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 Buyer 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 you will lead the Tea category, manage the full buying lifecycle and support the team through category strategy, product development and supplier management. In return you’ll benefit from hybrid working, generous holiday allowance, fantastic product discounts and investments in your professional training and development.
Responsibilities
- Own and deliver the Tea category strategy, balancing core ranges, innovation and seasonal launches
- Lead end‑to‑end product development (NPD and EPD) from concept through to launch
- Use customer insight, trends and performance data to shape range planning
- Ensure all products meet Whittard's high standards of taste, quality and presentation
- Build and maintain strong relationships with global suppliers and lead commercial negotiations
- Identify new sourcing opportunities, origins and innovations
- Partner cross‑functionally with Marketing, Retail, E‑commerce, Wholesale, Merchandising, Quality and Supply Chain
About You
- Significant experience as a Buyer or Category Manager within retail or FMCG
- A strong track record of managing a commercially important category end‑to‑end
- Proven experience developing and launching new products in a branded environment
- Excellent negotiation and supplier management skills, ideally with global suppliers
- Skilled in interpreting customer insight, category data and market trends
- Commercially curious, proactive and highly organised
- Thrives in cross‑functional environments and enjoys influencing stakeholders
- Experience in tea, hot beverages, food & drink or premium consumables (desirable)
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!
Whittard of Chelsea is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We thrive to be a diverse and an inclusive organisation. We want to be a place where differences are recognised and celebrated, with a workforce that builds teams from all individualities, backgrounds, and experiences.
Together as a Whittard family, we continue to create a culture that encourages, supports, and inspires all our employees to have a voice, to make a positive difference in helping to develop our ambitious brand.