At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead fresh food strategy, drive sales, and ensure sustainability in our offerings.
- Company: Join a prestigious brand in the heart of London with a vibrant culture.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, generous discounts, 25 days holiday, and career development opportunities.
- Other info: Be part of a team that celebrates diversity and recognises outstanding contributions.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on fresh food while working in a dynamic and inclusive environment.
- Qualifications: Strong commercial awareness, negotiation skills, and a passion for food are essential.
The predicted salary is between 40500 - 49500 £ per year.
Our Head Office department is in the heart of Piccadilly and occupies the 5th & 6th floor of our beautiful flagship store. This central London location offers so much to explore including restaurants, bars, cultural sites, shopping and more, and only a short walk from the Green Park Tube Station and plenty of bus stops.
You will develop and implement the fresh food strategy, ensuring customer experience and sustainability are at the heart of the fresh food offering. You will manage and develop the fresh buyers and ensure strong relationships with adjacent functions. You will be accountable for the fresh food buying activities and work to drive sales and profitability across all our channels. (Categories covered: Fresh, Deli and Bakery.)
Reports to: Director of Food Buying
Direct Reports: Fresh Food Buyers (x3) and Buying Assistant
Key interfaces: The role holder will interact with multiple parties across the company including Fortnum’s Management Group, and other business leaders. The role holder will liaise regularly with the central functions and businesses, such as Commercial Finance, Marketing, Hospitality and Retail and the Online Trading Team.
Key Accountabilities:
- Lead the development of the food offer for your category, ensuring that clear strategies and commercial plans are developed and implemented to drive sales growth, profit and excellent quality standards.
- Create and implement best practice purchasing vision, strategy, policies, processes and procedures within your business area with a focus on sustainability and animal welfare.
- Maintain an up to date knowledge of market trends and competitor intelligence and benchmark appropriately.
- Develop seasonal ranges that reflect customer expectations at various times of year.
- Manage your supply base, ensuring we have suppliers who share our vision and are fit for growth – where needed you will re-source supply.
- Maintain a good awareness of food seasonality and ensure our offer reflects this.
- Deliver range reviews, plans and presentations in line with the annual planning cycle.
- Support your colleagues around the business with product knowledge and inspiration.
- Meet deadlines on the buying calendar and ensure accuracy of information.
- Manage, coach and develop the team in line with our company practices.
Role Specific Criteria (Experience/Behaviours/Technical Ability):
- Strong commercial awareness.
- Understanding of current sustainability challenges and opportunities.
- Critical path management.
- Fantastic negotiation skills.
- Great relationship management ability.
- High level of product specific knowledge.
- Attention to detail.
- A huge passion for food.
Why Work For Us:
- Competitive salary.
- A generous store and restaurant discount of up to 40%.
- 25 days holidays (excluded bank holidays) and an extra day off for your birthday.
- A fantastic subsidised staff restaurant which uses Fortnum’s ingredients.
- A range of opportunities to develop and grow personally and professionally.
- Excellent pension scheme.
We are committed to developing your career and nurturing your talent, regardless of age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion or belief; sex; sexual orientation. We respect and embrace each other's differences, to create a truly inclusive environment. In the last year alone, our people have been recognised and celebrated, winning awards for their outstanding contributions to Retail, Technology, Global Hospitality & Tourism, Visual Merchandising & Display, Customer Service and Local Community Awards.
Senior Buyer - Fresh Food in London employer: OME
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StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Buyer - Fresh Food in London
✨Get Your Retail Game On
Start by getting to know the local retail scene. Make a list of stores that align with your vibe and visit them. You'll be surprised at how many job openings come from chatting with staff or managers in-store. Plus, showing that you have a genuine interest in their brand can make you stand out when applying for that full-time role!
✨Join Retail Networks and Forums
Tap into retail-specific communities and forums, whether online or in-person. Platforms like Retail Week or local retail meetups can provide invaluable insights and connections. You never know who might drop a tip about an upcoming job at companies like OME, so don’t miss out on building those relationships!
✨Be Ready for Busy Season Opportunities
Keep your eyes peeled for seasonal hiring windows, especially in the run-up to major shopping periods. Retailers often look for full-time staff to carry through busy times and may even keep you on after the season. Stay proactive by regularly checking in with your favourite retailers about their hiring plans.
✨Show Off Your Customer Service Skills
Retail’s all about customer interactions, so make sure you showcase any relevant experience in your conversations and interviews. Share specific examples of your customer service skills and how they’ve led to positive outcomes. This is your moment to shine when applying to roles at places like OME!
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Buyer - Fresh Food in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Customer Service Skills:In retail, customer service is key! Make sure your CV highlights any experience where you've dealt with customers, whether it’s resolving issues or enhancing the shopping experience. Use concrete examples to demonstrate your problem-solving skills and ability to handle difficult situations with ease.
Tailor Your CV for Retail:When applying for a full-time role like this one at OME, customise your CV to reflect retail-specific buzzwords. Include any relevant skills such as inventory management or visual merchandising, and if you have experience with POS systems, shout about it! This will show you’re serious about joining the retail team.
Craft a Genuine Cover Letter:Don’t just repeat your CV in your cover letter! Use it as a chance to explain why you're excited about the opportunity at OME and how your values align with their brand. Mention specific aspects of the company that resonate with you and let your enthusiasm shine through!
Highlight Your Adaptability:In retail, things can get busy and unpredictable, so demonstrate how adaptable and flexible you are. Share examples of times you've had to adjust your approach on the fly or take on new responsibilities. This will show OME that you’re ready to jump in and contribute right away!
How to prepare for a job interview at OME
✨Show Off Your Customer Service Skills
Retail is all about providing an exceptional customer experience, so be ready to discuss your past customer service stories. We should have examples on hand of how we've handled difficult situations or gone above and beyond to meet a customer's needs. These anecdotes will bring your application to life!
✨Familiarity with Point of Sale Systems
Many retail roles require us to work with Point of Sale (POS) systems, so it's a good idea to brush up on any relevant software you’ve used before. If you’re familiar with systems like Shopify or Square, don’t forget to mention this during the interview. Highlighting technical proficiency can set us apart from other candidates!
✨Understand Product Knowledge
Be prepared to discuss the products that the store sells and how we can contribute to their sales. Showing enthusiasm for the products and a willingness to learn can impress interviewers. We should research popular items or trends in the industry before the interview, so we can speak confidently about them.
✨Be Ready for Role-Playing Scenarios
Many retail interviews include role-playing scenarios where we might have to deal with a difficult customer or upsell a product. Practising these scenarios with a friend or family member can help us feel more comfortable. The key here is to showcase our problem-solving skills and ability to remain calm under pressure!
