Ref. JB1815166

Buyer
WHSmith

The Opportunity

WHSmith is one of the UK’s favourite retailers specialising in Books, News, Stationery and Convenience. We are also a truly international business with stores in Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East

As part of our International expansion, we are developing an exciting new format in Qatar and as a result we are looking for an experienced Retail Buyer to join our business to develop the customer offering within Arabic and English Books, Newspapers and Magazines. Reporting to the General Manager for the Qatar operation, you will manage performance and trading activities across these categories to deliver maximum sales & profitability.


The Accountabilities
• Determine and deliver annual sales, contribution budget, net sales, market share growth and relevant section of the Trading P&L for Books, News & Magazines
• Set up and manage supplier and publisher relationships, working with the UK head office to support supplier selection and supply
• Determine the customer offer and in-store display of the category
• Generate and deliver profitable product and promotional strategies including pre and post promotion financial analysis.
• Lead and develop innovative range marketing plans, providing accurate and timely promotional content to the Group Marketing team
• Sales forecasting and analysis
• Keep abreast of market trends, customer requirements and competitor activity to indentify market opportunities
• Undertake range reviews and continuous improvement of the product offer through effective range analysis
• Maintain open and effective relationships with stores
• Create and implement new business opportunities


Why Join us?
Whoever joins us always receives ongoing support and exciting career development opportunities. You can also expect a competitive salary and excellent. It all adds up to a first rate rewards package and the chance make a real impact on the Company's success. If successful, candidates will be required to obtain a valid passport, undertake a criminal record check and financial check and provide 3 years of continuous educational, professional or employment references.

“WHSmith values diversity and welcomes applications from all sections of the Community”

In order to apply for this role, please send your CV and a brief covering letter. Applications will only be accepted in English.

Skills

The Requirements for the Role
• Substantial Retail buying experience in a related category to Books, News and Magazines
• Fluency in English and Arabic
• Knowledge and experience of Arabic language books and News buying
• Experience of working within a renowned Retailer
• Exceptional negotiation skills
• Understanding of financial and P&L management
• Strong commercial skills and market interpretation
• Engaging and influential communication style
• High level of numeracy

Company Profile

WHSmith is loved by millions as one of the UK's most trusted and recognised names. What you might not realise is that we're one of the nation's biggest employers too and we are always looking for more talented individuals to join our team.

Our Legacy

WHSmith started in 1792 with a small news vendor in Little Grosvenor Street, London, followed by the opening of our first bookstall in Euston Station in 1848.

We quickly established ourselves as the favoured newsagent, stationers and bookseller opening stores right across the UK, as well as our first international branch in Paris in 1903. From this point on, there has been no looking back.

We have over 17,000 employees working for us across both businesses; based in either our Head Offices (Swindon or London), our Distribution Centres (Swindon, Birmingham or Dunstable) or our stores.


Our Future

We are consistently delivering good results through building on the strength of our brand, improving on our customer experience, offering the products our customers want at the right price and expanding our business into new areas in the UK and internationally.