Senior Buyer

Whittard of Chelsea; Milton; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Holiday allowance

Store discount

Product allowance

Pension scheme

Wellbeing portal

Flexible working

Family benefits

Job summary

Whittard of Chelsea in Milton Park is seeking a Senior Buyer to drive strategy and performance for a key product category within the Product and Buying team. Reporting to the Head of Product and Buying, you will own end-to-end category development and margin improvement in a hybrid working environment.

The ideal candidate has significant Buyer or Category Manager experience, strong commercial acumen in costing and margins, a proven track record in launching products in retail/FMCG, excellent

Qualifications

• Significant experience in a Buyer or Category Manager role.
• Strong commercial acumen with costing, pricing and margin management.
• Proven track record of developing and launching products in retail/FMCG.
• Excellent supplier management and negotiation skills.
• Collaborative, customer-focused approach with stakeholder influence across a business.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver category plans balancing core lines, innovation and seasonal launches.
• Lead end-to-end product development from concept to launch.
• Own category sales and margin performance, driving growth and profitability.
• Build and manage supplier relationships, negotiating costs and ensuring quality.
• Provide direct line management to support a separate category.

Skills

Buyer experience

Category management

Costing and margins

Supplier management

Stakeholder collaboration

Job description

Job Introduction

At Whittard, we’re passionate about bringing luxury tea and coffee to our communities. We’ve been achieving this goal since 1886, and have ambitious objectives to grow our business with each role being key in delivering these. The Senior Buyer role is an exciting opportunity to be part of this journey join the Product and Buying team at our Milton Park offices.

Reporting to the Head of Product and buying you will drive the strategy and performance of a key product category, ensuring we continue to deliver exciting, customer-led products. In return you’ll benefit from hybrid working, generous holiday allowance, fantastic product discounts and investments in your professional training and development.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver category plans that balance core lines, innovation, seasonal launches and gifting propositions.
• Lead end-to-end product development, from concept through to launch, ensuring products meet customer and commercial objectives.
• Own category sales and margin performance, identifying opportunities to drive growth and profitability.
• Build and manage supplier relationships, negotiating costs and ensuring quality and service standards are maintained.
• Provide direct line management, supporting the effective running of a separate category.

About You

• Significant experience in a Buyer or Category Manager role, managing a commercially important product category.
• Strong commercial acumen with experience in costing, pricing and margin management.
• A proven track record of developing and launching successful products in a retail or FMCG environment.
• Excellent supplier management and negotiation skills, with the ability to build long‑term partnerships.
• A collaborative, customer‑focused approach with experience influencing stakeholders across a business.

Benefits

• Generous holiday allowance + enjoy your birthday off
• Up to 50% store discount on Whittard products.
• Monthly product allowance.
• Auto‑enrolment Pension scheme.
• Access to our wellbeing portal and Employee Assistant Programme
• Flexible working opportunities.
• Selection of family friendly benefits.

… And much much more!

At Whittard of Chelsea, we believe great teams are built by bringing together people with different perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences. We're committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone is able to thrive, and are a proud Equal Opportunity Employer.

As friendly fanatics who genuinely love what we do, we're passionate about creating a welcoming experience from the very first conversation. If you need any reasonable adjustments during your application or interview process, please get in touch with us at [e-mail]. We'll be happy to support you