Category Manager (Fresh Food)

Job Description

Role and Scope of the Task

The role of the Category Manager is:

1. to source products at the lowest possible cost price and best terms

2. find and develop suppliers who are prepared long term to develop their products and the supply chain to our requirements

3. create and source highly attractive private label products that are equal or better in quality than comparable brands

4. support the process of defining and constantly adjusting the assortment

5. monitor the market and propose the most competitive sales prices

The CM bears responsibility for the entire life cycle of his category of products: from sourcing (brands) or inception (private label products) to quality control and eventually sales.

The CM is a Senior Manager whose role is critical in helping to define the company’s customer proposition as far as products are concerned.

He works within a team of CM’s, and he should make readily use of their expertise.

In his work the CM will aim to promote the key parts of the “hard discount concept”:

· Lowest possible sales prices

· Key role of private label products which should be of excellent quality against comparable brands

· Limited and yet most attractive assortment

· Achieve efficient, long term and suitable supply chains with suppliers

· Cost consciousness and efficiency of work processes

The Category Manager adheres to and endeavors to foster the company philosophy as it pertains to staff: efficient and hard working in a friendly environment that is characterized by mutual respect of all associates.

Reporting Lines and Authority

· On professional matters the CM reports to the Chief Purchasing Officer.

· At a disciplinary level the CM is accountable to the Chief Executive Officer.

· Purchasing assistants report to the CM on professional matters

The CM has authority to sign Purchasing Contracts along with the CPO.

His limit for incurring company expenses is defined in a separate company procedure.

Specific tasks

In his daily work the Category Manager will execute the following tasks:

· Be an expert in his category of products

· Observe the market (competitors) to constantly have a comprehensive view on products and product developments

· Carry out regular store visits: own stores, competitors including specific local formats such as local supermarkets, Mom and Pop stores, wet markets

· Support the process of defining and constantly adjusting the assortment

· Negotiate lowest possible cost prices and best possible terms (a.o. payment terms)

· Based on the market situation propose private label products

· Find the best suitable suppliers for brand and private label products

· Along with suppliers develop private label products and source them

· Develop stable and long-term relationships with suitable suppliers

· Monitor the quality of products, most critically private label products, by

o Being involved in quality control in the warehouses: provide guidance and issue product sheets to enable receiving and regional purchasing to exercise QC

o Carrying out regular quality controls himself (tastings with CM’s or senior management)

o Supervise external quality control through QC organizations (laboratories)

· Carry out price surveys in competitor stores

· Advise and monitor price surveys that are carried out by external or internal people

· Ensure sales prices are at all times at the lowest sales price level

· Prepare and participate in a ca. monthly meeting, the General Purchasing Meeting, in which he will lay out his proposals for products and sales prices.

· Prepare and participate in a ca. weekly meeting, the Weekly Sales Meeting, in which short term and operational matters will be decided: product introductions, sales price changes, promotional activities (launch and analysis), a few other day to day matters that may be brought forward by Central Purchasing or Sales

· Prepare and check key internal documents: reports, weekly assortment information to regional offices (warehouses), weekly circular to stores

· Advise his line manager and the senior management of the company on anything as it pertains to our customer offering

Furthermore, the CM may be instructed by his line manager to carry out any other reasonable tasks than those described above.

Performance measure

The CM’s work overall and his development is being assessed by the CPO. Besides regular exchange with the CPO, the CM should be subject to a formal assessment every half year.

More specifically he is being measured in his category of products on the development of:

· Margin

· Sales

· Price gap to a panel of competitors