Assistant Buyer - Bathrooms
12 Month Fixed Term
Up to £45,000 + Bonus + Pension + BUPA +ShareSave+ 6.6 weeks holiday+ Hybrid Working (3 days per week in the office)
Southampton, Store Support Office
*** INTERVIEWS WILL COMMENCE IN JANUARY 2025 ***
We believe anyone can improve their home to make life better. From our Southampton Store Support office (SSO) we equip our stores, our people, and our whole business with everything it takes to help our millions of customers create a home they’ll love. Join us as an Assistant Buyer and you’ll be a big part of this.
As an Assistant Buyer, you will work with the Buyer to create and deliver an inspirational Bathrooms product range that meets the needs of our customers.
Driving sales, margin, and market share across all channels, delivering vendor contributions, rebate, and retail price index targets through strong vendor partnerships.
In this position, you will be responsible for the performance of specific subcategories and the relevant vendor relationships.
Offering quality bathroom options helps B&Q maintain its reputation as a comprehensive home improvement retailer, attracting repeat customers and fostering brand loyalty.
This Assistant Buyer role has a direct impact on B&Q’s profitability, but more importantly, it affects our customers’ satisfaction, experience, and joy in their DIY projects.
Your responsibilities will include:
1. Category Proposition - Collaborate with the Buyer to create and implement a category proposition that meets customer needs, while achieving sales, margin, and market share targets.
2. Product Ranging - Support sourcing and development of a compelling product range by building relationships with vendors aligned with the category strategy.
3. Own-Label Proposition - Shape and develop an own-label proposition in collaboration with the Offer & Sourcing (O&S) team.
4. Buying Process - Assist in the buying process, considering cross-functional impact and adhering to critical time-lines.
5. Vendor Strategy - Manage end-to-end vendor strategy, including negotiation, contributions, and performance reviews.
6. Category Pricing - Provide insights for creating the category pricing hierarchy using framework principles.
7. Competitor Analysis - Conduct regular store (digital & physical), competitor and vendor visits, to increase understanding of the market and support the creation of the trading plan and inform decisions
Required Skills & Experience:
1. Previous experience of sourcing and buying product ranges
2. Ability to understand customer insights and market trends
3. Experience in vendor management and contract negotiation
4. Strong communication and influencing skills with an ability to build relationships at all levels
5. Attention to detail to assist with issue resolution and problem solving
6. Experience of managing projects and holding stakeholders to account
7. Commercial and financial awareness
8. Intermediate Microsoft Office skills, in particular Excel and PowerPoint
#J-18808-Ljbffr