2026 Buying & Commercial Graduate

Team**:Fresh**

Ref.**:VN1097**

Type**:Permanent**

Location**:Hatfield**

**Buying & Commercial Graduate Scheme 2026**

**Contract type**:Permanent

**Scheme Start Date**:September 2026

**Location**:Hatfield (Blended working - 3 days in the office)

**Working hours per week**:40 hours

**Level**:Entry Level - Graduate

**Application Opening Date**:Monday 20th October

**Application Closing Date**:Sunday 9th November

**Starting Salary**:£30,000

**To read more about Ocado Retail and our Graduate schemes, visit our**Careers Page****

**About Us**

Our mission is to deliver joy in every shop, through unbeatable choice, unrivalled service, and reassuringly good value.

**Buying at Ocado Retail**

The buying team is responsible for putting the customer at the heart of everything we do, truly living and breathing what our customers want to see when they shop with us

Our team of buyers curates their ranges to deliver the unique customer experience gleaned from the largest range in the industry. They analyse consumer buying patterns, predict future trends, and work alongside our suppliers to maximize our offering to our customers. All of this is coupled with regularly reviewing performance indicators and profitability to manage the performance of their categories.

No day is the same as our buyers continually work to ensure we offer the right products, at the right time in the right place

The end goal is that you will be provided with the support and training to reach Level 2 Buyer at the end of your 24-month scheme within the Buying Function or wider business.

**What you’ll do**
- The 24-month buying scheme consists of rotations across our buying and commercial division
- Within each rotation, you’ll be an integral part of the team, delivering a project and developing your skills to be a strong commercial buyer
- You will be negotiating with suppliers, finding amazing products to stock on Ocado, and making sure we offer our customers fair value while you do it
- In your buying placement, you will learn from our expert buyers whilst having the responsibility to drive your own category with the support of your line manager
- We’ll give you a strong foundation in the skills you need to become a buyer including negotiation, category management, data analytics and e-commerce training
- In addition to your core scheme, you will have the opportunity for cross-functional rotations to gain broader business exposure outside of your primary discipline

**Who you are**
- Someone who is passionate about understanding market trends and customer preferences to position Ocado as the UK’s best online supermarket
- Analytical, and data-driven individuals who can network and build relationships internally, and with suppliers to deliver the best results for our customers
- Someone who is good at generating ideas and thinking innovatively to deliver commercial objectives of sales, profitability, and share growth
- Someone who likes to negotiate to get a great deal, and feels confident having the occasional difficult conversation to get the best outcome for our customers
- Someone who is excited about working in retail
- Someone who loves great products and finding the next innovation in food or household goods
- Someone who is good at thinking on their feet and not afraid to challenge constructively

**Expectations During and After the Scheme**
- An open mind and willingness to learn new skills
- Demonstrating an interest in retail and customer behaviours
- Taking time to build strong relationships both within Ocado and with suppliers
- Proactively seeking out new ideas to drive the category you’ll be looking out for forwards

**What You Need To Apply**
- CV & Cover Letter - Why Ocado Retail? Why this scheme? What do you hope to achieve/gain?
- Excel skills are an advantage
- Graduate with a 2.2 or above from an accredited UK University
- The legal right to work in the United Kingdom upon scheme commencement and **duration of the scheme**

**When will you hear from us?**

**How will we contact you?**

**Our Learning & Development Promise**

There are great opportunities to grow careers within our high-performing and innovative business. These range from deepening your experience and expertise to potentially taking on management responsibility or even pivoting your career to do something completely different.

Our career management principles exist to help the realisation of career ambitions, whatever they might be.

**Driven by you**

**Supported by your manager**

You should feel that you can have open and productive conversations with your manager about your career and development. They are there to coach you, act as a mentor, signpost opportunities and be an advocate for you within the business.

**Backed by ORL**

We are committed to ensuring that the right tools are there for you. Our learning system ‘Walnut’ is your one-stop shop for all your learning needs.

**What’s in it for you**

By joining Ocado Retail you’ll hav