creative merchandising and want to lead a team that helps Ohio homeowners bring their design visions to life, this role offers a meaningful mix of responsibility and influence within a growing local brand.