Senior Buyer

Job Requisition ID: 160614 

Established in the 1930s as a trading business, Al-Futtaim Group today is one of the most diversified and progressive, privately held regional businesses headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Structured into five operating divisions; automotive, financial services, real estate, retail and healthcare; employing more than 35,000 employees across more than 20 countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, Al-Futtaim Group partners with over 200 of the world's most admired and innovative brands. Al-Futtaim Group’s entrepreneurship and relentless customer focus enables the organization to continue to grow and expand; responding to the changing needs of our customers within the societies in which we operate. 

By upholding our values of respect, excellence, collaboration and integrity; Al-Futtaim Group continues to enrich the lives and aspirations of our customers each and every day

About the Role:

You will be responsible driving the success of our Fresh & Frozen categories at M&S, reporting directly to the Head of Food. You will collaborate with our brand principle and internal stakeholders, analyse market trends, and develop strategies to maximise sales and profit through delivering optimised product selection, pricing, and inventory management.  

Responsibilities:

Forecasting and Inventory Management

•    Ensure merchandise catalogue meets customer requirements, reflects the best of M&S and delivers our financial objectives.

•    Manage stock commitment at country and store level to maximise sales and profitability through effective planning, forecasting and allocation.

•    Work collaboratively with 3PLs and authorities to overcome potential supply and logistics related challenges.

Pricing and Profitability

•    Set and maintain clear price structures which are both competitive in the market and achieve our financial objectives.

•    Maximise profitability through commercial data driven analysis.  

Stakeholder Management

•    Foster a positive working partnership with retail teams and conduct regular store visits to gauge customer feedback and identify market trends. 

•    Collaborate with marketing and VM to develop and execute promotional activities which drive positive customer behaviours and deliver sales targets.

•    Liaise effectively, and positively influence the M&S UK principle food team for the enhancement of the food business in Singapore. 

Market/Customer Trends

•    Maintain strong awareness of local and global food retail trends, understanding customer patterns to develop strategies for growth.

•    Perform regular market analysis to generate new ideas and identify opportunities and threats. 

Requirements:
•    A Degree with 5+ years of buying experience, preferably with experience in Food or FMGG industry
•    Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data to solve problems and make data-driven decisions.
•    Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to lead and motivate a team.
•    Ability to work independently, with strong attention to detail 
•    Knowledge of Singapore legislation and regulations governing the importation and sale of Food would be an added advantage.
 

About Al-Futtaim Retail

Al-Futtaim Retail has established itself as one of the leaders in Retail across the Middle East, Africa & Asia over the past 30 years. We have developed partnerships with some of the biggest and most respected Brands in the world including IKEA, ACE and Toys R Us in the Middle East and the Inditex Group of Brands (Zara, Mango, Bershka and P&B) across Asia. We are also one of the largest Global partners of Marks and Spencer’s in both regions with over 75 stores offering both fashion & food options.
 
Most recently we have been responsible for bringing brands to the Middle East for the first time with the exciting launches of Watsons and B&Q and we aim to continue to be agile and adaptive to our markets with new launches and further development. For this to be possible we aim to recruit the best talent from all backgrounds who will continue to challenge and develop our diverse workforce which includes over 100 nationalities across 12 countries. Join us today and make a difference…