Assistant Buyer - Fresh and Packaged Food

Tesco; Welwyn Garden City; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading multinational retailer in the UK is seeking an Assistant Buyer to join their dynamic Food team in Welwyn Garden City. You will play a crucial role in managing supplier relationships and influencing product ranges. Candidates should have a background in fast-paced retail or FMCG, with skills in negotiation, data analysis, and stakeholder management. This role offers excellent training, development opportunities, and a comprehensive benefits package including an annual bonus and generous leave policies.

Benefits

Annual bonus scheme

25 days holiday plus personal day

Maternity and adoption leave at full pay

Free 24/7 virtual GP service

Qualifications

• A passion for fast-paced retail or experience in an FMCG organization.
• Buying experience preferred.
• Experience in range and trade planning.
• Experience in report preparation and analysis.

Responsibilities

• Support the manager in managing supplier performance and relationships.
• Analyze performance issues using insight tools.
• Conduct regular visits to stores and review customer trends.
• Build ranges based on customer insight.
• Negotiate with suppliers to achieve selling plans.
• Support delivery of trade promotions and events.
• Ensure products are delivered to stores on time.
• Work with quality teams to maintain product standards.
• Adhere to all company policies and complete training.
• Act with integrity and diligence as per business code.

Skills

Influencing

Negotiation

Supplier management

Trade planning

Data analysis

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Tesco UK • Welwyn Garden City • Apply by 11-Jan-2026

We are delighted to share that we are recruiting for ambitious and hard-working Assistant Buyers to join our dynamic Food team here at Tesco. Tesco is a leading multinational retailer and as an Assistant Buyer at Tesco, you will play a huge role within the team.

Within Fresh & Packaged Food categories vary & could include Fresh Meat, Pet, Household, Beauty, Bakery, Hot Beverages, Snacks. You will be working in a fast-paced, rewarding environment with a dynamic & hardworking team & we will provide you with excellent training & development throughout your buying journey with us!

We responsibly source and buy great quality products that allow us to give our customers the best offers, range, quality and price. In recent months & in response to a shift in customer shopping habits we have increased capacity from 600,000 online delivery slots to over 1.5 million a week - whichever area of Commercial Product you join, your work has the potential to positively affect the lives of millions of Tesco customers every week.

What is in it for you

We're all about the little helps. That's why we make sure our Tesco colleague benefits package takes care of you - both in and out of work. Click Here to find out more!

• Annual bonus scheme of up to 10% of base salary
• Holiday starting at 25 days plus a personal day (plus Bank holidays)
• 26 weeks maternity and adoption leave (after 1 years' service) at full pay, followed by 13 weeks of Statutory Maternity Pay or Statutory Adoption Pay, we also offer 6 weeks fully paid paternity leave
• Free 24/7 virtual GP service, Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for you and your family, free access to a range of experts to support your mental wellbeing

You will be responsible for

• Supporting your manager to manage supplier performance, identifying potential new suppliers and supporting to build long term supplier relationships
• Using insight tools to analyse and understand performance issues and opportunities.
• Conducting regular store/website visits and reviewing customer insight and food trends, helping shape our future product and range requirements for our customers
• Helping to build and source customer/market insight led ranges and product innovation
• Negotiating with suppliers to agree and deliver market leading buy/move/sell plans for the areas aligned to the customer plan & category strategy with support from your manager
• Supporting delivery of trade, promotions & events plan, striving to exceed KPIs, drive footfall and forecast accurately
• Supporting the Supply Chain Plan, helping getting our products in store on time
• Working with suppliers and the category quality team to ensure product quality is achieved and maintained
• Adhering to all Tesco policies, storage and handover protocols and successfully completing all your training
• Following our Business Code of Conduct and always acting with integrity and due diligence

You will need

Experience:

• A passion for fast paced retail or experience of working in an FMCG organisation
• Buying (preferred)
• Range & trade planning
• Report preparation and analysis

Operational skills:

• Influencing & negotiation
• Stakeholder management
• Supplier management
• Buying and Range management
• Trade planning
• Data analysis
• Microsoft Excel

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About us

You might know us as a supermarket, technology company or even for our award-winning mobile network. Truth is, we're all of those things, and much more. Our colleagues work with one goal in mind, helping to make every day a little better for our customers, colleagues and communities all over the world. No two customers are the same, neither are our colleagues.

At Tesco, we champion a balance that lets you thrive both in and out of work. Spend 60% of your week collaborating with colleagues at our office locations or local sites and the rest remotely. Whether you're just kicking off your career, juggling passions, or navigating big life events, we're here to support you. We always welcome a conversation about flexible working, so talk to us throughout your application about how we can support.

We're proud to be an accredited Disability Confident Leader, where everyone's welcome. That's why we commit to providing a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process. If you need support with your application, click here for more information. And if you're interested in joining our team but don't tick every box, don't let that hold you back from applying.