Lead Online Buyer

Card Factory is the UK’s leading specialist retailer of greetings cards, dressings, and gifts with over one thousand stores across the UK and Ireland.  In 2020 we launched our exciting 5-year business strategy including our vision of becoming a true Omni-channel retailer.  This strategy sees significant investment into our Head Office teams creating multiple opportunities to join a fast-paced environment and be part of our exciting journey.  

Job Introduction

This Lead Buyer role will be responsible for leading and delivering the product strategy for our Online business.  It will support the Head of Buying to execute the overarching Buying Strategy for the business; delivering unrivaled margin and profits through strong product development, clear range planning, and proactive trading across the respective product categories. You will need to source new and integrate existing online ranges to deliver a compelling new offer bringing innovation and market knowledge into the process.

Main Responsibilities

• Develops strong cross-functional partnerships in the Support Centre and field
• Role models the Card Factory leadership behaviours at all times
• Leads a Buying team, to ensure consistency across the category and alignment across the range on RSP
• Consistently brings innovation into the department and inspires others to do the same
• Seeks and acts upon feedback to make improvements
• Able to influence key stakeholders to achieve project goals
• Work with the design, merchandise planning and technical teams to develop a trend-led customer-focused profitable range
• Analyse and evaluate the overall performance of the product area weekly against budget, LFL and strategy, identify lessons learnt to make informed decisions to trade your categories and manage risk to drive sales and profitability
• Use online data to understand conversion and basket make-up to drive product and merchandising decisions
• Support the online team with merchandising recommendations and promotional opportunities
• Drive sales and profitability through effective negotiations on key deliverables

The Ideal Candidate

• Develops and maintains excellent supplier relationships
• Flexible in approach, and able to work as part of a wider team
• Commercially astute, and able to deliver to plan and on time
• Has a good understanding of figures and sales data
• An excellent negotiator, with a focus on fostering positive relationships with the supply base
• Ability to balance margin requirements
• Experience working at a global/regional/multi-country level
• Analytical, interpretative and strong decision-making skills

About The Company

In return we offer a wide range of benefits to support your physical, mental and financial wellbeing.

• 33 days annual leave entitlement (inc public / bank holidays)
• Save as you Earn scheme
• 15% Staff Discount
• Discounted Gym Memberships
• O2 open mobile contracts
• Salary Finance
• Pension 
• Discounted Car Leasing
• Employee Care
• Flex My Day
• Card Factory Foundation
• MyCardFactory App: discounts at leading retailers

This is an exciting role with genuine prospects for the right candidate. If this role describes you and your career aspirations, click apply now.

Visit our website to see the products we sell at https://www.cardfactory.co.uk/

For any questions email: vacancies@cardfactory.co.uk (we do not accept CVs/Applications via email) 

We reserve the right to close this vacancy once sufficient suitable applications have been received. We advise applying early to avoid disappointment as applications will be reviewed regularly. 

No agencies please.