Apprentice Buying Assistant
Start your career with us...
...In Buying, that's right a career where buying fantastic products is what you get to do every week.
Do you thrive on handling multiple tasks at once, whilst being expertly organised? Do you love learning new skills in a fast paced environment? Do you have natural negotiating skills? If so a career in Buying may just be the perfect one for you.
We're looking for Apprentice Buying Assistants to join the Poundland team, based at our Walsall office, you'll enrol onto a Level 4 Buying & Merchandising Apprenticeship, mentored by our talented experienced leaders who want to see you succeed. Beauty, cleaning, laundry, pet homeware, seasonal items and much much more are the products you'll development a deep understanding of.
Why choose us?
- Professional development: A comprehensive induction plan and a recognised QUALIFICATION through our apprenticeship programme.
- Bonus Potential: Unlock the possibility of earning additional bonuses, rewarding your hard work and achievements.
- Free On-Site Parking: Enjoy the convenience of free parking, making your daily commute hassle-free.
- Onsite Coffee Lounge: Take advantage of our onsite coffee lounge, a perfect space to relax and recharge during breaks.
- Exclusive Store Discounts: Receive a 10% discount on most in-store purchases, enhancing your shopping experience.
- Family-Friendly Benefits: Our comprehensive benefits are designed to support your and your family’s needs.
- My Staff Shop: Gain exclusive discounts through our ‘My Staff Shop’ portal, saving on various products and services.
- Life Assurance Cover: Enjoy peace of mind with our life assurance cover, securing your family’s future.
- Health & Wellbeing Programme: Benefit from an employee assistance programme that supports your health and wellbeing.
- Holiday Allowance: Start with 28 days (inc banks) leave entitlement that increases by one day each year (up to 33 days), with the option to buy additional holiday annually. Celebrate your special day off work every year with an extra day’s holiday because we believe birthdays are important.
- Pension Scheme: Plan for the future with our contributory pension scheme, helping you save for a secure retirement.
An apprenticeship with us...
A couple of months after you join us you'll enrol on your 18 month apprenticeship, aligned to either our FMCG or GM functions. With support for your colleagues and your Mentor, you'll be able to apply your learnings to your role, whilst not only gaining the valuable guidance from the apprenticeship provider but also through the Poundland team.
Responsibility will be given early, you'll have your own scheme of work to manage and be able to see your efforts playing out in front of you. Once you have completed your apprenticeship and are ready, Junior Buyer will be just around the corner.
Your day to day will involve:
- Assisting with competitor shopping reports, including website reviews, store visits and analysing promotional activity to see our missed opportunities.
- Supporting the organisation of product samples, you could be part of bringing in the next viral product.
- Being a key support as part of the range build process.
- Taking ownership of spreadsheets, data is key in buying, along with category admin tasks, including the essential critical path for category products.
- Arranging supplier meetings and attending where needed.
- Being apart of the category management team, working across departments, building your internal network and understanding of the product lifecycle.
About you...
Your attention to detail is on point, you can navigate an excel spreadsheet with ease and your analytical skills are second to none. Numbers have always come easy to you, perhaps Maths was your favourite class at school, and you would have gained at least a grade 4/C at GCSE in this subject, along with English.
Aside from skills, your approach is essential; a natural team player, who thrives off being around a bustling workplace environment and is at ease building relationships. Positive, determined, with competitive mindset will make for a fantastic career in buying.
So is this role right for you? You may have just finished college, having done your A-Levels (or equivalent), or you might be a Graduate who is looking for your first step into Buying. If so we could be the employer for you to grow your career with. Apply today and don't forget to include a cover letter at the front of your CV.
About us...
Since our humble beginnings in 1990, Poundland has evolved into a retail powerhouse with over 650 stores and nearly 13,000 dedicated colleagues across the UK and Republic of Ireland. The addition of Dealz in 2011 further solidified our presence, enabling us to reach millions of customers with our unparalleled value offerings.
At Poundland & Dealz, we don't just offer products at unbeatable prices; we cultivate an environment where every colleague can thrive and contribute to our mission of providing amazing value to millions of customers.
Our commitment to excellence, inclusion, and sustainability forms the foundation of our culture, empowering our team members to be the best versions of themselves while making a meaningful impact on the communities we serve. Our behaviours and the hard work, commitment and passion of our wonderful colleagues make it all possible.
We like to keep things simple, so we have just three behaviours that lie at the heart of everything we do and keep us on track. They are Love our customers, Care for our colleagues, and Protect the Pounds and Euros. By living our behaviours every day, we've created a land that is fun, friendly, and full of surprises—a place where our people can truly be the best versions of themselves!
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.