Senior Retail Category Manager & Buyer

Applegreen-USA-Welcome-Centers-Central-Services; Hackensack (NJ); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid Time Off

401(k) with Company Match

10% Annual Bonus

Hybrid Work Arrangement

Earned Wage Access – Pay on Demand

Education Assistance

Employee Referral Bonus

Pet Insurance

Job summary

Applegreen USA Welcome Centers Central Services is seeking a Category Manager to develop and execute category strategies across a portfolio of retail categories. The role partners with Operations, Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, and vendors to optimize assortment, pricing, promotions, and performance.

The successful candidate will be analytical, commercially driven, and thrive in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Merchandising, Supply Chain, or related field.
• Minimum 5 years of retail buying, category management, merchandising, or procurement experience.
• Strong experience negotiating supplier agreements and managing vendor relationships.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Office Suite.
• Experience with PDI and retail reporting platforms.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute category strategies that support sales growth, margin improvement, and overall business objectives.
• Manage product assortment, pricing, promotions, and merchandising plans for assigned categories.
• Analyze sales, margin, market, and customer data to identify trends, opportunities, and areas for improvement.
• Conduct category reviews and develop action plans to maximize category performance.
• Deliver accurate category forecasts, budgets, and performance reporting.
• Monitor product lifecycle performance and recommend additions, deletions, or assortment enhancements.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with supplier partners.
• Lead annual vendor negotiations to secure competitive pricing, rebates, promotional funding, and favorable commercial terms.
• Develop and execute joint business plans with key suppliers.
• Monitor vendor performance and ensure compliance with contractual agreements.
• Maximize rebate opportunities and ensure achievement of annual rebate targets.
• Develop and implement effective planograms that maximize sales and enhance the customer experience.
• Partner with Operations and Marketing teams to deliver promotional calendars and seasonal programs.
• Ensure promotional execution is aligned with regional and seasonal business requirements.
• Evaluate promotional effectiveness and recommend future improvements.
• Partner with Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, Marketing, and Merchandising teams to ensure successful category execution.
• Support new product launches, category resets, and business initiatives.
• Act as a category subject matter expert and provide recommendations to leadership based on data and market insights.
• Mentor and support junior members of the Commercial team.
• Foster collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement within the department.
• Contribute to a high-performance culture that aligns with Applegreen's values and growth objectives.

Skills

Category management

Vendor relationship management

Data analysis

Strategic thinking

Communication

Planning & organization

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Merchandising, Supply Chain, or related field

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

PDI

Job description

Applegreen USA Welcome Centers Central Services is seeking a Category Manager to develop and execute category strategies across a portfolio of retail categories. The role partners with Operations, Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, and vendors to optimize assortment, pricing, promotions, and performance.

The successful candidate will be analytical, commercially driven, and thrive in a fast-paced environment.