David Morris – Buyer

How did you get into buying fresh fruit?

I have been fortunate enough to have worked with a number of exceptional retailers in various Food Buying roles over the years, prior to taking up my role here at EH Booth (I saved the best job to last!!).

What responsibilities do you have as part of your role?

First & foremost, working with our suppliers & growers to develop truly great products. Then, in conjunction with our internal colleagues in Marketing, Supply Control, Own Brand & Quality Control ensuring that we deliver a 1^st class finished product to our Retail colleagues to sell on to our customers. Not easy, but great fun!!

What’s your favourite thing about working for Booths?

Too many to mention, though if I had to name one, it would be when I visiting our stores, as it provides the perfect stimulus with which to discuss our product offer with our store colleagues as well as the most important people of all of course-our customers.

What’s most important to you when selecting new products?

The first question that any Buyer must ask themselves when looking at new product development is – Is it right for the customer??!! If the answer is yes, we can then begin to look at how we get this product to stand out on shelf. Typical questions we would ask ourselves from a Fresh Produce perspective are-Can the product be grown locally? Does it taste great? Can we sell it a price which would give our grower base a fair return whilst at the same offering great value for money to our customers?

What challenges do you face as part of your role?

The fiercely competitive nature of the food & drink industry, with so many high quality food retail outlets for customers to choose from, ensures the need for us to re-double our efforts to stand out from the crowd by delivering on the company mission statement in place since 1847 i.e. “By delighting customers with our amazing food, drink and our special Booths service”.

What’s your most exciting story from your career in the world of buying?

Guess the best part of my job is seeing a project off from scratch & watching it slowly evolve into the finished article in-store, a good personal example for me would be the success of our Picked Today Strawberry offer.

What’s your favourite fruit?

Where to start?! Italian Blood Oranges , Home Grown Strawberries, Flavorking Plums, Home Grown Russet Apples, Cotton Candy Grapes, the list is endless!!

What movie title best describes your life?

Lost in Translation.

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