Buyer - Fruit

M&S Food is changing, and fast! We are undergoing one of the biggest transformations in retailing today to build a bigger, better, fresher food business. From Percy Pig to the freshest M&S Select Farms produce, we grow, source, and develop our own products to give our customers family-ready food that's unbeatable on flavour and innovation. We need motivated people who are ready to bring their whole self to work and give it their all in a fast-paced team committed to being the best. After all, this is not just food… This is M&S Food.

Join our team as a Fruit Scout! Dive into the vibrant world of markets, orchards, and farms to discover the juiciest, more flavourful fruits. If you have a keen eye for quality, a nose for ripeness and a passion for fresh produce, this role is perfect for you. Help us bring the best, hand-picked fruits to our customers and make every bite a delightful experience.

We're at our best when we're close to customers, and for many of us at M&S, that means working in store every day.

To stay close to customers, we expect our support teams to come into the office three days a week. We think that learning comes from working alongside each other, and that spending time with our teams makes us more creative and connected. It also means we can solve problems as soon as they arise, build trust, and get closer to our colleagues.

Being a part of M&S is exactly that – becoming a part and playing your part. We’re an inclusive, dynamic, exciting, and always evolving business built on core values.

Here are some of the benefits we offer that make working for M&S just that little bit more special…

• 20% colleague discount across all M&S products and many of our third party branded products for you and one member of your household.
• Competitive holiday entitlement with the potential to buy extra holiday days.
• We have discretionary bonus schemes depending on your role and our business performance.
• Get cover for twice your salary up to age 70 (double with our Pension Plan).
• We’ll help you save through our Pension Savings Plan, Share Buy and Sharesave schemes.
• Save on everyday costs through discounts and offers and get access to great health benefits.
• Bike/accessory hire with Cycle to Work and save on tax and national insurance.
• Buy the latest technology with interest-free financing directly from your salary.
• Get access to resources to support your wellbeing, including a free virtual GP service.
• Support your favourite charities by donating through your pay or volunteering for them.
• Industry-leading, maternity, paternity, adoption and neo-natal policies, providing support and flexibility for you and your family.

What you'll do

Your key accountabilities will include

• Manage and deliver a PNL (Profit and Loss) against the budget on sales, volume, profit and waste
• Build a sourcing strategy for the category that delivers financially, protects and enhances quality and creates resilience within our supply chains. Set effective range strategies to optimise selling format and product choice, understanding space requirements, ensuring clear range and price architecture
• Build fruitful supplier partnerships through category strategy plans and well-constructed and managed JBPs (Joint Business Plans)
• Actively search for must have innovation whether product or variety
• Be able to breakdown product costs including the impact of currency, logistics, cost of labour, packhouse efficiency, production efficiency and overheads

Who you are

Your skills and experience will include

• Relevant buying experience with an interest in the category
• A real passion for retail, able to work at pace in a commercial environment
• A confident decision maker with strong communication and influencing skills
• An analytical approach, able to use customer information to seize commercial opportunities
• A team focus, able to build positive relationships within the Food Group and Suppliers

Everyone’s welcome

M&S is ready to push boundaries to lead the retail industry into a greener, speedier, more inspiring digital era. That’s why we’re revolutionising how we work and offering our most exciting opportunities yet. There’s never been a better time to be part of our team. Marks & Spencer aims to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers and suppliers. Join us and make an immediate impact.

We are committed to an active Inclusion, Diversity and Equal Opportunities Policy, which starts with our recruitment and selection process, and we are happy to talk flexible working.

If you consider yourself to require reasonable adjustments to any part of our recruitment process, we invite you to share those requirements with us when completing your application. We will make every effort to ensure your needs are met to provide a fair and transparent process of assessment.

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