Bakery Category Manager - Growth & Demand Planning

The Fresh Market Inc; Fisher Park (NC); On-site; USD 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Team member discount

Health insurance

401K contribution with match

Paid time off

Job summary

The Fresh Market Inc. is seeking a Category Buyer - Bakery for our Store Support Center. You will drive demand planning, vendor negotiations, and procurement for bakery products to maximize sales and profitability while supporting sustainable growth.

Responsibilities include lifecycle management, collaboration with Retail Category Management, and monitoring performance of new product launches. The role requires strong analytical, negotiation, and project management skills, plus willingness to

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
• 4-7+ years of Category Management or related experience.
• Deep knowledge of grocery business and systems/processes.
• Experience understanding consumer demand in fast-paced retail/grocery.
• Strong cross-functional relationship skills.
• Strong merchandising, product, and marketing skills.
• Demonstrate analytical, negotiating, and problem-solving skills.
• Willing and able to travel for trade shows and store trips.
• Flexible and adaptive to changing priorities.
• Able to organize and prioritize workload to meet deadlines.
• MS Office proficiency preferred.
• Project management skills.

Responsibilities

• Demand planning: Develop SKU-level demand plans from trends and promotions.
• Vendor collaboration: Negotiate costs and improve service levels.
• Procurement & allocation: Manage procurement, allocation, and in-store targets.
• Cost accuracy: Ensure data accuracy in the database.
• Product lifecycle management: Forecast new items and manage transitions.
• Performance monitoring: Track sales and build historical data for launches.

Skills

Analytical skills

Negotiation skills

Problem-solving

MS Office proficiency

Project management

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience

4-7+ years in Category Management or related experience

Tools

Nielsen

IRI

MicroStrategy

Job description

The Fresh Market Inc. is seeking a Category Buyer - Bakery for our Store Support Center. You will drive demand planning, vendor negotiations, and procurement for bakery products to maximize sales and profitability while supporting sustainable growth.

Responsibilities include lifecycle management, collaboration with Retail Category Management, and monitoring performance of new product launches. The role requires strong analytical, negotiation, and project management skills, plus willingness to