Graeme Foster Email & Phone Number

Bridport

Brewery guide at Palmers brewery in Bridport. Taking visitors round our iconic local brewery. Explaining the brewing process, introducing the 230 year old brewery & some of its antiquated brewing kit. Finally the really difficult part….sampling the excellent range of Palmers beers.

Hitchin, England, United Kingdom

• Successfully developed and ran a gardening and odd jobs service for local villagers.• Built up from a zero base to cover many ongoing repeat customers.• Provided a reliable, friendly and professional solution to customers gardening and odd job requirements.

Welwyn Garden City

• Fixed term contract for maternity cover.• Managed the symbols and Wholesale channels with one direct report.• Helped renegotiate contracts with all larger customers to reflect the changing PayPoint business. • Secured targeted support for the PayPoint One, EPOS product, launch across the Independent Channel. Including signing the biggest contract with any retail group for PayPoint One.

Home Based

• 9 months fixed term contract, extended twice.• P&L responsibility for the £4m “Convenience” channel including Co-op, Majestic, Symbols and all C&C’s.• Successfully developed and re-negotiated trading terms for managed customers. Adding structure and conditionality while securing new profitable distribution.• Secured year one growth in my two main customers, Co-op +66% and Booker 15% YOY via new distribution and improved trading plans.

Hayes

• 6 months fixed term contract.• Managed UB's branded and O/L biscuits portfolio in Nisa and Costcutter worth c. £13.5m revenue in conjunction with a support executive.• Re-engineered the annual trading plan to drive greater company profitability by focusing on core brands and expandable products.• Re-negotiated the annual trading terms package to percentage based schemes as opposed to prior absolute amounts, while containing greater customer conditionality.

Hayes

• 6 months fixed term contract.• P&L management for a business unit worth £28m with £9m p.a. trade spend, covering P&H, Forecourts, MMRG, High St, Travel, SPAR, Musgraves and Nisa.• Negotiated and secured McCoys re-listing in WHSmith Travel after 30 month absence. Worth c. £400k p.a.• Implemented the cost increase across all managed customers worth c. £1.5m p.a.• Managed 3 new Business Managers requiring coaching, support and management whilst establishing and setting best practice through the team.• Re-created the channel strategy encompassing revised trading plans and trading terms whilst driving greater focus on core SKU’s delivering maximum profitability.

Welwyn Garden City

Business Unit Controller 2001 – 2012• Managed the P&L in a business unit with two Business Managers, a Customer Marketing Manager and a Support Executive.• Covered all customers outside the major multiples, plus a Northern Irish distributor.• Created and executed the convenience channel trading strategy, implemented new trading initiatives, launched price marked packs and smaller cases whilst increasing EBIT / tonne.• Secured and successfully launched four new own label products to Nisaway, having targeted the business for a number of years.• Defined and secured a defendable new pricing structure whilst securing trade support.• Secured cost increases, on time and in full for all direct accounts.• Produced, briefed and executed strategy and plans through Nestlés field sales and a Northern Irish distributor.• Worked collaboratively with customers and Category Management increasing presence of core range portfolio in customer fixtures to secure category growth.• Negotiated and introduced new core brand and NPD listings to continue margin expansion.• Renowned as convenience channel company expert, providing range recommendations and merchandising advice, internally, across external media and in customer communications.• Coached and developed reports to achieve greater roles in the organisation.

Welwyn Garden City

• Managed the Safeway and Waitrose accounts, assisted by a Customer Marketing Manager.• Re-launched Safeway’s own label with the Safeway team, growing sales by 20% p.a.• Gained listings for Caramel and Extra Chocolaty Flakes, two new Safeway own brands.

Welwyn Garden City

• Managed the business in Co-op, Waitrose and Iceland.• Grew Co-op’s sales and share whilst reducing lump sums.• Negotiated with Waitrose to profitably secure a record number of gondola end features.• Trebled profit for the Iceland business by securing all store listings from one to four SKU’s.

Welwyn Garden City

• Provided sales co-ordination between marketing, finance and supply chain to the newly created company whilst delivering brand communication to the wider Nestlé organisation.• Implemented a forecasting system and introduced a promotional evaluation system to secure promotional strategy change with margin growth.

Luton

• Re-organised the sales operations department to improve sales and brand communication to national account managers and a 40 strong field team.• Controlled and monitored the annual £2m trade promotional budget

London, United Kingdom

• Interfaced between marketing, sales and supply chain providing support across 20 national accounts and 60 field sales personnel.• Secured information and delivered sales briefings following the acquisitions of Nabisco Cereals and the Avana Group of companies.• Promoted through field sales and sales logistics to Sales Logistics Manager

Ba (Hons) Business Studies, Business Management And Marketing

Education record