Buyer - News and Mags

At WHSmith Europe our people are at the heart of everything we do. They are the ones that go the extra mile for our customers, the ones that enable our growth. That’s why our Commercial team is passionate about creating an environment where people can be creative and trailblazing in order to do their best work.

As a Buyer, you will drive the commercial performance of your category across all our formats. This role will be managing a category with scale and complexity, so you will need to have previous relevant commercial experience. You will be the key decision maker with the autonomy to deliver your category strategy.

What you will be doing:

• Delivering and tracking against the key commercial KPI’s of sales and profitability
• Curating the optimum assortment for our customers that delivers on all our commercial targets
• Generating a continuous pipeline of value creating initiatives to deliver sales and profitability
• Being responsible for the category and trade plan that aligns to the overarching business plan
• Negotiating with and managing the supplier base, including a clear supplier strategy and the ongoing maintenance/improvement of terms
• Defining the pricing and promotional strategy for the category
• Product/supplier sourcing & development in line with strategy
• Delivering projects and trials within your own area with cross functional engagement
• Contributing to the annual budget building process

What we are looking for:

• Previous buying/commercial experience with strong negotiation skills– necessary
• Sense of urgency for goal achievement. -Manages simultaneous projects, multi-tasking in a fast-paced environment.
• Results focused idea generation. Innovative and creative problem solving. Rapport and relationship building focused on achieving results.
• Action-oriented and collaborative decision making.
• Extroverted, confident, enthusiastic, persuasive influences. Stimulates others to action.
• Authoritative leadership based on generalist expertise and knowledge of systems.
• Delegation of details as necessary, with follow up on timeliness and quality.
• Accountability for results.

How we reward our teams:

• Hybrid Working Model from home and in the office
• 4pm Friday Finish
• Flexible Working
• 25 Days holiday, plus your Birthday off, plus Bank Holidays with an opportunity to buy extra days holiday
• Family Friendly Leave
• Company Pension scheme
• Annual Bonus based on company and personal performance
• Competitive Salary
• Private Medical Care
• Cycle to work scheme
• Staff Discount Card for railway stores (subject to policy)