Package
- £Competitive Salary
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Based in Liverpool Head Office, with the occasional requirement to visit stores, trade fairs and suppliers
Employee Benefits
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Discounted onsite gym
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Contributable company pension scheme
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10% store discount at all our retail stores
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Death in Service Benefit
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Long service recognition scheme
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MyHB colleague benefits platform with access to:
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Discounts UK wide on retail, leisure, hospitality venues
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Employee Assistance Programme with 24/7 confidential counselling and advice line
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Completely confidential services to you.
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Low-cost voluntary insured health cash plans and cancer cover
Job Introduction
We’re looking for an experienced Senior Buyer – Seasonal Home & Candles to join our Category team on a 12 month maternity cover contract. This is an exciting opportunity for a commercially minded buyer to take ownership of key seasonal home and candle ranges, making sure our products offer great value, choice, quality and availability for our customers.
You’ll play a key role in shaping compelling ranges across seasonal home, candles, home fragrance and related categories, using sales performance, seasonal trends, market insight and customer demand to inform your buying decisions. You’ll be responsible for identifying new product opportunities, developing ranges and working closely with suppliers to deliver the right products at the right price and at the right time.
As Senior Buyer, you’ll manage the end-to-end buying process across branded and own label products, from initial product selection and development through to launch in stores. You’ll negotiate with suppliers, review category performance and identify opportunities to drive sales, margin and innovation throughout the year.
Reporting into a Category Manager, you’ll take day-to-day responsibility for your ranges, supplier relationships and category performance. There will also be some travel required as part of the role, including supplier meetings, trade shows and store visits.
Job Overview
- Developing seasonal home, candle, home fragrance and related ranges based on customer insight, sales data, market trends and competitor activity.
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Identifying new products, trends and opportunities to keep our ranges fresh, relevant and commercially competitive.
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Sourcing, reviewing and negotiating with suppliers to achieve the best product, quality, price and availability.
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Managing the end-to-end product development cycle, from initial concepts and samples through to launch in stores.
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Reviewing category and supplier performance, identifying opportunities to improve sales, margin and stock availability.
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Creating and implementing promotional opportunities across stores and online.
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Setting objectives, coaching and supporting the development of a trainee or junior buyer.
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Attending trade shows, supplier meetings and store visits to identify emerging trends and new product opportunities.
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Working closely with cross-functional teams including Logistics, Retail Operations, Product Safety, Graphics and Finance.
Minimum Criteria To Apply
- Extensive retail buying experience within a fast-paced retail environment, ideally within seasonal home, candles, home fragrance, home accessories, gifting or a closely related category.
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Strong experience of developing and managing branded and/or own label product ranges.
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A recognised qualification in retail buying and/or general merchandising, degree equivalent, or significant relevant experience.
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Strong commercial awareness with the ability to use sales, market and customer insight to make informed buying decisions.
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Excellent negotiation skills with a proven ability to build and manage effective supplier relationships.
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Experience managing the product development process from initial concept through to launch.
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The ability to identify emerging trends and translate them into commercially successful product ranges.
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Experience working effectively with cross-functional teams.
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The ability to manage supplier performance and support the development of junior team members.
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Flexibility to travel for supplier meetings, trade shows, store visits and wider business requirements.
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A proactive, organised and results-focused approach.
