WHSmith
Trading Director - Non Food
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Trading Director – Non Food
Location: London – Aldgate East
Reports to: Commercial Director
Closing date: 19 August 2026
About WHSmith
At WHSmith, our people are at the heart of everything we do. They are the ones who go the extra mile for our customers, enable our growth and help us continue to evolve as a business.
Celebrating 230 years, we’re proud to have grown into a globally recognised brand, operating across more than 30 countries worldwide. With over 11,000 colleagues, we’re on a shared journey to build a better business through our commitments to our people, our planet and the communities we serve.
Our UK Travel business provides a platform for global brands and essential products across airports, hospitals, rail stations and other markets, including our InMotion stores. Based in a vibrant part of central London, close to Aldgate East, we’re an ambitious team that thrives on pace, collaboration and innovation. Our entrepreneurial culture means there are plenty of opportunities to use your initiative, challenge the status quo and make a real impact.
About the role
As Trading Director – Non Food, you will provide senior commercial leadership across our Non Food trading operation, which covers Consumer Electronics, General Merchandise and Reading categories. You will be responsible for setting the strategy and direction to deliver sustainable sales, margin and cash growth.
You’ll lead a multi-layered commercial team across Buying, Merchandising and wider commercial functions, while taking full ownership of the trading strategy and P&L. This is a high-profile leadership role where you’ll influence the future direction of our categories, supplier relationships, customer proposition and commercial performance.
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What you’ll be doing
- Commercial leadership: Lead the overall commercial team, setting direction and ensuring aligned delivery across Buying, Merchandising and wider commercial functions.
- Trading strategy: Own and deliver the trading strategy to achieve sales, margin and cash targets across all categories.
- P&L ownership: Take full financial accountability, driving accurate forecasting, budgeting and effective in-year performance management.
- Category strategy: Shape long-term category strategies and ensure consistent execution through the Head of Buying and Buying Managers.
- Supplier negotiations: Lead key supplier negotiations and establish the commercial negotiation framework across the buying organisation.
- Range optimisation: Oversee range frameworks to ensure mission-aligned, space-efficient assortments across Travel and High Street.
- Pricing & promotions: Set pricing and promotional strategies that strengthen competitiveness and drive profitable growth.
- Team leadership: Directly lead the Head of Buying and oversee Buying Managers, building capability, clarity and a high-performing commercial team.
- Customer insight: Use customer missions, data and market trends to shape category decisions and identify new growth opportunities.
- Operational excellence: Drive process improvement, commercial discipline and more efficient ways of working across the commercial function.
About you
We’re looking for an experienced senior commercial leader who can operate confidently in a fast-paced retail or FMCG environment. You’ll bring:
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- Significant experience leading multi-layered buying teams, including Heads of Buying, Buying Managers and Buyers.
- A proven track record of leading change across a range of different categories.
- Strong negotiation and supplier management skills.
- A demonstrable track record of delivering sales and margin growth.
- Strong analytical and financial acumen, including significant P&L ownership experience.
- Experience developing and inspiring high-performing commercial teams and talent pipelines.
- A sharp commercial mindset with a relentless focus on value creation.
- A customer-obsessed and insight-led approach to decision making.
- The ability to build strong, influential relationships across functions and at all levels of an organisation.
- Resilience, decisiveness and the ability to thrive in a fast-moving environment.
- A curious and innovative mindset, with a genuine commitment to continuous improvement.
What we can offer you
- Competitive salary and car allowance
- Annual bonus based on company and personal performance
- Hybrid working model, combining home and office working
- 25 days’ holiday, plus your birthday off and bank holidays, with the opportunity to buy additional days
- Finish at 4pm on a Friday
- Competitive pension contribution
- Staff discount card for WHSmith stores and online
Interested?
If you’re an experienced commercial leader looking for an opportunity to make a significant impact within a globally recognised business, we’d love to hear from you.
Closing date: 19 August 2026.
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