At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the buying of plants and bulbs, developing seasonal ranges and managing supplier relationships.
- Company: Established family-owned horticultural business with ambitious growth plans.
- Benefits: Enjoy 25 days holiday, pension, life assurance, and a hybrid working pattern.
- Other info: Opportunity for career growth in a friendly, collaborative environment.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in a thriving industry while shaping product ranges and supplier strategies.
- Qualifications: Five years of buying experience in horticulture and strong commercial negotiation skills.
The predicted salary is between 35000 - 40000 £ per year.
Location: Manchester preferred; Lincolnshire also considered
Working pattern: Hybrid working available
Salary: £35,000 - £40,000
Benefits: 25 days holiday, pension and life assurance
Are you an experienced Horticultural Buyer with strong knowledge of plants, bulbs and the European supplier market? We are recruiting for an established, family-owned horticultural business with ambitious plans for significant growth over the next five to ten years. This is an influential buying role with responsibility for an extensive seasonal range of bulbs, live plants and growing-on plants across retail, ecommerce, catalogue and wholesale channels. Reporting to the Head of Commercial and supported by an Assistant Buyer, you will take ownership of the day-to-day buying function. You will combine genuine horticultural knowledge with strong commercial judgement, helping to develop ranges, improve supplier terms and maximise sales and margin while managing availability, waste and terminal stock.
The role
- Developing and managing ranges across bulbs, live plants and growing-on plants.
- Reviewing range structure and SKU productivity to identify opportunities for growth, innovation and rationalisation.
- Negotiating cost prices, commercial terms, volumes, specifications, delivery windows and supplier performance.
- Building productive, long-term relationships with UK and European growers and suppliers.
- Working closely with Merchandising and Supply colleagues to forecast demand, quantify ranges, plan volumes and phase deliveries.
- Owning sales, gross margin, pricing, stock, availability and waste performance across the assigned categories.
- Monitoring competitor ranging, pricing and promotional activity.
- Supporting a strong everyday-value proposition alongside selective value-added offers.
- Taking timely trading and clearance action to improve sell-through and manage terminal stock.
- Working cross-functionally with Supply Chain, Production, Marketing, Ecommerce and Wholesale teams.
- Providing day-to-day direction and development to an Assistant Buyer.
- Supporting the continued modernisation of buying processes and commercial decision-making.
About you
- A minimum of five years buying or category-management experience within horticulture, plants, bulbs, nursery stock or a closely related live-product category.
- Strong knowledge of bulbs, plants, seasonality, quality standards and supplier capability.
- Proven experience of supplier sourcing and commercial negotiation.
- Experience of building and trading seasonal ranges with accountability for sales, margin, pricing and stock.
- Strong numerical and analytical skills, with the ability to turn performance data into commercial action.
- A practical, hands-on and collaborative working style.
- The confidence to introduce new ideas while respecting the knowledge and experience already within an established business.
- Experience of sourcing from the Netherlands, Germany or the wider European horticultural market would be particularly valuable.
- Dutch or German language skills would be beneficial but are not essential.
Travel
The role will involve travel between company locations and UK suppliers, together with approximately three to four European sourcing visits each year, principally to the Netherlands and Germany.
The opportunity
This is an excellent opportunity to make a visible difference within a successful, long-established horticultural business. The company offers a friendly working environment, deep product expertise and genuine commercial headroom. For the right person, there is considerable scope to shape the range, strengthen supplier relationships, develop the buying team and help modernise the commercial approach.
Horticultural Buyer in Manchester employer: Socium Search Ltd
Join a dynamic retail business that values innovation and insight, offering a competitive salary alongside bonuses and benefits. With a hybrid working model, you will enjoy a flexible work culture that promotes employee growth and collaboration, making it an excellent environment for those looking to make a meaningful impact in the retail sector.
