Senior Commercial Manager

SmartRecruiters, Inc.; Hawley; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Frasers Champion

Retail Reconnect

Fearless 1200

Frasers Fit

Retail Trust

Job summary

Frasers Group is seeking a commercially minded Buyer/Category Manager to drive school sports product ranges. You will review offerings, negotiate with suppliers, and expand lines while protecting quality and price points for education customers.

You’ll forecast demand, place purchase orders, manage stock, and cultivate strong supplier relationships to maximise profitability and ensure availability across schools.

Qualifications

• Experience in buying, category management, product management or a similar commercial role.
• Strong supplier-management and negotiation experience.
• Experience in forecasting, purchase ordering and stock management.
• A good understanding of pricing, margins and commercial performance.
• Experience developing product ranges and identifying new opportunities.
• Strong analytical skills and confidence working with sales, stock and market data.
• Excellent communication, organisation and attention to detail.
• The confidence to work independently and take ownership of decisions.
• Experience working with product information or PIM systems.

Responsibilities

• Manage and develop a broad portfolio of sports and product categories.
• Ensure our ranges offer the right products, brands, quality levels and price points for schools.
• Review sales and product performance, identifying lines to introduce, expand, re-source, promote, clear or discontinue.
• Identify gaps in our range and explore new suppliers, brands, own-brand products and exclusive opportunities.
• Build strong supplier relationships and hold regular, commercially focused supplier reviews.
• Negotiate improved costs, terms, rebates, delivery arrangements and supplier support.
• Challenge suppliers where pricing, quality, availability, lead times or service do not meet expectations.
• Maintain product forecasts and place purchase orders based on demand, seasonality, stock requirements and supplier lead times.
• Review forward orders and take action on potential stockouts, excess stock, delivery delays and availability risks.
• Review costs, selling prices and margins to ensure products remain competitive and commercially viable.
• Monitor competitor ranges, prices, promotions and new products to identify opportunities for commercial action.
• Keep up to date with developments in school sport, customer requirements, market trends and emerging activities.
• Ensure product information, pricing, images and specifications are accurate and ready for the website, catalogues and campaigns.
• Work closely with suppliers, marketing, design and other internal teams to ensure agreed actions and deadlines are achieved.

Skills

Buying

Category mgmt

Product mgmt

Supplier management

Negotiation

Forecasting

Purchase orders

Stock management

Pricing & margins

Product ranges

Analytics

Communication

Ownership

PIM systems

Tools

PIM systems

Job description

At Frasers Group we’re rethinking retail. Through digital innovation and unique store experiences, we’re serving our consumers with the world’s best sports, premium and luxury brands globally. As a leader in the industry, we’re elevating the retail experience for our consumers through our collection of established brands, including Sports Direct, FLANNELS, USC, Frasers, and GAME.

Sports Directory is proud to be part of Frasers Group, and we are passionate about uniting Sports with Education. We recognise that education is more than textbooks and classrooms – it’s about building character, encouraging teamwork and nurturing physical and mental well-being.

Our mission is to support teachers and students alike to achieve their full potential supporting teachers to cultivate an environment where physical education is valued just as highly as academic achievement. Founded in 1993, Sports Directory is the number one supplier of Sports education equipment and are specialists in education.

Our vision -We are building the planet’s most admired and compelling brand ecosystem

Our purpose- We are elevating the lives of the many with access to the world’s best brands and experiences

At Frasers Group, we fear less and do more. Our people are forward thinkers who are driven to operate outside of their comfort zone to change the future of retail, embracing challenges along the way. The potential to elevate your career is massive, the experience unrivalled. To be able to make the most of it you need to live and breathe our principles:

• Own itand back yourself- Own the basics, own your role and own the result
• Think without limits- Think, think fast, think fearlessly
• Be relevant-Relevantto our people, our partners and the planet

Are you ready to join the Fearless?

Job Description

The Role:

Reporting to the Head of Commercial & Marketing, you will be responsible for making informed commercial decisions across a large and varied product range.

You will continually review whether we offer the right products, brands, quality and price points for schools. This will include identifying gaps in our ranges, introducing new products and suppliers, reviewing product performance and recommending where lines should be expanded, re-sourced, promoted, cleared or discontinued.

Supplier management will be a major part of the role. You will build strong relationships, negotiate improved costs and terms, challenge supplier performance and hold regular reviews covering pricing, stock, forecasts, availability, forward orders and new-product opportunities.

You will also maintain product forecasts and purchase orders, helping to ensure key lines remain available while managing excess stock and working-capital risk.

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage and develop a broad portfolio of sports and product categories.
• Ensure our ranges offer the right products, brands, quality levels and price points for schools.
• Review sales and product performance, identifying lines to introduce, expand, re-source, promote, clear or discontinue.
• Identify gaps in our range and explore new suppliers, brands, own-brand products and exclusive opportunities.
• Build strong supplier relationships and hold regular, commercially focused supplier reviews.
• Negotiate improved costs, terms, rebates, delivery arrangements and supplier support.
• Challenge suppliers where pricing, quality, availability, lead times or service do not meet expectations.
• Maintain product forecasts and place purchase orders based on demand, seasonality, stock requirements and supplier lead times.
• Review forward orders and take action on potential stockouts, excess stock, delivery delays and availability risks.
• Review costs, selling prices and margins to ensure products remain competitive and commercially viable.
• Monitor competitor ranges, prices, promotions and new products to identify opportunities for commercial action.
• Keep up to date with developments in school sport, customer requirements, market trends and emerging activities.
• Ensure product information, pricing, images and specifications are accurate and ready for the website, catalogues and campaigns.
• Work closely with suppliers, marketing, design and other internal teams to ensure agreed actions and deadlines are achieved.

Qualifications

You will be passionate about sport and committed to making a positive difference to PE in schools. You will be commercially minded, confident with suppliers and comfortable making decisions across a large and varied product portfolio.

You will be proactive, organised and prepared to challenge products, prices, suppliers and existing ways of working. You will be able to turn sales, stock, supplier and competitor information into clear commercial actions.

You will ideally have:

• Experience in buying, category management, product management or a similar commercial role.
• Strong supplier-management and negotiation experience.
• Experience in forecasting, purchase ordering and stock management.
• A good understanding of pricing, margins and commercial performance.
• Experience developing product ranges and identifying new opportunities.
• Strong analytical skills and confidence working with sales, stock and market data.
• Excellent communication, organisation and attention to detail.
• The confidence to work independently and take ownership of decisions.
• Experience working with product information or PIM systems.

Experience of working in, or closely with, schools, education, PE or the sports-equipment market would be a real advantage. An understanding of how schools plan and purchase, and what teachers need from their suppliers, would help you make an immediate impact.

Additional Information

Along with your benefits package we also offer a wide range of perks for our colleagues:

• Frasers Champion - Our employees are at the heart of our business and we ensure individuals are recognised every single month for their hard work. Frasers Champion is a peer nominated scheme where 8 winners will receive double their pay for a month where they have lived the Frasers Group values.
• Retail Reconnect -In order to build the planets most admired and compelling brand ecosystem, all employees must understand our business, product and customers. Each financial year, head office employees will gain insights by spending one to two days in one of our stores or the warehouse. The goal is to learn how the work you do impacts our teams on the frontline, and to bring ideas back to the office which will improve how we work.
• Fearless 1200 - Fearless 1200 is our way of recognising our growth. It’s bold, ambitious, and designed to reward colleagues across the business for living our values and delivering impact. Fearless 1200 links how we perform to how we're rewarded – check out the video link to find out more - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0qmvJofMew
• Frasers Fit- Our Everlast Gyms Team are on a mission to make our workforce the best, and fittest on the planet! We run free gym classes for employees as well as discounted memberships to our clubs. Frasers Fit is our wellbeing programme which aims to support and improve colleagues Physical, Financial & Mental wellbeing. The app is accessible for every employee and includes training, nutrition and lifestyle advice- all completely free.
• Retail Trust- We know that its not just about physical health, mental wellness is equally important which is why all of our employees get free access and support from the Retail Trust charity. This includes a 24 hour wellbeing helpline, wellness hub, counselling and financial/legal support.