Category Director, Center Of Store

at  Loblaw Companies Limited

Referred applicants should not apply directly to this role.
All referred applicants must first be submitted through Workday by a current Loblaw Colleague.
Come make your difference in communities across Canada, where authenticity, trust and making connections is valued – as we shape the future of Canadian retail, together. Our unique position as one of the country’s largest employers, coupled with our commitment to positively impact the lives of all Canadians, provides our colleagues a range of opportunities and experiences to help Canadians Live Life Well®.
At Loblaw Companies Limited, we succeed through collaboration and commitment and set a high bar for ourselves and those around us. Whether you are just starting your career, re-entering the workforce, or looking for a new job, this is where you belong.

ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• Build comprehensive strategic growth plans with key Multi-cultural and Italian partners across all categories.
• Update product assortment to ensure proper mix of items, brands and sets where sales and buying plans are in place to achieve category targets.
• Build and sustain strong supplier relationships to maximize sales, tonnage and profit. Be the Supplier Captain for all Multi-cultural and Italian partners.
• Identify market and demographic trends and partner with suppliers on innovation to drive growth ahead of the market.
• Collaborate with Merchandising Managers to build weekly merchandising directives
• Build ad themes and planning calendar with promo activity meeting financial targets and collaborate with marketing for best in-class flyers, social media and in-store signage.
• Lead Insiders and Seasonal programs while managing the perimeter merchandising plan (forecasting, playbooks and execution).
• Store visits as required to build strong Franchisee relationships, providing guidance, and ensuring merch directive and planogram execution.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Post-secondary education in Business or Retail program is an asset.
• 5-10 years of related experience in merchandising developing promotion and pricing strategies and processes.
• Strong analytical, strategic and consumer insight skills.
• Progressive and innovative: aggressively seeks out opportunities to improve competitiveness and demonstrates an innovative spirit.
• Track record of results in a fast-paced environment with the ability to set priorities and meet challenging deadlines.
• Proven problem solving, communication, interpersonal, negotiation and team-building skills.
• Working knowledge of SAP, Microstrategy and JDA an asset

KEY COMPETENCIES

• Expert knowledge of Italian and Multicultural products.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills including formulating and executing strategic plans.
• Must possess excellent people skills and be an effective communicator.
• Ability to positively impact, influence and build capability in your team.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and achieve industry leading results with your team.
• Customer focused.
• Highly organized and a strong attention to detail.
  Our commitment to Sustainability and Social Impact is an essential part of the way we do business, and we focus our attention on areas where we can have the greatest impact. Our approach to sustainability and social impact is based on three pillars – Environment, Sourcing and Community – and we are constantly looking for ways to demonstrate leadership in these important areas. Our CORE Values – Care, Ownership, Respect and Excellence – guide all our decision-making and come to life through our Blue Culture. We offer our colleagues progressive careers, comprehensive training, flexibility, and other competitive benefits – these are some of the many reasons why we are one of Canada’s Top Employers, Canada’s Best Diversity Employers, Canada’s Greenest Employers & Canada’s Top Employers for Young People.
  If you are unsure whether your experience matches every requirement above, we encourage you to apply anyway. We are looking for varied perspectives which include diverse experiences that we can add to our team.
  We have a long-standing focus on diversity, equity and inclusion because we know it will make our company a better place to work and shop. We are committed to creating accessible environments for our colleagues, candidates and customers. Requests for accommodation due to a disability (which may be visible or invisible, temporary or permanent) can be made at any stage of application and employment. We encourage candidates to make their accommodation needs known so that we can provide equitable opportunities.

ROLE MANDATE:

The Director is accountable for growing tonnage and market share while driving profitable sales growth for all Multi-Cultural and Italian Categories. The incumbent will provide leadership and direction in planning, supplier management, product assortment, space allocation, pricing and promotion supporting their category strategies while meeting all financial targets and KPI’s.