Retail Buying Administration Apprentice

Dfds A/S; Whitfield; Remote; GBP 16,000 - 21,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Life assurance cover

Company pension scheme

Holiday Purchase Scheme

Free ferry travel for up to 4 guests (

Employee assistance programme

Retail discounts

Job summary

DFDS is seeking a Retail Buying Administration Apprentice to support the Duty-Free team in delivering its commercial strategy and targets. You will coordinate supplier activities, maintain product data, and analyse sales performance to identify opportunities for improvement, ensuring onboard shops and ecommerce run smoothly and deliver a great customer experience.

You will work with Category Managers, Marketing, Operations and suppliers, building relationships and developing your buying career

Qualifications

• Interest in Buying with willingness to learn.
• Strong written and verbal English skills.
• Good IT proficiency with working knowledge of Excel.
• Highly organised, detail-oriented, able to manage multiple priorities.
• Confident communicator and proactive team player.
• Willing to travel; valid driving licence and passport.

Responsibilities

• Support Duty-Free team in executing the commercial strategy and targets.
• Coordinate promotional activity and merchandising initiatives to strengthen category performance.
• Maintain product master data, pricing and ecommerce information across systems.
• Produce and analyse weekly and monthly sales and promotional reports; identify trends.
• Assist with forecasting, stock management and assortment reviews.
• Coordinate promotional activity across onboard retail and ecommerce channels.

Skills

Buying passion

English proficiency

IT proficiency

Excel knowledge

Organised

Multitasking

Teamwork

Communication skills

Tools

Excel

Job description

Do you want to be a valued part of the critical infrastructure that serves communities across Europe and beyond? Are you looking for a position in which you can set direction and help shape our company? If so, then you could be the newest addition to our team as a Retail Buying Administration Apprentice.

Be part of the movement - and play your part.

About the role

In this role, you will support the Duty-Free team in delivering its commercial strategy and achieving key business targets. Working closely with Category Managers, Marketing, Operations and suppliers, you will help coordinate promotional activity, maintain accurate product and pricing information, and analyse sales performance to identify opportunities for improvement. You will play an important part in ensuring our onboard shops and eCommerce offering run smoothly and deliver an excellent customer experience.

You will be responsible for the

• Build effective relationships with Category Managers, Marketing, Operations and suppliers, coordinating supplier visits and supporting commercial projects and merchandising initiatives to strengthen category performance and deliver strategic objectives.
• Maintain accurate product master data, retail pricing and e-commerce information across all systems, managing new product setup, ranging decisions, promotional activity, retail system updates and planogram maintenance to ensure effective onboard merchandising.
• Produce and analyse weekly and monthly sales, category and promotional performance reports, identifying trends, opportunities and areas for improvement, while supporting forecasting, stock management and assortment reviews through sales and inventory analysis.
• Coordinate promotional activity across onboard retail and e-commerce channels, ensuring accurate setup, communication and execution, alongside monitoring competitor pricing, market activity and retail price changes.
• Support Category Managers in delivering category strategies, commercial plans and business performance targets across Duty Free retail categories, contributing to sales, margin, supplier income and wider commercial KPIs.

About you

You have a genuine passion for Buying and a strong desire to develop your career within the retail industry. While previous experience in retail or a related field would be beneficial, we are equally interested in your enthusiasm, willingness to learn and potential to succeed. You are a confident communicator with excellent written and verbal English skills, strong IT proficiency and good working knowledge of Excel. Highly organised and detail-oriented, you can manage multiple priorities, work effectively under pressure and meet deadlines while maintaining accuracy. With a results-driven mindset, strong analytical skills and a positive, proactive attitude, you enjoy working collaboratively to achieve shared goals. You will also hold a valid driving licence and passport to support travel requirements associated with the role.

We think the strongest teams are built on diversity and inclusivity. Contrasting opinions, varied skills and strong characters bring out the best in us all. And we cannot wait for you to join.

Working at DFDS

Join the movement and grow with us.

Now about what we can give you. You’ll be able to access some fantastic benefits such as:

• Life assurance cover
• Contributory company pension scheme
• Holiday Purchase Scheme
• Free ferry travel for up to 4 guests between Dover and Calais / Newcastle and Amsterdam with no limit on trips
• Full employee assistance programme including:
• Proactive financial, emotional, mental, and physical health care support including face to face counselling, fast 24/7 access to a GP, a second medical opinion and legal support for colleagues and their family.
• Huge range of retail discounts from high street and online retailers
• Cashback on health care including dental, optical, physiotherapy, prescriptions, specialist consultations and much more.
• Access to myStrength, our Wellbeing platform, which has plenty of content to support and improve your mental wellness needs.
• Access to mental health first aid and opportunity to join support webinars with a focus on all areas of positive wellbeing.

If you think your personality, skills, experience, and desire match this role, we’d love to hear from you.

This recruitment process is managed by the DFDS Talent Acquisition team. We kindly ask external recruitment agencies to refrain from contacting us regarding this opportunity.