Job Description
Job Summary
The Category Controller is responsible for driving the sales, profitability, assortment, and inventory performance of the Beauty, Grooming, and Fragrance categories. The role ensures the right product mix, pricing, supplier partnerships, and stock availability while delivering an exceptional shopping experience and supporting business growth.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop and execute category strategies to achieve sales, margin, and inventory targets, and stock turnover targets.
- Analyze sales performance, market trends, customer insights, and competitor activities to optimize category growth
- Manage product assortment, pricing, promotions, and category performance.
- Ensure optimal stock availability while controlling ageing, slow-moving, and excess inventory.
- Implement category management (CATMAN), product launches, listings, and range reviews.
- Build and manage supplier relationships, negotiating pricing, commercial terms, evaluate supplier performance and promotional support.
- Monitor market trends, customer insights, and competitor activities to identify growth opportunities.
- Ensure compliance with merchandising standards, pricing accuracy, product quality, planogram compliance and regulatory requirements
- Work closely with Operations, Marketing, Finance, Logistics, BI, and Inventory teams to deliver category objectives and improve business performance.
Qualifications & Experience
- Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Supply Chain Management, or a related field.
- 5–8 years of experience in Category Management, Buying, Merchandising, or Retail Operations, preferably within FMCG, supermarkets, or modern trade.
- Strong knowledge of category management (CATMAN), inventory planning, merchandising, and supplier negotiations.
- Experience managing Beauty, Grooming, or Personal Care categories is an added advantage.
- Excellent analytical, negotiation, and commercial skills.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and retail ERP systems is an advantage.
- Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.