Merchant, Category

Job Summary

As a Category Merhant, you will work with internal and external partners to manage and grow your assigned category or categories, Specific duties include all aspects of category management, including but not limited to product assortment decisions, pricing and promotional strategies and managing vendor relationships.

Job Description

• Experience Required: 3 to 5 years or more Retail buying or
• Merchandising experience; Prior Category Management experience
• Experience Desired: Experience with retail operations and management; Prior Buyer experience
• Education Desired: Bachelors Degree
  
  Job Responsibilities

• Actively manage assigned categories to achieve annual financial goals including sales objectives, retail gross margin, shrink, known loss, store inventory turns and service level, making strategic and tactical adjustments as necessary.
• Assist in the development of strategic plan and annual operating plan/budget in accordance with LOB strategic goals and in cooperation with the Director.
• Monitor trends in new products, consumer behavior, market share, competition, fixturing and store layouts to inform decisions and initiate innovation.
• Monitor product selection and selling in all classes of trade with special attention to deep discount.
• Develop and maintain productive relationships with vendors, stores, logistics, distribution, marketing, wholesale and retail accounting and space management to ensure all constituencies' voices are heard.
• Oversee department layouts and planograms, acting as final arbiter within assigned categories and as the voice of the business in format overall space discussions.
• Interface with all formats (Supermarket, Market District, and GetGo), and work cooperatively with the Merchandising counterparts for each banner.
• Assume direct responsibility for assigned categories including assortment, pricing strategy, promotion planning and monitoring.
• Work closely with internal and external stakeholders to develop category initiatives and tactics to achieve financial goals.
• Lead assigned category projects aimed at profitably increasing sales and penetration including efforts to reduce cost on existing programs, development and introduction of new items and on-going monitoring.
• Work cooperatively within a team sharing best practices and identifying opportunities for improvement.
• Comply with all federal, state and local laws.
• Take on special projects as assigned.