Food Proposition Manager at WHSmith in London, England, GB

PLEASE NOTE: As part of our organisational changes, our ongoing structure and roles continue to be reviewed. While this role is being advertised, circumstances may change and the role could be withdrawn/amended. At WHSmith our people are at the heart of everything we do. They are the ones that go the extra mile for our customers. The ones that enable our growth. That’s why our Commercial team is passionate about creating an environment where people can be creative and trailblazing in order to do their best work.

Food is a huge part of our proposition and as the Food Proposition Manager you will be responsible for shaping and developing our various food propositions in our travel stores. Ensuring our offer is optimal and fit for the future through our various different models from curation of great brands under the WHSmith name to the various food partnerships we have in place such as M&S and Costa.

Grade D+

What you will be doing:

Analysing & understanding our foodservice performance including opportunities to step this on through range, pricing, promotions & proposition. Working with buyers to implement these changes and managing team delivery of commercial targets including sales, profit, margin & supplier income. Defining our foodservice and proposition strategy across all of our formats & working with buyers and cross functional teams to bring this strategy to life. Defining what our various food propositions are and under what circumstances they would be deployed including identifying gaps in our offer and providing recommendations for addressing these. Enhancing our reputation in food through our proposition development and our relationships with both brand partners as well as landlords. Using various sources to keep up to date with customer trends and competitor offers to ensure we remain at the forefront of the foodservice & hospitality market. Interpret and use this information to initiate and influence new propositions that will enhance our customer offer. Influencing & project managing key stakeholders and teams to continue to enhance our food offer, in particular working closely with the Business Development, operations and space & format teams. Defining our future coffee and breakfast offer / key day part food solutions including the potential for hot food to unlock this opportunity in more locations including recommendations around which proposition to deploy in each location. Coaching and supporting workstreams through to completion, ensuring our foodservice vision is delivered. Ensuring that all change is reviewed, successes are shared, improvements are acted upon and that learnings are carried forward to future propositions.

What we are looking for:

Food service experience A love of food with previous experience either in food buying or category management The ability to work under pressure, to tight deadlines and with ambiguity Strong interpersonal skills, able to build strong relationships and can influence at all levels both internally and with our external partners and landlords Exceptional communication skills, written and verbal with the ability to clearly articulate messages to a variety of audience Commercially astute; technically savvy and able to operate independently and take accountability

How we reward our teams:

Hybrid Working Model from home and in the office 4pm Friday Finish Flexible Working 25 Days holiday, plus your Birthday off, plus Bank Holidays with an opportunity to buy extra days holiday Family Friendly Leave Pension Scheme Sharesave Scheme Annual Bonus based on company and personal performance Competitive Salary and Car Allowance Private Medical Staff Discount Card for stores and online

About us:

Celebrating 230 years, we’re proud to have grown and evolved into a globally recognised brand present in over 30 countries around the world, and we’re proud to be that air of familiarity people love and trust on their journey, both in life and through life. As a diverse group of over 12,000 colleagues, we are all on the same journey to a better business through our commitments to our planet, people and the communities we serve.

Our UK Travel office is based in a buzzing part of central London close to Liverpool Street Station. We are an ambitious team that thrives on pace, collaboration and innovation resulting in a real entrepreneurial culture. It’s perfect for people who are happy to use their initiative and embrace life outside their comfort zone.

WHSmith are proud to be an inclusive employer, we want our colleagues to feel welcome, and free to be themselves with us.