Category Buyer B2B

AO RETAIL LIMITED; Bolton; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Holidays 25 days + bank holidays

Employer pension match 5%

AO Arena VIP access

Job summary

AO Retail Limited is seeking a B2B Category Buyer to own defined product ranges across our B2B operation. You will source branded products, monitor market trends and negotiate promotions, building strong supplier relationships and delivering strong commercial outcomes.

You’ll collaborate with teams across the business, manage stock and aged stock to KPIs, and drive effective promotional strategies in a fast-moving retail environment.

Qualifications

• Experience within a buying, trading or category environment, ideally within retail and/or e-commerce.
• Experience of owning, building or trading product ranges.
• Commercially minded, with strong numerical and analytical skills.
• Confident interpreting data and using it to inform buying decisions.
• A strong negotiator, comfortable discussing ranges, promotions and commercial support with suppliers.

Responsibilities

• Source and implement branded ranges across our Business Solutions and Insurance pillars.
• Negotiate bespoke promotions to support the Trade UK team.
• Manage the Fixtures & Fittings category.
• Negotiate product support with suppliers in a fluctuating market.
• Analyse sales performance and turn the numbers into clear commercial actions.
• Plan and deliver an effective promotional strategy.
• Monitor competitors, market fluctuations and emerging trends, reacting to opportunities.
• Build and maintain excellent relationships with key manufacturers and suppliers across AV, CE, SDA and MDA.
• Manage stock holding and aged stock within agreed KPIs.
• Work collaboratively across the business to deliver the right ranges and commercial outcomes.

Skills

Negotiation

Data analysis

Supplier relationship management

Stock planning

Analytical skills

Commercial awareness

Communication

Job description

As a B2B Category Buyer at AO, you'll take ownership of defined product ranges across our B2B operation, sourcing and managing branded products while keeping a close eye on market trends, competitor activity and commercial opportunities. You'll work closely with suppliers and teams across the business, building strong relationships and using your commercial judgement to make decisions around ranges, promotions, stock and performance. It's a varied, hands‑on buying role with plenty of opportunity to collaborate, negotiate and make an impact across our B2B business. We know we work better when we're together, so all our AOers come into the Bolton office Monday to Friday. We collaborate more easily, have continual conversations, we're more creative, give better support, and all this makes us more motivated and even better at what we do.

• Source and implement branded ranges across our Business Solutions and Insurance pillars
• Negotiate bespoke promotions to support the Trade UK team
• Manage the Fixtures & Fittings category
• Negotiate product support with suppliers in a fluctuating market
• Analyse sales performance and turn the numbers into clear commercial actions
• Plan and deliver an effective promotional strategy
• Monitor competitors, market fluctuations and emerging trends, reacting to opportunities
• Build and maintain excellent relationships with key manufacturers and suppliers across AV, CE, SDA and MDA
• Manage stock holding and aged stock within agreed KPIs
• Work collaboratively across the business to deliver the right ranges and commercial outcomes
• Experience within a buying, trading or category environment, ideally within retail and/or e-commerce
• Experience of owning, building or trading product ranges
• Commercially minded, with strong numerical and analytical skills
• Confident interpreting data and using it to inform buying decisions
• A strong negotiator, comfortable discussing ranges, promotions and commercial support with suppliers
• Excellent supplier and stakeholder relationship-building skills
• Comfortable forecasting in a fast-paced trading environment
• We're big on appliances and electricals, REALLY big. Washing machines, fridge freezers and TVs? They're our bread and butter. Mobiles, Airwraps and Ring doorbells? Yep, those too. If it plugs in, powers up or makes life easier, AO probably has it.

But we're more than that… For over 25 years, trust has been at the heart of everything we do, helping us become the UK's most trusted electrical retailer. Our customers rate us 4.9 on Trustpilot from over ONE MILLION reviews and more 5-star ratings than any other UK electrical retailer, because they know they can rely on us and it's the exact same for our AOers too. We truly believe it's more than just a job, we genuinely care about each other and our impact on making our customers lives easier, by helping them brilliantly. Everyone here knows how their role makes a difference. Our people are our superpower, so, when it comes to finding new AOers, we know it's about more than just a CV, it's about what makes you, YOU.

Our benefits are designed to cover the moments that matter to AOers. From health and wellness to giving back - you'll be rewarded inside and outside of work.

• Holidays; 25 days, plus bank holidays (increasing to 27 days after 2 years with us!)
• Pension; Contribute 5% of your annual salary and we'll do the same, giving you a little extra support for the future.
• Be a VIP at the AO Arena; we have loads of opportunities to win free tickets and pre-sale access!
• Health & wellbeing; discounted gym membership, an onsite spa and our Help @ Hand scheme giving you access to virtual GP's, Mental Health support and much more.
• Discounts; exclusive discounts across our product range.
• Family leave; Enhanced Maternity, Paternity and Adoption leave.
• Making a difference; 2 fully paid days a year to donate your time to any charity of your choice.
• On site perks; start your day with free on site parking, grabbing a complimentary breakfast and a coffee at our subsidised in house coffee shop!

AO is for everyone! We should all feel that we belong. That's why we are creating a welcoming and inclusive place to work. We're proud to be different. From how we look to the way we talk to our customers, we skip to the beat of our very own drum. We know that being different together is our superpower and we celebrate it because it makes us stronger, more creative, and better at what we do. We believe the people we employ should reflect the diversity of our customer base; that way, we can communicate in a way that recognises all backgrounds, races, ethnicities, genders, ages, religions, abilities, and sexual orientations. And that's why we're asking these questions. Making sure our recruitment process is inclusive is a key part of what we're doing at AO to encourage diversity as an employer. Read more How will we use the data? After we've collated the data, we'll look at the patterns to assess if we are inclusive at each stage. If it turns out that we aren't, then the data may help us identify where we can improve. The data collated won't have any impact on your application and is not shared with hiring managers or the recruitment team.