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hackajob is collaborating with Sainsbury's DTD to connect them with exceptional professionals for this role.
At Argos, we’re a digital-led UK retailer that keeps pushing boundaries to meet every generation with what they want, how and when they want it. As a market leader in general merchandise, serving millions of customers through our website, app, same-day delivery and Click & Collect services, we offer real opportunities to learn, grow and shape your career. With roles spanning Commercial, Buying, Merchandising, Design and Supply Chain, through to Digital, Operations, Customer Experience, Marketing, and People and Transformation, you will work with brilliant colleagues and directly shape how we serve our customers every day. From enabling inspiring choice across our owned brands, including Habitat, Chad Valley and Bush, alongside the world’s biggest brands like Apple, Lego, Xbox and Samsung, to making shopping effortlessly convenient, championing trusted value and accelerating our strategy - Argos is an exciting place to build your future.
This is a 12m FTC
In a nutshell
Responsible for translating and executing the category strategy for a given product range to deliver profitable growth. Accountable for owning and supporting the delivery of agreed target KPIs (including sales, margin, stock, availability, digital metrics, and customer satisfaction) in line with the category strategy.
- Own the buying process for the assigned ranges, ensuring a customer-centric proposition and effective range architecture.
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders at all levels to support the successful execution of the category strategy.
- Support the Senior Buyer and Head of Buying in shaping and delivering the category strategy.
- Partner with Product Development, Technical and Global Sourcing to implement cost-effective sourcing routes to maximise profit.
- Manage and provide guidance to Assistant Buyers and partner with Accenture Managed Services team teams to ensure operational excellence.
What I Am Accountable For
Range/launch
- To develop 6 monthly customer-focused strategic vision and range strategy through ownership of specific ranges or subcategories, including sales and margin forecasting, range selection and associated supplier incomes.
- Partner with our Product Development and Global Sourcing teams to shape and execute sourcing and selection strategies for own branded product and align on recommendations for preferred sourcing routes.
- Use market and supplier knowledge to inform budgets and develop trading plans to support category goals.
- Lead category pricing strategy using market, customer, and cost insights to maximise competitiveness, margin delivery and long-term category profitability.
- Work with Merchandising to phase annual budgets and update forecasts as needed.
- Partner with Merchandisers and Global Sourcing to create and implement supplier business plans, setting clear performance targets.
- Influence global brands on product offerings, develop strong supplier relationships, and ensure prioritisation in product development.
- Take the lead in negotiating funding agreements with suppliers, ensuring all discussions are aligned with category objectives and overseen by the Senior Buyer. Coordinate the accurate recording, tracking, and reporting of all funding arrangements, leveraging the support of Assistant Buyers and offshore teams to manage administrative tasks efficiently and maintain robust documentation for audit and strategic review purposes.
- Monitor market trends, competitor activity, price positioning and stock availability and react appropriately to maximise sales, profitability and market share
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Trading and promotional planning
- Collaborates with internal and external stakeholders—including Merchandising, Digital, Marketing and Suppliers—to deliver effective promotional, range and digital marketing plans, ensuring strong online propositions and maximised commercial outcomes aligned to category KPI’s
- Use market, customer, and competitor insights to inform trading decisions, pricing architecture, and promotional mechanics
- Track trading performance and competitor activity, adapting promotional and trading plans to maximise revenue, profitability, and stock efficiency
- Manage supplier-funded promotional activity to maximise commercial return and brand impact. Drive the category trading and promotional strategy to drive sales, margin, and market share in line with category and business objectives.
Team support
- Beyond own ranges develop knowledge of wider category to support cross functionally, and where necessary, deputise for Senior Buyer.
- Ensure all team activity is legally compliant, and that team members are trained in competition law and ethics
- Supporting the prioritisation of the workflow for the Accenture managed service department
What I Need To Know
- Commercial awareness and previous Buying experience essential, preferably within a Non-food Omni-channel environment
- Knowledge of systems and processes in a complex multi-channel environment, adapt at operating in a digital environment and able to balance short- and long-term objectives to deliver the category plan
- Understands the key financial metrics that are used to measure business performance
- A strong enthusiasm for the product, paired with an awareness of the importance of commercial insight A knowledge and understanding of Legal, competition law, anti-bribery and corruption, Intellectual Property.
- Ability to analyse complex data from multiple sources to drive decisions and strategies
- Proven track record of delivering results to targets as an individual and within a team
- Financially astute understands how own business decisions can influence shareholder value.
- Ability to work under pressure in a fast-moving dynamic retail environment
- Ability to identify market trends and opportunities, at pace
- Confidence to influence and engage at all levels. Effective communicator, presenter, and team player with an ability to bring others with them to deliver the strategy
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Essential Criteria
- Experience executing buying decisions within a commercial retail environment, delivering against sales, margin and availability targets
- Experience in devising and executing department strategy to deliver KPI's
- Ability to analyse sales, margin, customer and market data to inform range, pricing and trading decisions
- Experience managing supplier relationships and leading commercial negotiations to agreed outcomes
- Ability to balance commercial, customer and operational considerations when making recommendations
- Experience working cross-functionally with teams such as Merchandising, Sourcing and Digital to deliver shared commercial objectives
#ACDMerchandise
We are committed to being a truly inclusive retailer, so you’ll be welcomed whoever you are and wherever you work. Around here, there’s always the chance to try something new-whether that’s as part of an evolving team or somewhere else across the business - and we take development seriously and promise to support you. We also recognise and celebrate colleagues when they go the extra mile and, where possible, offer flexible working. When you join our team, we’ll also offer you an amazing range of benefits. Here are some of them:
- Starting off with colleague discount, you'll be able to get 10% off at Sainsbury's, Argos, TU and Habitat after 4 weeks. This increases to 15% off at Sainsbury’s every Friday and Saturday and 15% off at Argos every pay day.
- We've also got you covered for your future with our pensions scheme and life cover.
- You'll also be able to share in our success as you may be eligible for a performance-related bonus of up to 10% of salary, depending on how we perform.
- Your wellbeing is important to us too. You'll receive an annual holiday allowance, and you can buy additional holiday.
- We also offer other benefits that will help your money go further such as season ticket loans, cycle to work scheme, health cash plans, pay advance (where you can access some of your pay before pay day) as well access to a great range of discounts from hundreds of other retailers.
- And if you ever need it there is also an employee assistance programme.
- Moments that matter are as important to us as they are to you which is why we give up to 26 weeks’ pay for maternity or adoption leave and up to 4 weeks’ pay for paternity leave.
Please see www.sainsburys.jobs for a range of our benefits (note, length of service and eligibility criteria may apply).
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