Category Manager - Kitchen & Home Appliances

Key Responsibilities: 1. Category Strategy & Growth: - Develop and execute a strategic long-term plan for the assigned product category. - Drive category growth by analysing consumer needs, market trends and competitive activity. - Identify opportunities for category expansion and improve overall category performance. - Develop strategies aligned with business objectives, revenue targets and profitability goals. 2. Product Selection & Assortment Planning: - Manage category ranging, assortment planning and product selection across channels. - Develop pre-season and in-season option plans to ensure the category is appropriately represented. - Identify category gaps and recommend new products or product segments. - Collaborate with buying and merchandising teams to expand and optimise the product portfolio. - Ensure the right product mix based on customer demand, market trends and commercial objectives. 3. Pricing & Promotions: - Develop and monitor category pricing strategies across channels. - Plan and manage promotional activities, discounts and offers. - Monitor competitor pricing and promotional activity. - Ensure pricing and promotional plans support both sales growth and profitability. - Monitor discounts and their impact on category performance and margins. 4. P&L & Revenue Management: - Own the P&L for the assigned category in alignment with business goals. - Drive category revenue and gross-margin targets. - Monitor category profitability and identify opportunities to improve margins. - Manage category budgets and revenue plans. - Analyse sales and commercial performance and take corrective actions where required. 5. Demand & Inventory Planning: - Develop product demand forecasts based on market trends, historical performance and expected demand. - Place appropriate orders to maintain product availability and meet customer demand. - Coordinate inbound planning and inventory requirements. - Monitor stock availability and identify potential shortages or excess inventory. - Work closely with supply chain and commercial teams to ensure efficient product flow. 6. Merchandising & Category Presentation: - Lead category management and merchandising initiatives to optimise product presentation. - Ensure effective representation of the category across retail and relevant sales channels. - Supervise merchandising operations and provide guidance to merchandising teams. - Monitor product visibility, assortment and category presentation. - Identify opportunities to improve the customer experience through effective category merchandising. 7. Market & Consumer Insights: - Track consumer behaviour, market developments and competitor activities. - Identify broader market and product trends. - Spot emerging trends and opportunities within the Kitchen and Home Appliances categories. - Identify gaps in the existing category and recommend suitable products or solutions. - Use market insights to support assortment, pricing and promotional decisions. 8. Marketing & Category Visibility: - Develop category visibility and promotional plans. - Drive marketing promotions to increase category awareness, traffic and sales. - Coordinate visibility plans between internal marketing teams and sellers. - Work with marketing teams to develop appropriate category communication and promotional activities. - Monitor the effectiveness of category promotions and visibility initiatives. 9. Cataloguing & Product Content: - Monitor product cataloguing activities and ensure category information is appropriately maintained. - Coordinate with relevant teams to ensure product details, specifications and category information are accurate. - Ensure cataloguing supports effective product discovery and category performance. 10. Cross-Functional Coordination: - Develop strong working relationships with Buying, Marketing, Sales and Merchandising teams. - Coordinate effectively with Supply Chain, Cataloguing, Finance / Commercial and other relevant functions. - Ensure alignment between category strategy, product availability, marketing plans and sales objectives. - Work collaboratively with internal teams and sellers to execute category initiatives. 11. Operations & Team Supervision: - Supervise and monitor merchandising and category-related operations. - Mentor and guide team members involved in category and merchandising activities. - Monitor operational performance and ensure category plans are implemented effectively. - Take ownership of category-related projects and ensure timely execution. Required Skills & Competencies: - Strong Category Management experience in Kitchen / Home Appliances. - Strong understanding of product assortment, pricing, promotions and merchandising. - Proven experience in category growth and P&L management. - Strong analytical and commercial skills. - Excellent understanding of consumer behaviour and market trends. - Strong negotiation and stakeholder management skills. - Good understanding of inventory and demand planning. - Strong cross-functional coordination abilities. - Proficiency in MS Office. - Certification in Category Management will be an added advantage. - Strong leadership, decision-making and problem-solving skills. - Ability to work in a fast-paced, target-oriented environment.