Buying Trainee (Emiratisation)

INSPIRE | EXHILARATE | DELIGHT

For over seven decades, Chalhoub Group has been a partner and creator of luxury experiences in the Middle East. In its pursuit to excel as a hybrid luxury retailer, the Group has curated a portfolio of over 10 owned brands and strengthened its distribution and marketing expertise for over 400 international names across luxury fashion, beauty, jewellery, watches, eyewear, and art de vivre categories.

Every step at Chalhoub Group is taken to build a future where luxury dreams become reality — bridging cultures and crafting memorable experiences for our consumers. Be it by constantly reinventing itself, committing to innovation, or embracing new technologies, the Group is shaping the future of luxury retail. It delivers seamless omnichannel experiences across more than 950 stores, online platforms, and mobile apps. Driving this innovation journey is The Greenhouse — the Group’s innovation hub, incubator, and accelerator for startups and emerging businesses, regionally and globally.

Chalhoub Group fosters a people-at-heart culture rooted in diversity, equity, and inclusion, and a workplace catalysed by forward thinking and future-proofing. Today, it brings together over 16,000 talented professionals across eight countries in the Middle East, with a presence in LATAM.

Sustainability is at the core of the Group’s strategy, guided by a clear commitment to people, partners, and the planet. Chalhoub Group is proud to be a member of the United Nations Global Compact, a signatory of the Women’s Empowerment Principles, and to have pledged to reach Net Zero by 2040.

What You’ll Be Doing

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.

What You’ll Need to Succeed

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.

Most importantly, we're looking for someone who is excited to learn the business of fashion, someone who can look at a product creatively while also asking: Who is our customer? Why would they buy it? And how can we make the right commercial decision?

What the Group can Offer

With us, you will turn your aspirations into reality. We will help shape your journey through enriching experiences, learning and development opportunities and exposure to different assignments within your role or through internal mobility. Our Group offers diverse career paths for those who are extraordinary, every day.

We recognise the value that you bring, and we strive to provide a competitive benefits package which includes health care, child education contribution, remote and flexible working policies as well as exclusive employee discounts.

Using GenAI in Your Application Process

To support a fair and consistent experience for all candidates, we ask that assessments and interviews are completed independently and without assistance from generative AI tools. This ensures we understand your strengths, your thinking, and how you approach real situations.

Emirati Talent & Inclusive Opportunities

At Chalhoub Group, we are committed to empowering UAE Nationals and fostering local talent as part of our vision for a thriving workforce. We welcome applications from Emirati candidates who are eager to grow, innovate, and contribute to the success of our organization. Our commitment to diversity and inclusion ensures equal opportunities for all, regardless of gender, age, race, religion, or ability.