Category Manager Brands+

Purpose:

Strategically manages a wide variety of related categories to increase sales, gross dollars, and market share and meet or exceed projected budget numbers. Accountable for the entire portfolio of Cub's private label program, including Essential Everyday, Woodstock, and Wild Harvest. The private label business unit team is a highly cross-functional group that is interfaced with numerous other organizations across the company including Merchandising, Marketing, Operations, Legal, Quality, and Sourcing. Critical to success in this position is the ability to create and align on content and product assortments, promotional planning, pricing. Leveraging detailed analysis of past performance, knowledge of industry best practices and consumer trends. This Category Manager position is considered a fully experienced level. Incumbents can independently handle complex issues affecting the grocery, health and beauty categories, and create innovative solutions, while working effortlessly cross-company with suppliers and wholesaler partners.

Job Responsibilities and Accountabilities:

• Develop accurate sales forecasts and regular reports on sales performance, market trends, etc.

• Act as primary contact within division for all Private label within center store and fresh divisions.

• Authorize new private label items entering the market and discontinue lines based on potential contribution to the overall category and departments.

• Creates sales and gross profit projections at the category level, rolling up to department and division projections quarterly and yearly.

• Meets or exceeds projected sales and profit contribution.

• Designs and implement a promotional calendar by major categories, which supports division merchandising strategy.

• Plans ads and displays in support of the category plans and total department initiatives.

• Track results at end of each promotion in terms of sales, profit and share.

• Creation of schematics adhering to presentation standards integrated with existing national brands.

• Recommend adjacencies that support the role of the category along with off shelf space: endcaps, side caps, aisle displays.

• Partner frequently and routinely with wholesale division to align on correct assortment and promotional activity.

• Meets with procurement and design team on a consistent basis for deal negotiation and business updates.

• Engineer and communicate category and promotional plans to broader merchandising team to ensure desired service levels and optimum inventory position achieved.

• Attend key vendor planning meetings.

• Visit stores regularly to observe results of merchandising programs.

• Supports and implements corporate initiatives.

• Directs office support staff

Job Requirements:
Relevant Experience, Education, Certification, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities.

• Bachelor's degree and relevant private label experience of 10+ years in grocery retail preferred.

• Financial, mathematical, statistical, marketing, merchandising, and consumer research background to read, interpret, and understand how internal and external factors influence financial results.

• Ability to read and interpret profit and loss statement and understand how the categories managed are impacted.

• Possess strong analytical and problems solving skills and be experienced in taking initiative and making decisive yet appropriate decisions.

• Excellent relationship management skills. Highly collaborative.

• Written and verbal communication skills as well as interpersonal skills to develop and maintain effective business relationships within and outside the company.

• Strategy development skills.

• Experience with procurement, logistics, and inventory management.

• Familiar with Excel, Word, Power Point and syndicated data reporting.

Physical Environment:

• Most work is performed in a temperature-controlled office environment.

• Incumbent may sit for long periods of time at desk or computer terminal.

• Incumbent may use calculators, keyboards, telephone, and other office equipment in the course of normal workday.

• Stooping, bending, twisting, and reaching may be required in completion of job duties.

• Some travel may be required.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature of the work performed by the employees assigned to this job. All employees must comply with Company policy and applicable laws. The responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel so classified may vary within each department and/or location.