Category Merchandiser - Meat/Seafood

The Fresh Market Inc; Fisher Park (NC); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Team member discount up to 40%

Health, Dental & Vision insurance for…

401K contribution and match for part-‑

Personal time off and additional time…

Job summary

The Fresh Market Inc. is seeking a Category Merchandiser in our Corporate Office - Store Support Center (099).

This role supports Retail Category Managers and Buyers in executing category strategies, launching new products, and driving business objectives by maintaining strong cross-functional partnerships. It also involves identifying trends, enhancing store team engagement, and supporting innovation, communication, and presentation efforts to optimize category performance.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of category management or store retail experience.
• Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• Strong merchandising, product and marketing skills.
• Proven analytical, negotiating and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams.
• Willing to travel for trade shows and store trips.
• Strong Excel and MS Office proficiency.

Responsibilities

• Support Retail Category Managers and Category Buyers to develop and execute category management strategies and programs.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with store teams to support them as a priority.
• Partner with Store Support Center teams across the organization.
• Assist in selection and creation of new items on trend and filling assortment gaps.
• Support projects and maintain organization to ensure execution.
• Create layouts for store execution with Category team and Retail Category Managers.
• Develop Presentation Guides for stores with Merchandise Execution.
• Collaborate with Chef Team to develop How-Tos for in-store products.
• Support new product implementation from setup through launch.
• Work in stores as needed to support category initiatives.
• Coordinate distributions to support holidays and events in store.
• Identify emerging trends and monitor competition regularly.
• Maintain cost accuracy in collaboration with Buyers and Distributors.
• Review Marketing Materials for accuracy for Store Teams and Guests.
• Create content for Weekly Programs with Category Assistant.
• Refresh team-facing materials to boost field engagement with Category.

Skills

Category management

Retail merchandising

Analytical skills

Negotiation skills

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Microsoft Excel

MS Office

Job description

The Fresh Market & You:

Our mission is to make everyday eating extraordinary for our guests. We create a warm, welcoming, memorable experience with exceptional, personal service. We’re looking for a new team member who strives for excellence and brings positive energy, commitment, and a “can-do” attitude to work every day. We value teamwork and celebrate our successes as a team and will value your contribution!

Added Benefits for choosing The Fresh Market Team:

• Team member discount up to 40%.


• Health, Dental & Vision insurance available for individual, spouse, partner, and family.


• 401K contribution and match for part-time and full-time team members.


• Personal time off and additional time off purchase plans available.


• And much more!

About the Position:

The Fresh Market has an opening for Category Merchandiser in our Corporate Office - Store Support Center (099). This role supports Retail Category Managers and Buyers in executing category strategies, launching new products, and driving business objectives by maintaining strong cross-functional partnerships and ensuring accurate, timely execution in stores. It also involves identifying trends, enhancing store team engagement, and supporting innovation, communication, and presentation efforts to optimize category performance.

This role will report to the Director of Merchandising - Meat/Seafood.

What You'll Do:

• Support Retail Category Managers and Category Buyers to develop and execute category management strategies and programs, based on customer preferences, to deliver financial goals and business objectives for assigned categories


• Build and maintain strong relationships with store teams, supporting them as a priority


• Build and maintain strong partnerships with teams across the Store Support Center


• Partner with Category team in the selection and creation of new items that are on trend and filling assortment gaps


• Support Category team with projects, maintaining organization to follow through to execution.


• Partner with Retail Category Managers to create layouts for store execution.


• Assist Retail Category Manager and Merchandise Execution in creating Presentation Guide for stores.


• Partner with Chef Team to develop How-Tos for products made in store.


• Support innovation and new product implementation from product setup through launch.


• Work in stores as needed to support company and category initiatives.


• Partner with Category Buyers to create distributions to support holidays and events in store.


• Identify emerging trends and shops competition and market regularly


• Partner with Category Buyers and Distributors to continuously improve and maintain best in class service levels.


• Partner with Category Buyers to maintain cost accuracy.


• Review Marketing Materials for accuracy and clarity for Store Teams and Guests.


• Partner with Category Assistant to create content for Weekly Programs.


• Seek opportunities to refresh team-facing materials (Zipline/Inventory Worksheets) in partnership with the Category team to enhance field team’s engagement with the Category

Qualifications:

At a minimum, what you’ll need:

• 3-5 years of experience of category management and/or store retail experience


• Bachelor’s degree preferred


• Possesses strong merchandising, product and marketing skills


• Demonstrate strong analytical, negotiating and problem-solving skills


• Ability to develop/maintain strong working relationship with peers and cross-functional teams


• Demonstrates leadership and decision-making skills


• Demonstrates strong listening, written and oral communication 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


• Takes calculated risks to achieve results


• Strong understanding of retail math and margin and ability to calculate promotional funding


• Proficient in Microsoft Excel and demonstrated skills with MS Office applications

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS: Consistent with applicable laws, TFM will make reasonable accommodations for qualified applicants and team members, unless doing so would result in an undue hardship to TFM. This guiding principle applies to all aspects of employment, including hiring and job assignment, compensation, discipline, termination, and access to benefits and training.

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer:

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard race, color, creed, religion, age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy and related medical conditions, national origin, genetic information, uniformed service, veteran status, disability, or any other basis prohibited by federal or state law.

The statements in this job description are provided to describe the general nature and level of work expected in this role. While these statements include the essential functions of the job, they are not intended to be a complete list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required. As we work as a team, there may be times team members are needed to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities based on business needs.