Gyles Walker

Energizer
DISC Type : I

Senior Buying Manager (wine) at Co-op

Manchester Area, United Kingdom

Overview

Gyles Walker is a senior wine buyer at Co-op with over 20 years of experience, having also worked for Morrisons and Spar. He has revitalized wine ranges by sourcing from global regions like Australia, Italy, and South Africa, and led a team that saw Co-op named IWC Convenience Chain of the Year multiple times.

He holds a WSET Diploma and has served as a judge at the International Wine Challenge. Gyles focuses on making quality wine accessible and telling the story behind the bottle, including using winemakers names on labels to better connect with customers.

Interesting fact: In 2013, he sourced the only supermarket own-brand wine to win a gold medal at the IWC.

Personality Overview

Informal

Imaginative

Enthusiastic

Unlike C or D types, they are vocal with their opinions but not so much with their questions.  They are friendly, approachable and love to make new connections. They are not always early adopters but can be pursuaded by leveraging strong relationships.

Topics They Care About

Global Wine Sourcing
Has extensive experience buying wines from Australia, New Zealand, Italy, France, Spain, South Africa, and North America for major UK retailers.
Own-Brand Development
Focuses on developing and revitalizing own-label wine ranges, such as Co-op's 'Truly Irresistible', to offer customers variety and value.
South African Wine
Has worked to promote South African wines, such as Pinotage, and believes in telling the story of the winemakers to customers.

Media Appearances

Gyles has no verified media appearances

Work History

12-2025
Senior Buying Manager (wine) at Co-op
2-2021
Wine Buyer at Co-op
1-2017 - 2-2021
Category Buying Manager - Wine at Co-op
4-2014 - 12-2016
Wine Buyer at Co-op
5-2008 - 4-2014
Wine Buyer at Morrisons

Education

Gyles has no verified education history

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 25 Location : Manchester Area, United Kingdom Job Level : Middle Designation : Senior Buying Manager (wine) at Co-op
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Insights For Selling To Gyles

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Use adjectives like ‘amazing’, ‘coolest’, ‘unbelievable’ etc.
  • Share some stories about how you you have helped people in similar positions succeed
  • Talk about their team and how your product will help them do things better and easier

DONT's

  • Avoid ifs and buts, don’t talk too much about the risks etc.
  • Don’t push them to make a decision too fast, let them get comfortable first
  • Avoid cutting into their flow

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Gyles is

  • Relationship and rapport can play an important role, sometimes more than the other factors.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Gyles

  • They will probably never say no directly, you have to make that decision yourself.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Gyles move?

  • They are not the quickest decision makers, their friendly attitude could be misleading.
  • Can Gyles take some risk or not?

  • They can accept limited risks, ones that they think will not impact them personally.

You And Gyles

Personality Compatibility


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