Category Trading Manager - Bakery, Head Office
Before I moved into food retail I was actually a professional golfer but soon realised I needed to find myself a career, so I decided on the food industry! I started out as a graduate with one of the big four retailers and my first role with them was in Corporate Marketing which then led me into becoming a Chilled Buyer. In 2006 I decided I wanted a new challenge and as a result joined The Co-operative Group.
Looking at the Group from the outside, I could see the business was moving in a clear strategic direction with huge opportunity for growth. In short I felt it would be a really exciting place to be and so far I haven’t been disappointed.
I am responsible for both the long-term strategic direction of Bakery and the ‘day job’ – namely delivering the sales and profit targets for the total category. The unique store locations we have and thus the relative importance of the bakery offer to our customers makes this a very challenging and enjoyable role.
At the Co-operative, responsible and ethical retailing is a key element of our strategy and such is a part of our working lives. Within Bakery we developed a market leading range of Fairtrade and locally sourced bakery products. I get huge satisfaction out of being part of a team that delivers a great range of products at great value that exceeds our customers expectation.