Georges Azar

George Azar

📞 07500 015199 | 📧 gaz4r@aol.com

Senior Food Buyer with over 15 years' experience in food procurement, category management and commercial operations within multi-site hospitality businesses. Currently responsible for £53m annual food spend across 650+ sites, delivering commercial value through strategic sourcing, supplier negotiations and contract management. Proven track record of generating significant cost savings, protecting margins and managing inflationary pressures while maintaining product quality, availability and customer experience.

Senior Food Buyer at Stonegate Group (2023-03 – Present)

• Manage £53m annual food spend across an estate of 650+ sites.
• Delivered £1.5m+ savings through supplier renegotiation, tender activity and cost management initiatives.
• Mitigated £800k inflation exposure through strategic commodity purchasing and supplier collaboration.
• Lead sourcing, contract negotiations and procurement strategy across key food categories.
• Manage relationships with 25+ suppliers to ensure competitive pricing and supply continuity.
• Supported menu innovation and new food concepts, delivering approximately £200k savings through product optimisation.

Retail Auditor / Purchasing Manager at Hippo Inns (2015-06 – 2023-02)

• Led purchasing and margin management across a 12-site estate.
• Increased Food GP from 65.9% to 72.5%.
• Introduced centralised purchasing agreements to improve buying power and supplier performance.
• Delivered menu engineering and pricing initiatives to improve profitability.

Food Commercial Manager at Geronimo Inns (2008-05 – 2014-09)

• Held full food P&L responsibility across three high-volume airport pub kitchens.
• Delivered a 5% Food GP improvement worth approximately £1m annually.
• Negotiated supplier agreements and implemented cost-control initiatives.
• Managed and developed a team of 20 chefs, including three Head Chefs.

• Bachelor’s degree

• Aircraft technician degree