Ren's Pets - Director, Merchandising and Category Management

About the job

Director, Merchandising and Category Management

Join a passionate community connected to animal welfare at Ren’s Pets where innovation and distinction are at the heart of our mission. If you have a keen eye for trends in the pet industry and want to contribute to our company's success as a Category Management Leader, then this position could be the opportunity for you.!

Reporting to the CEO, Ren’s Pets, the Director of Merchandising and Category Management is responsible for developing the overall strategy related to product sales performance. Their team will be responsible for in-store product placement strategy, assortment optimization, promotional strategy management, and ensuring the right level of inventory. They must also ensure that margins are optimized and that product profitability targets are met. Offering Ren’s customers unique, quality products, thereby contributing to growth and profitability objectives.

Responsibilities:

· Bring the Pillars of Culture to life daily within your team and in collaboration with all internal colleagues

· Responsible for the end-to-end product lifecycle, from listing to sales strategy for Ren’s.

· Develop and execute the category development plan for Ren’s.

· Accountable for sales results and margins across categories.

· Analyze results, share insights and proactive plans and solutions for results.

· Lead merchandising and planography strategies, in collaboration with internal stakeholders.

· Drive supplier sourcing, agreement negotiation, assortment, and margin management activities, in partnership with internal stakeholders.

· Identify opportunities for cross-merchandising and complementary product placements to enhance the customer shopping experience and drive incremental sales.

· Establish and continuously strive to drive traffic and increase sales via the promotional strategy and campaigns of the Ren’s banner, developing the promotion menu and pricing strategies with suppliers, and in partnership with internal stakeholders.

· Collaborate with demand planning and forecasting teams to align inventory replenishment strategies with anticipated customer demand. Provide input on product assortment decisions, promotional activities, and pricing strategies based on inventory availability and sales forecasts.

· Monitor industry trends, perform category analysis and bring insights in partnership with your team, and other stakeholders such as finance and marketing.

· Lead team member performance reviews and support them in their actions to achieve objectives and KPIs.

· Monitor and control costs associated with merchandising operations.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

· More than ten (10) years of experience in product development and purchasing, partnership negotiation, merchandising and category management in retail, including three to five (3-5) years in a team management role;

· Degree in a relevant field (administration, procurement, operations management, etc.), or relevant experience

· Outstanding leadership and positivism, a team player, that stimulates innovation and generates commitment;

· Knowledge of the pet industry (considered an asset)

· Strong interpersonal, communication and team-building skills

· Proven analytical, synthesis and problem solving skills;

· Excellent negotiation skills;

· Ability to lead and manage multiple projects, planning and organization of work;

· Ability to work under pressure and demonstrate rigor and attention to detail;

· Proficient knowledge of Microsoft Office environment (Word, Excel intermediate, PowerPoint and Outlook);

· Proficiency in the SAP suite (considered an asset).

Why join Ren’s?

· A growing environment that has the opportunity for career development.

· Performance bonus based on KPIs.

· Health benefits

· Flexible work arrangement

· A corporate culture focused on animal welfare and passion.

· At Ren’s Pets, we celebrate diversity and inclusion and are looking for unique and talented individuals to join our team.

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