Buyer – Greetings Cards (maternity cover 12 months)
Based - Swindon (hybrid working, 3 office & 2 home days)
Competitive salary plus car allowance & private medical

Grade D

The Role  
At WHSmith our people are at the heart of everything we do. They are the ones that go the extra mile for our customers.  The ones that enable our growth.

We now have an exciting opportunity for a Buyer to join our High Street Greeting Cards team (on a fixed term contract) at our Support Centre in Swindon. 

The main purpose of a Buyer is to to deliver maximum sales and profitability through determining the offers we make to our customers and successfully managing both the trading activities and profit and loss.  It takes a flair for relationship building, negotiation and an analytical approach.

Greeting Cards is a strategically important category, trading a very high margin in a very competitive but significant market. It is a well established category and requires a high level is commercial awareness and very strong supplier relationship skills.

What you will be doing

• Delivering agreed margin, sales and contribution targets whilst adhering to stock budgets and open to buy, select and develop profitable new lines

• Managing supplier relationships and negotiate reductions in costs of goods sold, first to market and supplier incomes

• Overall effective supply chain and cost management

• Closely managing critical paths to deliver ranges

• Leading and developing innovative range marketing plans

• Keeping abreast of market trends, customer requirements and competitor activity, thus identifying market opportunities

• Conducting range reviews and undertake continuous improvement of the product offer through effective range analysis

• Creating open and effective relationships with stores through central operations and regular store visits

What we are looking for

• An experienced retail/greetings cards Buyer who can deliver a variety of strategies and has an affinity with what we sell

• A commercial mindset is essential, with the ability to analyse sales performance, recognising opportunities and risks to support trade decisions

• You will be passionate about product and pro-active in developing product and industry trends to support innovation and growth within your category

• You will have strong negotiation skills and be able to effectively manage high income targets across your category

• Engagement and influencing skills will allow you to develop strong, collaborative relationships with internal stakeholders and suppliers

• You will be a proven leader in managing, coaching, and developing your team to succeed

How we reward our teams 

• Hybrid working model from home and in the office 

• 4pm Friday finish 

• Flexible Working 

• 25 days holiday, plus your Birthday off, plus Bank Holidays with an opportunity to buy extra days holiday  

• Family friendly leave 

• Company pension

• Sharesave Scheme 

• Annual Bonus based on company and Personal Performance 

• Competitive salary & car allowance

• Private medical

• Staff discount card for stores and online 

 
About us 
Celebrating over 230 years, we’re proud to have grown and evolved into a globally recognised brand present in over 30 countries around the world, and we’re proud to be that air of familiarity people love and trust on their journey, both in life and through life. As a diverse group of over 12,000 colleagues, we are all on the same journey to a better business through our commitments to our planet, people and the communities we serve. 

WHSmith have occupied our place as the Hub of the High Street and in our customers’ hearts since 1792. Across our diverse estate of c.525 stores on UK high streets, with our wide-ranging store sizes and formats, we sell a large range of products including stationery, greeting cards, art and craft, newspapers, magazines, books and drinks. We are an ambitious team that thrives on pace, collaboration and innovation resulting in a real entrepreneurial culture. 

WHSmith are proud to be an inclusive employer, we want our colleagues to feel welcome, and free to be themselves with us.