New Business Lead

Marketplace & Digital Retail

London | Hybrid - 2 days per week in the office

Are you commercially driven, with experience in retail, buying, e-commerce, marketplaces or sales ? We're looking for a New Business Lead to help accelerate the growth of our online retail proposition by identifying, acquiring and onboarding exciting new brands, sellers and suppliers. This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who understands retail and knows how to spot a good commercial opportunity, whether your background is in Buying, Assistant Buying, Junior Buying, Marketplace, Business Development, Sales or Supplier Acquisition. The role is based from a fantastic central London office, close to Oxford Circus, with a hybrid working model requiring just 2 days per week in the office.

The opportunity

You'll play a key role in expanding online ranges, working across two digital fulfilment models:

• Marketplace, powered by Mirakl
• Dropship Vendor (DSV), supported by Virtualstock

You'll identify high-potential brands, suppliers and sellers, build relationships, negotiate commercial opportunities and take partners through the journey from initial conversation to successful launch. You'll work closely with Buying, Marketplace, Digital, Merchandising, Content and Operations teams to identify gaps in the range, respond to customer demand and bring new commercial opportunities into the business.

What you'll be doing

• Identify and recruit new brands, suppliers and marketplace sellers across priority categories.
• Build and manage a strong pipeline of prospective partners.
• Research the market to identify emerging brands, trends, competitors and new commercial opportunities.
• Identify gaps within the existing online proposition and source relevant brands and products to address them.
• Manage opportunities from initial outreach through commercial negotiation, contracting, onboarding and launch.
• Lead commercial discussions and negotiate terms with prospective partners.
• Explore opportunities for marketing investment and Advertising Revenue (ADREV).
• Negotiate promotional activity to support successful launches and early sales performance.
• Work closely with Buyers and wider stakeholders to keep everyone informed of pipeline activity and opportunities.
• Attend trade shows, supplier meetings, industry events and webinars to identify potential partners.
• Support the onboarding process and ensure new sellers and suppliers are ready to trade successfully.

Who are we looking for? We're open-minded about background. You don't necessarily need to have held a New Business title before .

You could be an experienced:

• Buyer
• Assistant Buyer
• Junior Buyer
• Marketplace Executive / Manager
• Business Development Executive / Manager
• Sales Executive / Manager
• Supplier Acquisition or Partnerships professional
• E-commerce professional

What matters most is that you are commercially minded, confident building relationships and able to identify opportunities and turn them into results. You'll ideally have experience within retail, e-commerce, marketplaces or a digital platform, and be comfortable dealing with brands, suppliers or sellers. Experience with Mirakl and/or Virtualstock would be highly desirable, although training and transferable marketplace experience will be considered. We'd particularly welcome people who have worked in fast-paced retail or commercial environments. You'll ideally have:

• 3-5+ years' experience in a relevant commercial, retail, sales, buying or marketplace environment.
• Experience dealing with suppliers, sellers, brands or commercial partners.
• A good understanding of e-commerce and online retail.
• Experience with seller/product compliance.
• Strong commercial awareness and an ability to identify opportunities.
• Excellent communication, influencing and negotiation skills.
• Strong written, numerical and analytical skills.
• Good Excel skills, including formulas and graphs.
• Excellent organisation and prioritisation skills.
• A collaborative approach and the confidence to work cross-functionally.

Why this role?

This is an opportunity to join a rapidly growing retail business and play a genuine role in shaping the online proposition for three well-known UK retail brands. You'll have the opportunity to work across marketplace, dropship, buying, supplier acquisition and e-commerce, giving you exposure to a broad range of commercial activity.

Position: Permanent, Full-time Hours: Monday-Friday, 08:45-17:30 Location: London - minimum 2 days per week in office Salary: Competitive / confidential BH37507