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About this position

The Buying Director - Wine is responsible for formulating and implementing the strategic roadmap for the wine category, ensuring alignment with business objectives and customer needs while managing supplier relationships and optimizing product selection.

Responsibilities

• Category Strategy Development: Formulate and implement the strategic roadmap for the wine category, aligning with Tops’ overall business objectives and customer needs.
• Supplier Relationship Management: Build and maintain strong partnerships with both local and international wine producers, distributors, and suppliers to ensure access to top-quality and exclusive products, while negotiating favorable terms.
• Product Selection & Range Optimization: Curate a broad and diverse selection of wines, ensuring the portfolio caters to various customer segments from entry-level to premium wine buyers, including unique regional and private label offerings.
• Merchandising Execution: Develop and execute innovative merchandising plans that enhance product visibility, drive foot traffic, and optimize sales across stores and e-commerce platforms.
• Pricing Strategy: Lead competitive pricing strategies, balancing cost-efficiency with profitability, and ensuring competitive positioning in the Thai retail market.
• Inventory Management: Collaborate with supply chain and logistics teams to ensure effective inventory control, reduce stockouts, and manage slow-moving products, ensuring a seamless customer experience.
• Market & Consumer Insights: Leverage market data, consumer insights, and wine trends to continuously adapt and innovate the product range, ensuring Tops stays at the forefront of the retail wine industry.
• Collaboration Across Departments: Work closely with marketing and store operations teams to create compelling in-store promotions, campaigns, and customer engagement activities, driving sales and customer loyalty.
• Team Leadership & Development: Lead, inspire, and develop the buying and merchandising team, ensuring effective succession planning and fostering a results-driven culture.

Requirements

• Experience: Minimum 10 years of experience in buying, merchandising, or category management, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role in the wine or alcoholic beverages category, ideally within the retail sector.
• Industry Expertise: Strong knowledge of the wine industry, including global wine regions, sourcing, and distribution networks, with an understanding of the Thai market.
• Commercial Skills: Proven track record in category growth, margin management, and supplier negotiation.
• Leadership Skills: Strong leadership and people management abilities, with a focus on team development and collaborative working environments.
• Analytical Skills: Excellent analytical and data-driven decision-making abilities, with the capacity to act on insights to optimize performance.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or a related field. Wine certifications such as WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) are highly desirable.
• Language Skills: Fluency in both Thai and English is required.

Benefits