Buying

We are particularly interested to hear from those graduates who are available to commence the programme in Summer 2010.

Our Food, Corporate Purchasing, Fashion and General Merchandise teams together make up our Commercial function, the second largest function within the Tesco business. Our teams drive and deliver the phenomenal sales and profit growth to ensure we maintain our number one position in the UK.

Decisions we make in the Commercial team directly affect all our customers and stores, as well as the rest of the business as a whole. It’s our job to make sure we offer the best range of products, at the best possible prices. Put it this way - product is our lifeblood.

As a Graduate Trainee Buyer you will see yourself on a structured development programme which will ensure you have the skills you’ll need to succeed in our fast-paced world. Whether you want to work with our suppliers around the globe, manage our £ multi-million budgets, or develop new products and research the latest trends - your role will be key to delivering our strategy for growth.

We are looking for Graduates who are keen to develop a breadth of experience across our Commercial categories, and as your development programme will be very much on-the-job, you could see yourself starting in Dairy, moving to Produce and ultimately ending up as a Buyer in Electricals. Likewise, you may decide that Fashion is for you and stay in Fashion for the length of your career.

For a taste of what you may experience in each of the teams within Commercial, read on..

Fashion

Our fashion range is a great example of Tesco taking a new idea and really making it work.

These days Tesco fashion has something for everyone, with prices to suit every pocket. The real success has been our brands, led by Florence + Fred and Cherokee – amongst the fastest growing fashion brands in the UK.

Our unique selling proposition is great quality, credible fashion and amazing prices. "Fast fashion" is something we're really good at - spotting the latest trends and getting the clothes into store before anyone else. We're even getting reviewed in the likes of Vogue - which shows Tesco really has helped put supermarket chic on the map.

Tesco Fashion Buyers are some of the most well respected fashion experts in the UK retail industry. So having a passion for the latest trends will ensure you get off to a flying start. All our fashion Buyers work closely with their merchandising team to build the product range, ensuring we have the best shapes, styles and colours for our customers. With suppliers based around the world from the Far East to Europe and the UK, you’ll need highly developed communication skills so that you can play your part in negotiating the best products and prices for our customers.

Find out more from one of our graduates.

Food

Our company began selling groceries, and food still remains at the very heart of who we are and what we do today.

Because everyone is welcome at Tesco, we appreciate that our customers have different tastes and requirements. That’s why we want graduates who can put products at the heart of our business by improving prices for our customers and developing partnerships with suppliers.

From the very start, we’ll expect you to get involved in decisions that determine what we sell and at what price.

Our Food Buyers negotiate with suppliers around the world to get the best products, ensuring each of our stores have the right mix for our customers. Playing a vital role in sourcing those products, in optimum quantities and from the most appropriate country (according to the seasons), will see you challenged to deliver results almost from day one.

The food environment is extremely fast- paced and one of the most highly reactive in the business. We will give you all the support you need to complete our development programme, but it goes without saying that you will need to demonstrate the drive, commercial understanding and have bags of enthusiasm to really fly high

Corporate Purchasing

We buy everything that we don’t sell in our stores. Uniforms for over 200,000 employees, office equipment, stationery, materials to build or refurbish stores, in-store display stands, cabinets, fridges and freezers and even our delivery vans and trucks. It all adds up to a budget of around £2.8 billion each year.

You’d think that we’re removed from our customers. Far from it. In fact, we’re totally customer focused, because all the money we save goes to customers. How? Well we have systems that track the savings and where that money’s reinvested. So we can trace exactly what value we’ve added to the customer.

We focus on getting the best deals for the Tesco business. So a lot of our work involves negotiating with suppliers and visiting stores. You’ll be looking for the best possible products and services at the best prices so we can pass the savings on to our customers.

General Merchandise

Step into a Tesco store and it's pretty obvious we mean business when it comes to expanding our non-food range so that our customers have an even bigger choice - from flat screen TVs to wooden train sets and everything in-between.

Constantly introducing brand new products each season, we are the biggest growth area in our non-food business - but there's plenty of scope for more success. We go to the best suppliers around the world, buying for less so we can pass the savings on to our customers.

Our General Merchandise Buyers are tasked with delivering our promise to be just as well known for non-food as we are for food. That’s no mean feat in this competitive market and you’ll be part of delivering this strategy for growth. You’ll work closely with the merchandising team for your given area taking part in planning and building the best product offer for our customers and sourcing the best value product from suppliers based around the world, from Turkey, to China and back to the UK.

To join us as a Graduate Trainee Buyer we are looking for a minimum 2:1 degree or equivalent (obtained or expected). And 240 UCAS points at A Level/Scottish Highers or other equivalent qualifications (excluding General Studies).