The Role

At WHSmith 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 Trading team is passionate about creating an environment where people can be creative and trailblazing in order to do their best work.

We now have an exciting opportunity for a Buying Manager to join our High Street Impulse Trading team at our Support Centre in Swindon.

This category has been identified as a future growth engine of our High Street business and as the Impulse Buying Manager you will play a pivotal role in leading this high-profile category and team across Drinks, Confectionery, Snacking, Batteries, Tobacco and Vaping.  Shaping our category strategy and unlocking ‘’one more item in the customers basket’’, ensuring we are ‘’Ranging the Nations Favourites’’ and unlocking Value for our customers, Driving NPD and dealing with large FMCG suppliers such as MDLZ, Mars, CCEP and Britvic.

The main purpose of a Buying Manager is to lead and drive the commercial agenda. You will have full accountability and an opportunity to shape the future of the business through your team of buyers.

What you will be doing

Developing and leading a high performing team – providing guidance and coaching to bring out the best in your people
Complete P&L ownership of the budget for your category with a focus on net profitability. Budgets for sales/contribution/margin, costs, capex, income
Understanding the total business strategy & your categories role within it. Ownership of annual trade / category plan process. Full involvement in origination, trialling and development of ‘3-year-plan’ ideas
Review of longer trading outlook (6 months+), mitigation plans to hand (Plan B’s), and engagement with wider business on developing trends
Managing your own category pricing including development of pricing elasticity trials where appropriate
Managing detailed and complex trials and trials that cross beyond your own category, be the cross functional ‘go to’ for category/department
Full ownership for department supplier income delivery & responsibility for reporting performance across business. Management of month-end processes
Having a long-term supplier strategy in place covering annual deals, payment terms, cost prices, marketing spend and conduct regular grow/hold/decline reviews
Engaging in and leadership of new store format development

What we are looking for

You will have strong experience within relevant buying or commercial roles, ideally from a Food/FMCG buying/manufacturing background.
A bold leader who holds the team accountable for category strategies and is passionate about delivering best in class results through the team
Understands the importance and takes a proactive approach to the development of wider trading team members
Takes an interest in longer term resource management (succession planning etc.)
A strong role model across Commercial
An individual who has the ability to work cross-functionally to deliver results
Strong business acumen
Is a compelling voice of the business and category(s) externally (suppliers, landlords), and internally (stakeholders, stores)
Leads and develops a positive culture

How we reward our teams

Hybrid working model from home and in the office  (2 days in the office/ week)
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
Sharesave Scheme
Annual Bonus based on company and Personal Performance
Competitive salary plus car allowance
Private Medical
Staff discount card for stores and online

About us

Celebrating over 230 years, we’re proud to have grown and evolved into a globally recognised brand present in over 30 countries around the world, and we’re proud to be that air of familiarity people love and trust on their journey, both in life and through life. As a diverse group of over 12,000 colleagues, we are all on the same journey to a better business through our commitments to our planet, people and the communities we serve.

WHSmith have occupied our place as the Hub of the High Street and in our customers’ hearts since 1792. Across our diverse estate of over 500 stores on UK high streets, with our wide-ranging store sizes and formats, we sell a large range of products including stationery, greeting cards, art and craft, newspapers, magazines, books and drinks. We are an ambitious team that thrives on pace, collaboration and innovation resulting in a real entrepreneurial culture.