Senior Category Buying Manager

Senior Category Buying Manager ( Hair Care Category )

Sally Europe - the largest wholesaler of hair and beauty products in the UK and Europe

Hybrid - 3 days in the office, Bracknell and 2 days WFH

Competitive Salary + Benefits

The opportunity:

This is a very exciting opportunity for a Senior Category Buying Manager to join Sally Europe to manage part of their haircare category

Sally Europe are the UK and Continental Europe operating arm of Sally Beauty Holdings Ltd. Collectively they are proud to be the world’s largest distributor of professional hair and beauty products. The Sally Europe group brings together Sally Beauty, Salon Services, Pro Duo, Salon Success and Sinelco.

Within the group their differing business units supply every corner of the hair and beauty industry from supporting apprentices starting out, their trailblazing independent hair and beauty business owners, at-home DIY beauty fans, big salon groups, students, hotels, spas, prisons and more.

Their reach is huge across UK & Europe with 400 stores in 7 markets: UK, ROI, France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands Spain & 4000 stores worldwide.

The purpose of the role will be to develop and deliver the merchandising plan for given hair categories. To ensure that the range assortment & management delights customers for Sally Europe and maximises category & business performance.

What will my key accountabilities be?

• You will be responsible for the category’s activity and routes to market – sales reporting, range reviews, range assortment across the various routes to market, promotional plans, own brand development plans, pricing and product file maintenance.
• Regular analysis and reviews of given categories to optimise ranges to grow sales &
• margin
• Delivery of new ranges through the range planning process
• Delivery of pricing strategy across all channels & all countries for Sally Europe
• Delivery of category plans that detail the tactical execution of plans to achieve business set
• Analysing competitor and market activity in relation to product ranges, brand development and pricing structures
• Working collaboratively with the Vendor negotiation team on promotions ( vendor negotiation team are responsible for deals & funding )
• Using customer insight ( internal and external sources ) and analysis to improve promotional effectiveness
• Being an integral part of the leadership team within the merchandising department, offering input and support on projects beyond the role and displaying a challenging mindset

Who will I be working with?

Head of Category, Commercial Director, wider merchandising and marketing team & vendor management team plus store operations and visual merchandising

A great candidate will have:

• A minimum of 3-5 years’ experience with strong commercial retail buying/category management experience in developing short- & long-term plans
• Strong evidence of having a commercial eye – through understanding market opportunities to maximise sales & profitability
• Ability to analyse & interpret information, engaging others to make informed decisions and deliver business focused solutions
• Ability to work cross functionally and build effective relationships across all levels within an organisation, communicating with clarity and credibility
• Experience working with suppliers, developing metrics, managing performance
• Proven success in coaching, developing and progressing self & team members
• Passion for the industry, products and the customer
• Product sourcing experience from both domestic and overseas desirable
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills including IT proficiency

In return for everything you can bring, Sally Europe can offer you:

• Competitive salary based on experience
• 23 days holiday plus bank hols – increasing with service
• 20% staff discount
• Contributory pension
• Retail Trust Well-Being support

The Process?

Apply today with your most up-to-date CV to Rachael.Walsh@mackenziejones.co.uk

First Stage: Teams interview with the hiring manager

Second Stage: In person interview and presentation at their offices

People are at the heart of everything we do. We embrace diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive recruitment process that means people can be their best authentic self.

We would love to reply to all applications, regrettably we are unable to do so due to the high volumes we receive, so if you do not hear back within 14 days unfortunately on this role it won’t be progressing. It is possible that the position could be in the process of closing, so chalk it up to bad timing. But, have no fear! There will be more opportunities. Follow us at Mackenzie Jones Recruitment so you don’t miss them