Buying Director - Wine

Company overview

Coterie Holdings UK Limited is a parent company overseeing a group of wine-centric businesses. Its portfolio includes wine merchants, bonded storage services, and wine lending activities. The organisation delivers joined-up support across the wine sector, helping clients with sourcing, warehousing, and financing. With operations in the UK and overseas, it works with both private and trade clients who value premium wines and related services. Employees collaborate across several business areas, creating exposure to specialists in wine buying, logistics, and financial services.

Role summary

This senior buying leadership position is responsible for shaping and improving wine portfolios for designated countries and regions, aligned with category strategy across the business units and territories where the group operates. You will have end-to-end ownership of your assortment, continually refining ranges to align with the company’s goal of working with top-tier suppliers worldwide. The role is strongly commercial and focuses on maximising profitability and growth, while working with the Group Buying Director, Global Portfolio Director, Brand teams, and Operations teams to ensure decisions are executed effectively in the UK and local markets.

Key responsibilities

• Build the category plan for each region and country across the different business units and territories.
• Deliver against commercial targets, especially sales, margin, working capital, and stock levels.
• Control commercial terms on the sourcing platform, including pricing, support, margin delivery against target, payment terms aligned to group terms, production lead times, and supplier agreements.
• Set supplier strategy for major suppliers across Coterie, in line with buying and sales leadership, so that core strategic suppliers create the strongest commercial value and synergies.
• Manage supplier relationships from a commercial standpoint and arrange review meetings to assess performance and identify improvement opportunities.
• Agree regional and country category plans with the Global Portfolio Manager and Brand Manager.
• Review wine performance against margin and volume hurdle rates by channel, remove duplicated lines, and delist weak performers to improve efficiency.
• Take ownership of stock levels across business units and work with operations to support stocking policy and forecasting.
• Work with the Global Portfolio Manager to define channel strategy and sales targets for each wine, then monitor results.
• Develop a pipeline of new agencies and suppliers to support growth and strengthen the business offering.
• Partner with Operations so portfolio choices improve distribution efficiency and support group working capital needs.
• Ensure owned-IP wines are positioned effectively across the group to maximise brand equity and distribution value.
• Help shape the group supplier contract policy and draft documentation that protects the business while improving commercial outcomes.
• Make sure agreed actions from strategy meetings are implemented on time with the Group Wine Director.
• Handle the interface with international partners operating under different models.
• Represent the company with suppliers, customers, internal colleagues, and the wider wine industry.
• Contribute to the ongoing expansion of Coterie and its wider team.

Experience and qualifications

The role calls for more than 5 years of senior-level buying experience, plus international exposure in wine buying, retail, and distribution. A WSET Diploma or higher is required. Previous management experience is preferred.

Skills and behaviours

• Strong commercial judgement and business focus
• Long-term strategic thinking
• Excellent verbal and written communication
• Knowledge of systems and process mapping
• Deep wine expertise, including key production regions
• Strong interpersonal and presentation ability with audience-aware communication
• Comfort working with data and digital tools
• Language skills, ideally French, Spanish, or Italian

Additional information

This is a full-time role with regular international travel. The position is flexible and can be based in either Mayfair or Luton, with the option to work from home.

What the company offers

• Pay is dependent on experience.
• Annual bonus plan based on company and individual performance.
• Matched pension contributions of 5% from both employee and employer.
• Bupa private healthcare.
• Company-funded social events.
• Opportunity for wine education sponsorship.
• Team member discount on wine.
• A chance to grow a career rather than simply fill a role.

Application instructions

Candidates are asked to submit a cover letter outlining their value for the position together with a CV to the People team.