Overview
B&Q, Southampton Store Support Office, Chandler's Ford, England, United Kingdom. Permanent, full-time role: Assistant Buyer - Paint. Up to £45,000 + Pension + PHI + ShareSave + 6.6 weeks holiday + Hybrid Working (3 days per week in the office).
What’s the job?
Work with the Buyer to create and deliver an inspirational product range that meets customer needs. Drive sales, margin (GM & GM%), and market share across channels, delivering vendor contributions, rebates, and retail price index targets through strong vendor partnerships. Be responsible for the performance of specific subcategories and the relevant vendor relationships.
* Work alongside the Buyer to develop and implement a category proposition that meets customer needs, identifying opportunities and mitigating risk, while delivering against sales, margin, and market share targets
* Support the sourcing and development of a compelling product range by building relationships with new and existing vendors, reflecting the category strategy
* Collaborate with the Offer & Sourcing (O&S) team to shape and develop an own-label proposition that meets customer and market needs
* Support the buying process with awareness of cross-functional impact, adhere to a critical path, and ensure stock is ordered and delivered on time
* Assist with end-to-end vendor strategy management including contract and cost-price negotiation, vendor contributions, and annual performance reviews
* Gather insights to support the category pricing hierarchy, including inputs into the Minderest tool
* Work with the Merchandising team on product lifecycle, range performance, trading opportunities, promotions, and range reviews
* Collaborate with Visual Merchandising and Digital teams to enhance in-store and online customer journeys
* Coordinate and execute sampling for range development, including QA and lab setup
* Coordinate with Marketing and Digital teams to acquire and deliver marketing assets, including leading brochures for the Category where required
* Ensure products and vendors adhere to agreed processes with accurate data
* Use tools like Yammer to share category information and respond to queries
* Conduct regular store (digital & physical), competitor, and vendor visits to inform trading plans and decisions
* Manage and influence stakeholders at various levels to deliver KPIs
* Undertake other duties as reasonably required
What We Need
Required Skills & Experience:
* Experience in sourcing and buying product ranges
* Ability to understand customer insights and market trends
* Experience in vendor management and contract negotiation
* Strong communication and influencing skills
* Ability to build relationships at all levels
* Attention to detail for issue resolution and problem solving
* Experience in managing projects and holding stakeholders to account
* Commercial and financial awareness
* Flexible and adaptable
* Proactive
* Intermediate Microsoft Office skills, especially Excel and PowerPoint
What’s in it for me?
You’ll be valued for who you are in a diverse and inclusive environment. Access to networks that reflect colleagues and allies and help us keep diversity and inclusion at the heart of our business. Benefits include an award-winning pension, bonus, ShareSave options, 6.6 weeks holiday, payroll giving, Employee Assistance Programme, shopping discounts, wellbeing benefits, and more.
For recruitment adjustments during application or interview, please contact recruitment@b-and-q.co.uk.
Seniority level
* Entry level
Employment type
* Full-time
Job function
* Purchasing and Supply Chain
* Industries
* Retail
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