About the position
Role Summary
The Regional Produce Buyer is responsible for sourcing, negotiating, and managing fresh produce supply for the region, ensuring high-quality products at competitive prices, maintaining supplier relationships, and staying informed about market trends. The Regional Produce Buyer plays a critical role in driving the freshness and quality of the produce offering, ensuring customer satisfaction and supporting the region's profitability.
Minimum Requirements
Bachelor's degree/Diploma in Supply Chain, Procurement, Business Management, or a related field
Minimum of 3-5 years' experience in a retail buying/procurement role, preferably in FMCG or grocery retail
Proven and consistent success on financial KPI's
Extensive commercial knowledge
In-depth knowledge of store operations combined with category knowledge and in store execution
SAP knowledge is an added advantage
Competencies
Sound knowledge of buying fundamentals and in depth knowledge of product costings
Ability to understand building of recipes and factoring in various relatable costs, from raw material to packaging
Ability to understand and analyse complex detailed information to identify the source of the issues and recommend solutions to enhance the category performance
Have the understanding of all Commercial levers in Foods retail
Commerical and Financial Acumen
Judgement and Decision Making
Networking and Relationship Building
Excellent Communications skills (Verbal and Written)
Sound Negotiation and Influencing skills
Good Presentation skills
Key Responsibilities
Market Visits:
Conduct regular visits to local markets to understand customer needs, gather insights, and identify opportunity buys for business growth and product promotion.
Regional Supplier Visits:
Build and maintain strong relationships with key suppliers in the region, ensuring optimal product availability and alignment on pricing, promotions, and distribution strategies. Identify new supplier opportunities in the region to service the region
Competition Trade Visits:
Monitor competitors' activities by reviewing their offerings and pricing, helping the team adjust strategies to stay ahead in the market.
Flushes/Bulk Buy Negotiations:
Negotiate bulk purchase deals with suppliers to achieve cost savings and maximize profitability for the region.
Market Days in Regions:
Plan and execute market days in specific regions to boost brand presence and product awareness while engaging directly with customers and driving sales.
Regional Store Adverts:
Coordinate with regional stores to create and place targeted advertising that resonates with the local customer base and drives traffic to physical and online stores.
Regional Weekly Advert:
Oversee the development of weekly advertisements for the region, ensuring that all promotional materials align with the broader marketing strategy and drive customer engagement.
Evaluate merchandising plans and their business impact; make recommendations for modifying plans based on findings.
Integrate with Store Operations and Store teams to drive the implementation of the category plan
Demonstrate confidence and expertise when interacting with regional suppliers whilst reinforcing the importance of Pick n Pay's values, buying strategies and corporate initiatives
