Category Buyer (Food)

Kreol Group; Dubai; Sur place; AED 150 000 - 210 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

Kreol Group is seeking a hands-on Category Buyer for our food and beverage portfolio in travel retail distribution. You will manage supplier-facing processes from agreements to assortment planning, purchasing, and promotional claims, working closely with sales and finance.

The role requires hands-on procurement experience in F&B, strong negotiation, and the ability to coordinate across suppliers and internal teams to optimize listings, launches, and pricing.

Qualifications

• Experience in a purchase role handling the food or beverages category for a retailer or distributor.
• Comfortable working half-days on Saturday.
• Willing to commute to Dubai Investments Park 2 for 6 days a week.

Responsabilités

• Manage supplier agreements and terms, pricing, MOQs, lead times, shelf-life requirements, and renewal deadlines.
• Build the assortment by evaluating brands, reviewing performance, and coordinating launches and discontinuations.
• Develop pricing and value chains including landed costs, margins, rebates, and promotional costs.
• Plan demand and purchases by analyzing sell-through, stock availability, and forecasts; issue timely orders to avoid stock-outs.
• Coordinate supply by raising POs, checking confirmations, and aligning with logistics on schedules and shelf-life compliance.
• Support customer listings by providing product information, samples, pricing, and launch plans.
• Secure brand investment through negotiating advertising and promotion budgets and brand ambassador contributions.
• Coordinate marketing execution with suppliers to deliver promotions and launches.
• Close promotional claims by ensuring timely, evidenced claims and supplier/payments.
• Review category performance by tracking sales, margins, stock cover, ageing, and marketing returns, and lead supplier reviews.

Connaissances

Food & Beverage purchasing experience

Negotiation skills

Description du poste

About The Group

Kreol Group is a diversified organization operating multiple entrepreneurial ventures as channel specialists in the consumer goods sector. Its business spans apparel and lifestyle, travel retail, and complementary services across the CPG/FMCG value chain. The Butterfly division manages the distribution and marketing of in-house and agency fashion brands across GCC hypermarkets, value retailers, cooperatives, and e-commerce platforms, with strong positioning in innerwear through brands such as John Gladstone and Mariposa. Kreol Travel Retail focuses on duty‑free distribution for international travelers in airports across the Middle East, Indian subcontinent, and Africa, with leading categories including food, confectionery, beverages, fragrance, and personal care. Kreol Group’s market leadership is reinforced by entities specializing in logistics, warehousing, merchandising, human capital, marketing, direct selling, and retail management consultancy.

About the Company

Kreol Travel Retail partners with international and regional brands to supply duty‑free retailers across the Middle East, Indian subcontinent and Africa. Our portfolio spans every category you'd find in a duty free. We are a multi‑category distributor.

About the Role

We are looking for a hands‑on Category Buyer to own all vendor‑facing execution work of our food and beverage portfolio in our travel retail distribution division. You will manage the supplier‑facing cycle, from agreements and assortment planning to purchasing, brand investment and promotional claims, working closely with both sales and finance.

What you’ll do

• Manage supplier agreements: Negotiate and maintain commercial terms, pricing, payment terms, MOQs, lead times, shelf‑life requirements, annual targets, marketing support and renewal deadlines. Keep a tracker maintaining the same.
• Build the assortment: Assess new brands and products, review performance, rationalise slow‑moving SKUs and coordinate launches, seasonal ranges and discontinuations.
• Develop pricing and value chains: Calculate landed costs, distributor and retailer margins, rebates and promotional costs; benchmark pricing and maintain accurate, approved price files.
• Plan demand and purchases: Analyse sell‑through, stock availability, seasonality and customer forecasts; consolidate replenishment requirements and prepare rolling supplier forecasts and purchase recommendations. Make sure orders are issued in time to avoid stock‑outs.
• Coordinate supply: Raise and track approved purchase orders, check supplier confirmations and production readiness, and work with logistics on shipment schedules, shortages, damages and shelf‑life compliance.
• Support customer listings: Equip the sales team with product information, samples, pricing, presentations and launch plans; maintain accurate product records and listing documentation.
• Secure brand investment: Negotiate advertising and promotion (A&P) budgets, promotional funding, display support, sampling, training and brand ambassador contributions.
• Coordinate marketing execution: Agree supplier support before commitments are made, obtain brand assets and materials, and work with sales to deliver promotions and launches.
• Close promotional claims: Ensure claims are raised on time for promotions and activities executed by sales, with the required approvals and evidence; follow through with suppliers and finance until credits or payments are received.
• Review category performance: Track sales, margins, stock cover, ageing, expiry exposure and marketing returns; lead supplier reviews and close agreed actions.

Who You Should be:

-Experience in a purchase role handling the food or beverages category for either a retailer or a distributor

-Comfortable working half-days on Saturday

-Comfortable commuting to Dubai Investments Park 2 for 6 days a week