Dairy & Grocery Category Buyer — Grow & Optimize

The Fresh Market Inc.; Fisher Park (NC); On-site; USD 75,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Team member discount 40%

Health, Dental, Vision insurance

401K match

Time off

PTO purchase plan

Job summary

The Fresh Market, Inc. is seeking a Category Buyer for Dairy/Grocery at our Store Support Center in North Carolina. You will drive category strategy, manage supplier relations, and optimize assortment and profitability.

Responsibilities include demand planning, procurement and allocation, and cross-functional collaboration to deliver growth. The ideal candidate has 4–7+ years in category management and a strong retail grocery background.

Qualifications

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

Responsibilities

• Demand planning: Develop SKU-level demand plans from sales trends and promotions.
• Vendor collaboration: Work with distributors to improve service levels and costs.
• Procurement & allocation: Manage procurement, allocation, and in-store inventory targets.
• Cost accuracy: Ensure cost data accuracy in the database.
• Product lifecycle management: Forecast new items, transitions, and discontinuations with cross-functional teams.
• Performance monitoring: Track new product sales and create historical data for launches.

Skills

Category management

Grocery industry knowledge

Vendor negotiations

Analytical skills

MS Office proficiency

Travel flexibility

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience

Tools

Nielsen

IRI

MicroStrategy

Job description

The Fresh Market, Inc. is seeking a Category Buyer for Dairy/Grocery at our Store Support Center in North Carolina. You will drive category strategy, manage supplier relations, and optimize assortment and profitability.

Responsibilities include demand planning, procurement and allocation, and cross-functional collaboration to deliver growth. The ideal candidate has 4–7+ years in category management and a strong retail grocery background.