At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the buying strategy for Toddler Girls, shaping product ranges and driving sales performance.
- Company: Join Sainsbury's, a dynamic retailer committed to inclusivity and innovation.
- Benefits: Enjoy discounts, bonuses, private healthcare, and flexible working options.
- Other info: Collaborative culture with opportunities for personal and professional growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in a fast-paced environment while developing your career.
- Qualifications: Proven senior buying experience with strong analytical and leadership skills.
The predicted salary is between 60750 - 74250 £ per year.
As a Senior Buyer within Toddler Girls, you’ll lead the end‑to‑end commercial and product strategy for a key growth category within TU Clothing. You’ll translate category strategy into a compelling, customer‑led product proposition, ensuring ranges are relevant, profitable and aligned to brand and business objectives.
This is a senior buying role with accountability for shaping and delivering ranges at scale, driving performance across sales, margin, stock, availability and customer satisfaction. Working in close partnership with Design and Merchandising, you’ll lead sourcing, buying and trading strategies that balance creativity, commerciality and pace to market.
What you’ll do
- You’ll define and deliver the category strategy for Toddler Girls, owning range architecture, selection, sourcing routes and in‑season trading performance across all channels.
- Using strong customer, market and data insight, you’ll lead the development of engaging, age‑appropriate and commercially sound product propositions that resonate with customers and deliver strong performance.
- The role includes ownership of financial performance, proactive trade management and clear decision‑making to optimise sales, margin and stock outcomes.
- You’ll build strong, strategic supplier partnerships to drive quality, innovation and value, while working closely with Design, Merchandising, Product Development, Marketing and Digital teams to ensure end‑to‑end execution.
- Alongside delivery, you’ll lead, coach and develop Buyers and Assistant Buyers, building capability, protecting talent and driving high performance within the team.
Who you are
- You’re a commercially strong buying leader with experience operating at pace in a fast‑moving, customer‑focused retail environment.
- You combine strong analytical capability with sound judgement and bring a clear understanding of customer needs, particularly within childrenswear.
- You’re collaborative, resilient and confident influencing across functions while developing and motivating high‑performing teams.
To be considered for this role, you must have:
- Demonstrable end‑to‑end buying experience at a senior level, with clear accountability for category strategy, trading performance and people leadership within a commercial retail environment.
- Proven senior‑level buying experience, with accountability for category strategy and financial performance.
- Strong commercial, analytical and data‑driven capability, using insight to shape buying and trading decisions.
- Experience building and delivering customer‑focused ranges, ideally within childrenswear or a comparable product area.
- Strong negotiation skills and experience developing strategic supplier partnerships.
- Ability to operate confidently at pace, making timely, well‑informed commercial decisions.
- Proven experience leading, coaching and developing others.
- Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the ability to work collaboratively across functions.
- Passion for product and customer experience, balanced with commercial discipline.
We are committed to being a truly inclusive retailer so you’ll be welcomed whoever you are and wherever you work. Around here, there’s always the chance to try something new — whether that’s as part of an evolving team or somewhere else across the business - and we take development seriously and promise to support you. We also recognise and celebrate colleagues when they go the extra mile and, where possible, offer flexible working.
When you join our team, we’ll also offer you an amazing range of benefits. Here are some of them:
- Starting off with colleague discount, you'll be able to save 10% on your shopping online and instore at Sainsbury's, Argos, TU and Habitat, and we regularly increase the discount to 15% at points during the year.
- Pensions scheme and life cover.
- Performance-related bonus of up to 20% of salary, depending on how we perform.
- Annual holiday allowance, with the option to buy up to an additional week's holiday.
- Private healthcare.
- Season ticket loans, interest free car loan of up to 10k, cycle to work scheme, health cash plans, salary advance (where you can access some of your pay before pay day) and access to a great range of discounts from hundreds of other retailers.
- Employee Assistance Programme.
- Up to 26 weeks’ pay for maternity or adoption leave and up to 4 weeks’ pay for paternity leave.
We’d all like amazing work to do, and real work-life balance. That’s waiting for you at Sainsbury’s. Here, everything in our stores starts in Sainsbury’s Commercial. From product, proposition, packaging and price, to whether it meets our sustainability commitments or simply tastes great, our team is responsible for all food, non-food and Clothing items available in Sainsbury’s stores, online and on demand. It’s an incredibly fast-paced environment. People here are in it together and aren’t afraid to take risks. The knowledge and experience you gain here could set you up for career moves anywhere else in the business. So, if you’re passionate about your products and just as hungry to learn, you’ll fit in perfectly.
Full time
Posting Date: 2026-07-31
Senior Buyer (Toddler Girls) in Coventry employer: Sainsbury's Bank
As a Customer and Trading Manager at Sainsbury's, you'll be part of a dynamic team that prioritises exceptional customer service and operational excellence. Our inclusive work culture fosters personal growth through mentorship and training, while our comprehensive benefits package, including generous discounts and wellbeing support, ensures you feel valued and supported in your role. Join us in creating a seamless shopping experience for our customers, where your leadership can truly make a difference.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Buyer (Toddler Girls) in Coventry
✨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 Sainsbury's Bank, 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 Sainsbury's Bank!
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Buyer (Toddler Girls) in Coventry
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 Sainsbury's Bank, 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 Sainsbury's Bank 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 Sainsbury's Bank that you’re ready to jump in and contribute right away!
How to prepare for a job interview at Sainsbury's Bank
✨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!