Assistant Buyer

**Assistant Buyer - Menswear**:
**Salary**:Competitive Plus Benefits**
**Location**:Coventry Store Support Centre - Ansty Park and Home, Coventry, CV7 9RD**
**Contract type**:Permanent**
**Business area**:Food Commercial**
**Closing date**:17 November 2025**
**Requisition ID**:400033853**:
We’d all like amazing work to do, and real work-life balance. That’s waiting for you at Sainsbury’s. Here, everything in our stores starts out in Food Commercial. Whether it’s the product, proposition, packaging or price, or the fact that something tastes great, our team is responsible for all food items available in store, digitally and on demand. You’ll discover it’s incredibly fast-paced. People here are in it together and not afraid to take risks. They’re enthusiastic too, and their amazing leadership team is right behind them. The knowledge and experience you gain here could set you up for career moves, anywhere else in the business. So, if you’re passionate about food and just as hungry to learn, you’ll fit in perfectly.

Our Buying team plays a crucial role in delivering our business strategy. Joining our friendly and passionate team means being part of an exciting and fast-paced environment where you can contribute to our ambitious growth plans. We value work-life balance and offer flexibility in our ways of working, allowing you to find the right balance that works for you. As an Assistant Buyer, you will have the opportunity to work with a dynamic range of products, developing strategies to enhance sales and profitability while understanding the needs and preferences of our customers. With previous buying experience and a passion for product, this role offers a platform for you to showcase your analytical skills, negotiation abilities, and commercial acumen.

What you'll do

You will play a vital role in delivering our ambitious growth plans and offering our customers a great range of products at competitive prices. You will contribute to the development of the 3-6 month promotional strategy for your category, ensuring accuracy in pricing across all channels. With a keen eye for relationship building and negotiation, coupled with your analytical approach, you will help drive sales and profit by implementing a variety of strategies. Your role will involve optimising the product range, considering the in-store experience and its impact on customers and store colleagues. Collaboration with the Product Development (PD) team and global sourcing will be crucial in setting quality criteria for own label products. Critical path management and approval processing will be a day to day activity. As part of a fast-paced environment, you will showcase your problem-solving skills and ability to work with UK and oversees suppliers, while efficiently managing administrative duties and sample management. Overall, your expertise in buying, combined with your commercial acumen and attention to detail, will be key in contributing to the success of our team.

Who you are

You are an experienced professional with a background in buying, preferably in a retail setting, and possess a deep understanding of product assortment, market trends, and the need for commercial acumen. Your strong analytical and numerical skills, combined with excellent communication and organisational abilities, enable you to contribute to range optimization, pricing accuracy, and promotional strategies. You are skilled in building relationships with UK suppliers and negotiating effectively, while working collaboratively with cross-functional teams. With your problem-solving mindset and ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment, you play a crucial role in driving sales, ensuring product quality, and maintaining customer satisfaction.

Essential Criteria: - Previous buying team experience with an understanding of key commercial KPI’s e.g sales and profit, ideally in a menswear or clothing setting.
- Excel Proficiency - intermediate skills required
- High degree of accuracy - will thrive in a busy environment and maintain data accuracy
- Strong organisational skills - be able to demonstrate ability to prioritise workload
- Collaboration - strong team player who can work with multiple stakeholders.
- Problem-Solving Mindset - ability to adapt and find creative solutions.
- Communication skills - ability to contribute to meetings, update team on progress and outstanding actions.
- Hybrid working - required on site two/three times a week, can vary from week to week.
- 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 be