Star buyer: Adrian Gash senior buyer, crisps, snacks & nuts, waitrose



Gash has been with Waitrose for three years. He joined from Safeway, where he spent six years covering pharmaceuticals, bread and finally crisps. Gash says buying is the supermarket's engine. "If we don't source the right goods at the right price and the right time, nothing works."

Rizwana Khan Buying manager, crisps, nuts & snacks, Tesco



Khan joined Morrisons in 1988 and progressed to the bakery buying team in 2000 where she assumed responsibility for ambient cakes and catering ingredients. She spent time as impulse buyer at Threshers before joining Tesco last year as the buying manager for crisps, nuts and snacks.



Kevin Patel Buyer, produce, nuts and dried and exotic fruit, Tesco



Patel has been a Tesco employee since March 2005. Before joining he held retail positions, from sales assistant through to deputy manager, at Halfords. He joined Tesco as a stock control buying administrator within produce and was promoted to assistant buyer in March 2006. He has taken responsibility for the Wholefoods nuts and dried fruit brand.



Sarah Hames Buying manager, crisps & snacks, Tesco (until April 2007)



Hames joined Tesco as a trainee in 1999, from the University of Bradford. She has undertaken several buying roles at Tesco including a three-and-a-half stint in produce and has spent the past six months as buying manager for crisps, nuts and snacks. At the end of April, she moved to buying manager for carbonated drinks.



Spencer Playle Crisps, nuts & snacks buyer, Sainsbury's



Playle has been buying crisps, nuts and snacks for Sainsbury's since November 2005. He started his career there in 1997. After five years at in-store level, he passed graduate training and became a frozen foods buyer.



Eric Tavoukdjian Senior buying manager, crisps, nuts & snacks, Tesco



Tavoukdjian was a graduate from a Paris business school. He has worked at Tesco for six years, two-and-a-half of which were spent developing new revenue streams and 18 months managing tobacco kiosks. He moved to impulse before becoming manager for crisps, nuts, snacks and biscuits.

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