The retail procurement landscape is undergoing a fundamental transformation. As we move through 2026, Chief Procurement Officers across UK retail are facing a critical question: how do we build teams capable of delivering strategic value in an increasingly complex, data-driven environment?
The mandate has shifted decisively. Retail procurement is no longer about transactional buying and basic cost reduction. Today’s high-performing teams are expected to drive commercial outcomes, navigate supply chain disruption, leverage advanced technologies, and deliver measurable impact beyond simple savings metrics. For CPOs tasked with building or restructuring their teams, understanding what to hire for has never been more critical.
The 2026 Skills Imperative: Beyond Traditional Procurement
Source-to-Pay (S2P) Expertise
Source-to-Pay transformation represents one of the most significant capability gaps in UK retail procurement today. Teams must now possess end-to-end process expertise spanning strategic sourcing, contract management, procure-to-pay operations, and supplier relationship management.
We’re seeing demand for professionals who can orchestrate the entire S2P lifecycle, not just operate within siloed functions. For senior positions like our current Senior Procurement Excellence Manager role, S2P literacy is table stakes. The ability to identify process inefficiencies, implement digital workflows, and drive adoption across the function is essential.
Commercial Acumen and Category Expertise
Category management in retail procurement has evolved from a nice-to-have to a strategic necessity. Whether you’re looking to fill a Category Buyer Food position or a Category Manager ICT role, commercial acumen must run deep.
Today’s category professionals need to understand margin dynamics, promotional mechanics, and how procurement decisions directly impact bottom-line profitability. They should speak the language of the business, not just the language of procurement.
Data Literacy and Insights Generation
Perhaps no capability gap is more pronounced than data literacy. Research indicates that UK businesses urgently need procurement professionals with data fluency and AI/ML literacy. Yet many procurement teams remain uncomfortable with analytics tools, dashboarding, and insights generation.
High-performing teams in 2026 are data-savvy. They extract insights from spend analytics platforms, use data to challenge the business constructively, and build cases for change grounded in evidence. When hiring, assess candidates’ comfort with data, their ability to translate numbers into narratives, and their experience driving data-informed decision-making.
Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) Capabilities
The regulatory environment facing UK retail continues to intensify. From supply chain due diligence legislation to sustainability reporting requirements, governance, risk and compliance capabilities are no longer confined to specialist roles.
Modern procurement professionals need embedded GRC awareness. They should understand risk exposure across their categories, implement appropriate controls, and ensure supplier compliance without creating bureaucratic overhead. For roles like Procurement Business Partner – Bids & Collaboration, GRC fluency is increasingly essential.
Getting Team Structure Right
Centralised vs Decentralised: The Hybrid Model Wins
UK retail organisations continue to grapple with the centralised versus decentralised debate. In our experience, neither extreme typically succeeds. The most effective model in 2026 is a hybrid approach that centralises strategic activities (category strategy, supplier negotiation, technology and data) whilst embedding business partners within divisions or markets.
This structure enables consistency and control whilst maintaining the commercial agility and responsiveness that retail demands. When designing your structure, consider where decisions are best made and how to balance efficiency with effectiveness.
Centres of Excellence: Elevating Capability
Centres of Excellence (CoEs) have become a defining feature of high-performing retail procurement organisations. CoEs provide specialist expertise, drive standardisation, establish best practices, and elevate overall capability across the function.
Successful CoEs in retail procurement typically focus on:
- Procurement excellence and process optimisation
- Data, analytics and insights
- Technology enablement and adoption
- Supplier relationship management
- Sustainability and responsible sourcing
Building or expanding a CoE requires hiring individuals who can combine deep expertise with consultancy skills. They must be credible specialists who can also influence, educate and drive change across the broader organisation.
Hiring for Excellence and Mindset
Technical skills and experience matter, but they’re insufficient. When assessing candidates, we encourage CPOs to evaluate mindset and behavioural attributes with equal rigour:
Growth mindset: Does the candidate embrace change and demonstrate curiosity about emerging practices?
Commercial orientation: Do they think like business people or purely as procurement technicians?
Influencing capability: Can they drive outcomes without formal authority and build coalitions across the business?
Resilience and adaptability: Retail is fast-paced and unpredictable. Can they operate effectively in ambiguity?
Collaboration: Do they work across boundaries naturally or default to siloed thinking?
These attributes separate adequate performers from genuine difference-makers. Structure your interview processes to test for these qualities, not just technical knowledge.
Leadership Capability for CPOs
As the CPO, the capability of your team ultimately reflects the capability of your leadership. Research on 2026 procurement leadership emphasises the need for sharper decision-making and faster action.
Effective CPO leadership in 2026 requires:
- Strategic clarity: Articulating a clear vision for what procurement will deliver and how it will operate
- Talent development: Investing in continuous learning and capability building across your team
- Technology advocacy: Championing digital adoption and removing barriers to change
- Stakeholder management: Building executive-level relationships that position procurement strategically
- Performance management: Holding teams accountable for delivery whilst creating psychological safety
Technology, Data and Adoption
Technology investments without adoption are wasted investments. Too many retail procurement organisations have deployed S2P platforms, spend analytics tools, or supplier portals that sit underutilised.
Successful technology adoption depends on three factors:
- Change management: Structured approaches to communicate changes, address concerns, and support users through transition
- Training and enablement: Ongoing skills development, not one-off training sessions
- Process alignment: Technology that supports streamlined processes, not complex ones
When hiring, prioritise candidates who’ve successfully driven technology adoption, not just implemented systems. Experience navigating user resistance and achieving meaningful behaviour change is invaluable.
Operations and Governance: P2P Excellence Matters
Whilst strategy grabs headlines, operational excellence determines whether procurement delivers day-to-day value. Procure-to-pay (P2P) operations remain a persistent challenge in many retail organisations, with invoice processing bottlenecks, poor purchase order compliance, and supplier payment delays creating friction.
High-performing teams invest in P2P excellence through:
- Streamlined approval workflows that balance control with speed
- Clear purchasing policies that users actually understand and follow
- Three-way matching automation that reduces manual intervention
- Supplier enablement to reduce invoice queries and errors
- KPI frameworks that track process efficiency alongside cost metrics
Don’t overlook operational talent when building your team. Roles like Buyer – Indirect Procurement require disciplined process operators who can balance efficiency with accuracy.
Attracting and Retaining Procurement Talent
The market for procurement talent remains competitive. Attracting and retaining high-calibre professionals requires a compelling employee value proposition that goes beyond salary.
Flexibility and Hybrid Working
Post-pandemic expectations around flexibility haven’t diminished. Retail procurement roles increasingly require hybrid arrangements that enable talent to balance office collaboration with remote productivity. Organisations that insist on rigid office-based models will struggle to attract top talent.
Career Development and Progression
High-performers want to see clear development pathways. Can they progress from a Category Lead – Food Procurement position to a Head of Category role? Will you invest in their professional development through training, qualifications, and stretch assignments?
Articulate these pathways clearly in your employer brand. Check our salary guide to ensure your compensation remains market-competitive across different levels.
Meaningful Work and Impact
Purpose matters, particularly for emerging talent. Communicate how procurement contributes to your organisation’s sustainability commitments, ethical sourcing standards, and community impact. Roles that offer variety, autonomy, and genuine influence will always attract stronger candidates.
Common CPO Hiring Mistakes to Avoid
Through years of supporting retail procurement recruitment, we’ve observed recurring mistakes:
Over-indexing on sector experience: Retail experience is valuable but not always essential. Talented procurement professionals from adjacent sectors often bring fresh perspectives and transferable skills.
Undervaluing cultural fit: A technically brilliant candidate who doesn’t align with your organisation’s values and ways of working will struggle. Culture alignment matters enormously.
Hiring for today, not tomorrow: Skills that solved yesterday’s problems won’t necessarily address tomorrow’s challenges. Hire for adaptability and potential, not just current competence.
Neglecting diversity: Homogeneous teams produce homogeneous thinking. Actively build diverse teams across gender, ethnicity, background, and thinking styles.
Rushing the process: Hiring mistakes are expensive and disruptive. Invest time in structured assessments, work simulations, and thorough referencing.
What High-Performing Looks Like
High-performing retail procurement teams in 2026 share common characteristics:
- They operate as strategic partners to the business, not transactional order-takers
- They leverage data routinely to drive insights and inform decisions
- They maintain strong supplier relationships built on collaboration, not just commercial pressure
- They embrace technology and drive adoption across their stakeholder base
- They demonstrate agility, pivoting quickly when market conditions change
- They balance control and risk management with speed and responsiveness
Measuring Impact Beyond Savings
Finally, high-performing teams measure impact beyond traditional savings. Whilst cost management remains important, 2026 demands broader value metrics:
- Supplier innovation: Value generated through supplier-led improvements and ideas
- Risk mitigation: Supply disruptions avoided through proactive risk management
- Process efficiency: Time and effort removed from procurement workflows
- Sustainability outcomes: Carbon reduction, ethical sourcing improvements, circular economy initiatives
- Business enablement: Speed-to-market improvements, new product launches supported, promotional execution enabled
Establish balanced scorecards that reflect this multidimensional value. Hold your team accountable for these outcomes, and celebrate success across all dimensions, not just savings delivery.
Building Your High-Performing Team
Building a high-performing retail procurement team for 2026 requires thoughtful strategy across skills, structure, mindset, and culture. The organisations that get this right will establish genuine competitive advantage through their procurement capability.
Whether you’re looking to fill a specialist role like Category Manager – HR Services or a strategic position like Global Procurement Lead – Real Estate & Workplace, getting the hire right matters enormously.
At Talent Drive, we specialise in procurement recruitment across UK retail, connecting CPOs and senior leaders with professionals who can drive genuine impact. We understand the nuances of retail procurement, the skills that matter in 2026, and how to identify candidates who will thrive in your specific environment.
Explore our current procurement opportunities or speak to our team about procurement recruitment in the retail industry.
