Senior Buyer

Fenwick; Newcastle upon Tyne; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

33 days annual leave + bank holidays

Birthday day off

Staff discount up to 25%

Wellbeing support (WeCare)

Hybrid working (Thu/Fri from home)

Job summary

Fenwick is seeking an experienced Senior Home Buyer to lead our Home category, shaping strategy across stores and digital channels while driving sales, profitability and market share. You’ll balance established brands with emerging partners and build strong supplier relationships to deliver a compelling Home offer that aligns with the Fenwick brand.

You will partner with Merchandising, Retail, Marketing and Digital teams to deliver engaging campaigns, with a focus on forecasting, stock

Qualifications

• 5+ years' experience in Home Buying with responsibility for significant categories, budgets and supplier relationships.
• Proven track record of delivering sales growth, margin improvement and commercial performance in homewares, luxury or premium retail.
• Proven track record of identifying, launching, and growing emerging brands, supported by market trends and consumer opportunities.
• Strong understanding of home and interior trends, customer behaviours and evolving competitive landscape.
• Advanced negotiation and influencing skills with experience managing strategic supplier partnerships.
• Strong financial and analytical capability, with ability to translate insight into commercial action.
• Experience leading, mentoring and developing buying talent.
• Ability to balance strategic vision with hands-on execution in a fast-paced retail environment.
• Passion for home innovation, customer experience and brand storytelling.

Responsibilities

• Own Fenwick's Home category strategy across stores and digital channels to drive sales growth, profitability and market share.
• Develop and manage a market-leading assortment balancing established brands with emerging partners.
• Build supplier relationships, lead negotiations and inform buying decisions with insights and data.
• Collaborate with Merchandising, Retail, Marketing and Digital to ensure a consistent Home proposition.
• Lead category performance through planning, forecasting, stock management and talent development.

Skills

Home buying

Sales growth

Negotiation

Analytical thinking

Leadership

Strategic vision

Cross-functional collaboration

Commercial awareness

Brand storytelling

Job description

We are seeking an experienced Senior Home Buyer to lead key areas of our Home category, driving commercial performance and ensuring Fenwick continues to offer a distinctive and compelling product proposition for our customers.

We offer hybrid working between your home and our flagship store in Newcastle upon Tyne, providing a collaborative and innovative environment from which to support our business and customers.

When you join Fenwick, you’ll receive:

• 33 days annual leave (inclusive of 8 bank holidays) and a buying holiday benefits scheme in which you are eligible to buy a further 5 days across the year.
• Your birthday off as an additional day annual leave – this can be taken any day within your birth month.
• Up to 25% discount in all Fenwick stores and fenwick.co.uk.
• WeCare -24/7 GP, wellbeing advice & support service.
• Hybrid Working (Typically every Thursday and Friday working from home).

About the Role

As Senior Home Buyer, you will take ownership of Fenwick's Home category strategy across stores and digital channels, driving sales growth, profitability and market share through a customer-focused and commercially compelling product proposition. You will shape category plans, identify growth opportunities and ensure the Home offer remains relevant, inspiring and aligned with the Fenwick brand.

The role is responsible for developing and managing a market-leading assortment across key Home categories, balancing established brands with emerging and design-led partners. You will build strong strategic supplier relationships, lead commercial negotiations and utilise customer insight, trend analysis and performance data to inform buying decisions. Working closely with Merchandising, Retail, Marketing and Digital teams, you will ensure the Home proposition is delivered consistently across all customer touchpoints and supported by engaging campaigns and activations.

As a senior member of the Buying team, you will play a key role in influencing broader business strategy and driving continuous improvement across the function. You will lead category performance through effective planning, forecasting and stock management, while developing talent and fostering strong cross-functional collaboration. This is an exciting opportunity to shape the future of Home at Fenwick, delivering a distinctive product offer and ensuring Fenwick remains a destination for customers seeking beautifully curated home products and inspiration.

What we are looking for in a candidate...

• 5+ years' experience in Home Buying, with demonstrable responsibility for significant categories, budgets and supplier relationships.
• Proven track record of delivering sales growth, margin improvement and commercial performance within a homewares, luxury or premium retail environment.
• Proven track record of identifying, launching, and growing emerging brands, supported by a strong understanding of market trends and consumer opportunities.
• Strong understanding of home and interior trends, customer behaviours and the evolving competitive landscape.
• Advanced negotiation and influencing skills, with experience managing strategic supplier partnerships.
• Strong financial and analytical capability, with the ability to translate insight into commercial action.
• Experience leading, mentoring and developing buying talent.
• Ability to balance strategic vision with hands-on execution in a fast-paced retail environment.
• Passion for home innovation, customer experience and brand storytelling.

About Fenwick

Fenwick is rich with heritage and history and have been style pioneers since 1882 when our first store opened. We know luxury and are proud to remain the largest independent, family-owned group of department stores within the UK. We are on an exciting journey to exceed our customers' expectations and we are always on the lookout for new talent to join us.

Our collaborative spirit unites a workforce of over 2,000 individuals across our stores, as well as in our support functions, encompassing Digital, Buying & Merchandising, IT, Finance, People, Customer Service teams, and our cherished restaurants and distribution centres.

In 2023 we launched our ‘Quiet No More’ campaign, enhancing our presence on the UK high street as well as our eCommerce website going from strength to strength. Together, we form the beating heart of Fenwick, driving forward our vision for excellence and innovation. Join us as we pave the way toward an even brighter tomorrow, where tradition meets transformation!