Purchasing & Assortment Manager Job at Leicester LE BN Full Time NEW

We’re looking for a commercially savvy Purchasing & Assortment Manager to drive profitability, strengthen vendor partnerships, and shape the product strategy for their division across our European business. This is an exciting opportunity to work in a truly international environment, influencing product ranges that support thousands of customers.

What you’ll be doing:

• Leading assortment, vendor selection, contract management and pricing across 7 core markets (UK, Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria & Switzerland), plus coordination with Italy, Spain & France.

• Developing category and product strategies to maximise sales, margins and customer satisfaction.

• Negotiating contracts and building long-term vendor relationships.

• Managing product lifecycles, from new launches to delistings.

• Driving cost savings, own-brand development, and rebate opportunities.

• Collaborating with Sales, Marketing, Supply Chain and Merchandising on promotions and category performance.

• Providing market insights and managing vendor performance against agreements.

About you:

• 5+ years’ purchasing and/or category management experience in an international trading environment.

• Proven track record in negotiation, vendor management and category strategy.

• Strong commercial mindset with the ability to spot risks and opportunities in data.

• Excellent stakeholder management and clear, confident communication.

• Fluent in English (other languages such as French, Dutch or German are an advantage but not essential).

• Skilled in Excel; experience with pricing management or BI tools (e.g. Power BI) a plus.

• Willingness to travel