Express Buying Manager GM / Non FoodHead Office

The Buying Manager is responsible for developing and delivering a commercially successful product range across the Asda Express estate. The role drives sales growth, profitability, availability, and customer satisfaction by creating compelling ranges, negotiating with suppliers, and ensuring stores have the right products at the right price and right time.

Working closely with merchandising, supply chain, retail operations, category planning, and supplier partners, the Buying Manager ensures that Asda Express offers a competitive and convenient proposition for customers while delivering against financial targets.

Key Responsibilities

Commercial Strategy
  • Develop and execute category strategies aligned to the Asda Express trading plan.
  • Identify market trends, customer needs, and emerging opportunities within convenience retail.
  • Build and manage category plans that deliver sales, profit, market share, and customer objectives.
  • Monitor competitor activity and respond appropriately to market changes.
Supplier Management
  • Lead commercial negotiations with suppliers to secure best pricing, promotional funding, rebates, and trading terms.
  • Build strategic partnerships with key suppliers and manufacturers.
  • Conduct regular supplier performance reviews focusing on sales, availability, quality, and profitability.
  • Identify new suppliers and products to enhance the customer offer.
Range & Product Management
  • Develop customer-focused ranges tailored to convenience shopping missions.
  • Introduce new product development opportunities and manage range reviews.
  • Optimise assortment, space allocation, and product lifecycle management.
  • Ensure products meet legal, compliance, and quality requirements.
Promotional Planning
  • Deliver impactful promotional plans that drive footfall and basket spend.
  • Work with marketing teams to maximise campaign effectiveness.
  • Evaluate promotional performance and implement lessons learned to improve future activity.
Financial Management
  • Own category P&L performance.
  • Deliver sales, margin, stock, waste, and cash targets.
  • Manage forecasting and budget planning processes.
  • Analyse trading performance and take corrective actions where required.
Cross-Functional Leadership
  • Partner with Merchandising teams to optimise stock levels and availability.
  • Work with Supply Chain to improve service levels and reduce wastage.
  • Collaborate with Store Operations to ensure successful in-store execution.
  • Influence senior stakeholders through clear data-led recommendations.
Customer Focus
  • Use customer insight and data to shape range and pricing decisions.
  • Improve the overall customer experience within Asda Express stores.
  • Ensure ranges meet local customer needs and changing shopping behaviours.

Key Skills & Experience

Essential
  • Proven buying, category management, or commercial experience within retail, grocery, FMCG, or convenience sectors.
  • Strong negotiation and supplier management skills.
  • Commercially astute with excellent analytical capability.
  • Experience managing category P&L performance.
  • Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills.
  • Ability to make decisions using customer, financial, and market data.
  • Excellent communication and presentation skills.
Desirable
  • Experience within convenience retail or food-to-go categories.
  • Knowledge of wholesale and convenience market dynamics.
  • Experience working with own-brand and branded suppliers.
  • Understanding of merchandising and supply chain processes.
  • Degree-level qualification or equivalent commercial experience.

Everything you'll love

To ensure we balance moments where we know we need to collaborate together and the need for flexibility, Asda has a hybrid way of working with a minimum 3 days a week in one of our Home Offices. Over and above this, each area of Asda may have additional requirements which may require spending more days in the office, visiting suppliers, stores or depots.

You will also get an excellent benefits package including:

  • Discretionary company bonus

  • Company pension up to 7% matched

  • Company Car allowance of £5,700

  • 15% colleague discount in store and online

  • Free access to wellbeing services such as Stream, 24/7 virtual GP, counselling, health and dental cash plans and a 24/7 employee assistance helpline, alongside discounts across a range of services and activities, from airport parking, enhanced to theme parks and cinemas.

  • Asda Allies Inclusion Networks – helping colleagues to make sure everybody is included and that our differences are recognised and celebrated

  • Excellent parental leave policies, including maternity & adoption leave, paternity leave, shared parental leave, neonatal care leave, and support for those doing fertility treatments.

We want all colleagues to be able to bring their best and true selves to work, every day. Simply put, we want our colleagues to be Proud to be Asda and proud to be themselves

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Rewards and Recognition

Benefits you’ll only find here

10% off Asda pet insurance

10% off selected Asda Pharmacy services

10% off Asda Tyres

10% off Asda Travel insurance

20% off Asda Mobile bundles

Free remote GP service

Available to you, your partner and your children, 24/7, year round.

Pension

Save for retirement with contributions paid into your pension account by you and Asda.

Free physiotherapy consultations

Helping you and your partner take care of yourselves with 8 free sessions per year.

Colleague discounts

15% off at our stores - get discounts on groceries and George all year round.

Car cash allowance

Eligible colleagues will receive a cash allowance as part of their benefits package. In addition, all salaried colleagues can choose to register for the Salary Sacrifice Electric Car scheme*.

(*Conditions apply)

Mortgage advice

Whether you’re a first-time buyer, renewing your mortgage, looking at buy to lets, or simply after some advice in getting a mortgage, get free* unbiased advice through the Mortgage Advice Bureau (MAB), one the UKs largest mortgage brokers.

Confidential support helpline

Find free emotional, practical, and financial support that’s fully confidential, through a helpline that’s available 24/7, year round.

Cycle to work

Buy a bike through this scheme and save on tax and national insurance.

Financial support

Find financial wellbeing tools and support, including the ability to stream your pay.

Free eye tests

Head to our in store opticians for a free checkup and take care of your vision.

Bonus

Sharing our success with a discretionary bonus scheme for salaried colleagues that really rewards your contributions.

Cancer support

Guidance and support for you and your family, from before diagnosis, to treatment and beyond.

Paid time off

From holiday to sick leave and other types of leave, such as parental leave.

Mental health support

Access free mental health support for you and your family.

Support and advice with care

If you’re supporting older family or friends with care and support, find free, confidential information, expert support, and guidance about later life care for your loved ones through the Legal & General Care Concierge service.

Hybrid working

To ensure we balance moments where we know we need to collaborate together and the need for flexibility, Asda has a hybrid way of working with a minimum 3 days a week in one of our Home Offices. Each area of Asda may have additional requirements which may require spending more days in the office, visiting suppliers, stores or depots

Save money on every day spends

Access to hundreds of high-street discounted Vouchers, discounts on days out, gym memberships, airport parking, and more

Setting your loved ones up for the future

As part of the team, you’ll get life assurance.

Guaranteed contracted hours

All colleagues are guaranteed weekly contracted hours / guaranteed weekly shifts via their contract of employment which is agreed with the hiring manager.

Holiday buying

Once a year our salaried colleagues are able to buy up to 5 additional days holiday via salary sacrifice (subject to eligibility).

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Our commitment to the Armed Forces

Here at Asda, we’re dedicated to helping the Armed Forces rediscover their everything after service. We guarantee interviews for people who have left service and meet the minimum criteria for a role, provide leave for reservists’ training, support for cadet training, and employment opportunities for their partners. And that’s why we have over a thousand new colleagues from the Armed Forces Service Leaver Community join us every year.

Find out more

Head Office roles

Thinking bigger, looking forwards, and always asking what’s next, Our Head Office teams aren’t afraid to challenge how we think, and embrace fresh perspectives, experiences, and change – all to keep us growing.

Discover our Head Office departments
If you're looking for a new opportunity and you want a challenge within a fast-paced environment with great culture then a role at Asda would be ideal for you.

Polly,

Commercial and Propositions Lead

The flexibility is great, I can attend school events like sports days and I can go for my morning run when I'm working from home and in the office as they have showers.

Tom,

Seasonal Packaging Design Specialist

The role is really varied and diverse. You get involved in so many different things! Everyone is so supportive and really cares about your personal development.

Hayley,

Buying Manager

Work where it works

Here at Asda, we think that the best way to work is to do it where it works best. That’s why all of our teams who are able to work from home, work with each other to figure out a pattern that works for you all, and the business needs. So you can get the most out of work, whether that’s at home, the office, or both.

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