Merchandise Manager Bakery/Deli/Cafe

Foodstuffs South Island Limited; Christchurch; On-site; NZD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid parental leave

Health insurance

Discounts for gym memberships

Online training library

Social events and team culture

Pride pledge inclusive workplace

Free parking

On-site cafe

Job summary

Foodstuffs South Island Limited is seeking a Merchandise Manager for Bakery, Deli and Café to drive strategic direction and performance across the categories. You will balance customer needs, commercial outcomes and supplier partnerships to enable sustained growth for co-ops stores and customers.

You will lead a small team, including a Category Manager, and play a key role in the Merchandise Division's Fresh Leadership Team.

Qualifications

• Experience in category management, merchandising or related commercial environment.
• Strong commercial acumen and advanced analytical skills.
• Proven experience leading supplier negotiations and strategic partnerships.
• Leadership experience with high-performing teams.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-moving environment.
• Experience with SAP systems would be an advantage.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Bakery/Deli/Cafe category with customer-driven strategies and supplier partnerships.
• Build and maintain supplier relationships, negotiate commercially for win-win outcomes.
• Use market insights and performance data to identify opportunities and inform decisions.
• Coach and develop a high-performing team and foster collaboration.
• Monitor category financial performance; manage budgets and targets.
• Collaborate with procurement, supply chain and merchandising to align objectives.

Skills

Category management

Supplier negotiations

Leadership

Analytical skills

Stakeholder management

FMCG

Tools

SAP systems

Job description

As our Merchandise Manager - Bakery/Deli/Cafe, you'll drive the strategic direction and performance of the categories with a balanced focus on customer needs, commercial outcomes and supplier partnerships to ensure sustained growth.

You'll identify opportunities to improve category performance, optimise promotional activity and deliver innovation solutions that create value for the co-ops stores and customers.

You'll lead a small team, including a Category Manager, and play a key role in the Merchandise Division's Fresh Leadership Team.

Key responsibilities include:

• Lead the Bakery/Deli/Cafe category, delivering customer-driven category strategies and supplier partnerships.
• Build and maintain strong supplier relationships, leading commercial negotiations and securing mutually beneficial outcomes.
• Use market insights, customer trends and performance data to identify opportunities and inform decision making.
• Lead, coach and develop a high-performing team, fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Monitor and report on category financial performance, ensuring budgets and commercial targets are achieved.
• Partner with stakeholders across the business to deliver category reviews and align procurement, supply chain, and merchandise objectives.

About the role:

As our Merchandise Manager - Bakery/Deli/Cafe, you'll drive the strategic direction and performance of the categories with a balanced focus on customer needs, commercial outcomes and supplier partnerships to ensure sustained growth.

You'll identify opportunities to improve category performance, optimise promotional activity and deliver innovation solutions that create value for the co-ops stores and customers.

You'll lead a small team, including a Category Manager, and play a key role in the Merchandise Division's Fresh Leadership Team.

Key responsibilities include:

• Lead the Bakery/Deli/Cafe category, delivering customer-driven category strategies and supplier partnerships.
• Build and maintain strong supplier relationships, leading commercial negotiations and securing mutually beneficial outcomes.
• Use market insights, customer trends and performance data to identify opportunities and inform decision making.
• Lead, coach and develop a high-performing team, fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Monitor and report on category financial performance, ensuring budgets and commercial targets are achieved.
• Partner with stakeholders across the business to deliver category reviews and align procurement, supply chain, and merchandise objectives.

About you:

You'll be a commercially minded leader who thrives on building relationships, influencing outcomes and turning insights into actions. You have a passion for fresh foods and enjoy balancing that passion with strategic thinking and operational delivery to ensure the category is top-notch for our stores and customers.

You'll also bring:

• Experience in category management, merchandise, procurement, FMCG or a related commercial environment.
• Strong commercial acumen and advanced analytical skills to guide sound decision making and identify growth opportunities.
• Proven experience leading supplier negotiations and managing strategic partnerships alongside exceptional stakeholder management and influencing skills.
• Leadership experience with a track record of developing high performing teams.
• The ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-moving environment and deliver results.
• Experience with SAP systems, along with industry knowledge in bakery, deli and/or cafe settings would be an advantage.
  

Why join us?

• We'recommitted toequitableoutcomes, andwe offeradditionalpaid parental leave, free periodproductsand financial health checks to name a few.
• We support your wellbeing withSouthern Cross health insurance for you and your family after a qualifying period, discounts at local gyms, access to online wellbeing tools,and aprayer and privacy roomonsite.
• We offer continuous learning and professional growth, as well asaccess to our extensive online training library and endless opportunities.
• We'reproud of our supportiveteam environment, andour positiveandfriendly culturethat'smade funby regularsocial events!
• We'rea Pride Pledge organisation, and we are committed to an inclusive workplace where everyone thrives, every day and we celebrate our diversity as strength.
• Free carparking and in-house café.

About us:

We'rea team of 14,000 who make sure South Islanders have access to the groceries and essentials they need. Proudly 100% Kiwi-owned andoperated, our co-operative has more than 200PAK'nSAVE, New World, Four Squareand On theSpotstores feeding the South Island.

We value being at the heart of our communities, likewe'vealways been, to make the South Island a better place - for today and for many generations to come. From sunny Golden Bay all the way to Stewart Island,there'sa Foodstuffs store serving you and your whānau.

Our success is down to our people who bring their skills, experience, passion, andexpertiseto make Foodies an amazing and rewarding place to work. Our co-op has a wide variety of roles to offer, and endless opportunities for development.

Our values:

At Foodies, together we drive success to be our best and care for our whānau. We recognise that it takes a collective effort to achieve success, and we thrive on fostering a culture of collaboration to drive innovation and embracing challenges as a united team. We are committed to supporting our people, and to positivelyimpactthe lives of South Islanders every day.