Sam Grote

Operations and eCommerce professional with 10+ years of experience. Progressed within small, fast-moving businesses, gaining hands-on experience across almost every stage of the online retail process.

Operations Director & Shareholder at FNX Bathrooms Ltd | Bubly Bathrooms Ltd (2023-01 – Present)

• Oversee day-to-day operations alongside the Managing Director, resolving operational problems, setting priorities and delegating work where needed to keep the business running smoothly.
• Manage monthly purchasing of approximately £250K across 25+ suppliers, using weekly and monthly sales forecasts to decide what and how much to order, whilst balancing demand, stock rotation, lead times, MOQ/MOV requirements, credit limits and payment terms.
• Maintain operational oversight across all channels to investigate sales, listing and account performance issues and work to resolve problems before they affect metrics, revenue and customers.
• Monitor market and competitor trends to identify new product and revenue opportunities, sourcing and trialling new lines before wider range adoption.
• Take part in regular reviews with marketplace account managers, comparing sales and revenue with previous periods and preparing for upcoming promotions, including discount expectations, submission deadlines, hero-product nominations and key offer dates.
• Manage the onboarding of new courier partners from initial discussions through to launch. Provide projected volumes and product specifications, negotiate rates and work directly with courier IT/API teams to integrate services with OMS platforms, configure shipping rules and test label generation.
• Lead local B2B and B2C sales from initial enquiry through to delivery, advising homeowners and tradespeople on products and brands, sourcing requirements and producing competitive quotes for budgets up to £10K.
• Monitor courier and damage performance across all products and test practical ways of reducing losses, including comparing courier services and developing dedicated packaging solutions for high-risk heavyweight goods.
• Act as a senior decision-maker when customer support escalates an incident for management review, authorising appropriate refunds, goodwill gestures, returns or collections so problems are resolved quickly and fairly.

Operations Manager at Dramco Ltd (2023-01 – 2023-12)

• Helped develop and launch a 64-item white-label product line, sourced directly from an overseas manufacturer. Used historical sales data to plan the mix for a 500–600pcs container, taking account of projected demand, costs, lead times and future replenishment.
• Introduced a new responsive HTML product-specification template after identifying an opportunity to improve the presentation of product information across desktop, tablet and mobile devices.
• Supported the accounts team with supplier invoice queries and discrepancies, using purchasing knowledge to establish the correct costs and contacting suppliers directly where clarification or correction was needed.

Operations Assistant at Dramco Ltd (2020-01 – 2023-12)

• Co-developed the company's eBay channel from the ground up, applying previous marketplace experience across pricing, product data, listing variations and content. Within around 12–18 months, the channel was comfortably generating £180K+ per month, driven largely through organic marketplace activity.
• Led the launch of ManoMano, beginning with the initial meeting and going on to establish B2C and B2B stores, building a catalogue of 6,000+ products with the channel reaching approximately £80K–£120K monthly revenue within 12–18 months.
• Co-developed the company's early B&Q Marketplace presence after the business was approached to join the platform. Managed product feeds, marketplace-specific content and compliance requirements as the channel developed into a significant source of six-figure monthly sales.
• Helped onboard the business to Amazon FBA, discussing which products were suitable for the sales model and working through technical and brand-registration requirements, alongside regular development calls with a dedicated Amazon account manager.
• Built comprehensive working knowledge of the different requirements across all channels, helping the customer support team understand how policies and contracted terms as an online retailer differed.
• Used the company's in-house Price Synergy software to monitor competitor pricing and market trends, identifying potential new suppliers, products and range opportunities for consideration.
• Logged in ahead of the office and warehouse teams each morning to prepare the day's online orders, checking OMS allocations, correcting shipping services and flagging exceptions to the relevant team before label generation and order preparation began.
• Managed stock shortages and partial-order problems using supplier ETAs and real-time inventory knowledge, finding practical fulfilment solutions that helped retain sales whilst protecting customer expectations and marketplace dispatch metrics.

Marketplace Assistant at Foxheath Ltd (2017-01 – 2020-12)

• Worked across eBay, Amazon and the company's webstore, creating listings, managing product data and developing a strong understanding of pricing, competitor activity, customer behaviour and the differences between marketplace channels.
• Used an in-house margin-analysis spreadsheet to understand how marketplace fees, selling prices and competitor pressure affected product profitability.
• Provided high-volume B2C aftersales support by phone and digital messaging channels, resolving product queries and providing informed product advice to maintain customer satisfaction and online reputation.
• Developed early content-creation skills using Adobe Photoshop. Took part in meetings with suppliers, manufacturers and courier partners, building industry contacts and relationships that continued into later roles and companies.

Warehouse Operator at Foxheath Ltd (2016-01 – 2017-12)

• Picked and packed orders ranging from small parcels and fragile sanitaryware to large pallets, whilst assisting with courier collections and developing practical knowledge of products, packaging, fulfilment and industry terminology.

BA (Hons) in Creative Writing – Bath Spa University (2013-01 – 2016-12)