Category & Merchandising Director
Ref: 133927
National, UK
£85,000
- Permanent
- Strategic Leadership
- Merchandising Expertise
- Immediately Available
About the candidate
Our esteemed candidate specialises as a Category & Merchandising Director with an extensive background across various facets of Retail, Business-to-Business (B2B), and Business-to-Consumer (B2C) industries. They have successfully managed international brands and products, with a clear focus on category management, pricing strategies, and supplier contract negotiations. Their experience is complemented by a robust capability in global sourcing, and they possess a proven track record of developing and spearheading comprehensive merchandising initiatives that drive revenue and profitability.
What makes them great?
- Successfully grew sales revenue by over 100% year-on-year for three consecutive years for an established European business breaking into the UK market.
- Delivered an enhanced private brand strategy that generated an additional annual cash margin of approximately 15 million euros.
- Improved category performance by over 500 basis points in sales and 600 basis points in gross margin through effective strategies and promotions.
- Led European Private Brand Merchandising and Buying team consisting of over 30 associates for diverse categories achieving circa €500m sales.
Areas of expertise
- Manage all trading aspects of business including Category strategy, Product assortment, Sourcing, Supplier selection and Contract negotiation, Pricing strategy and management, Website development and Online Merchandising.
- Private Brand strategic development and sourcing for diverse range of products to reflect overarching business principles.
- Improved overall category performance in multiple categories and roles across all main kpi’s including Sales , Margin, ROAS and inventory stock turns.
- Accountability for leading and mentoring large or small commercial teams to develop and deliver category strategies.