Merchant

This role designs, develops, and executes strategies for product categories, ensuring alignment with sales, qualitative, and quantitative criteria.

This role involves managing merchandise profit and loss, including short-term and long-term planning, proactive/reactive management, and achieving targets for forecasts, sales, markdowns, market share growth, gross profit, and inventory. The role may develop category strategies by reviewing data sources, conducting item level assortment analysis, and making assortment decisions, including vendor and SKU optimization, price ladders, and private label/brand development. Regular store visits and proactive communication of strategies to cross-functional teams may be essential for appropriate planning and execution.

Vendor management is a key responsibility, which may include negotiating and managing agreements, costs, allowances, quality, and delivery terms to drive supplier performance. The role requires developing and maintaining vendor relationships, potentially both domestic and international. The role may also be accountable for all marketing aspects of the category, including tab space planning, item level planning, selection, forecasting, and execution for various media.

Ensuring the accuracy of final media and developing exit strategies for inventory residue may also be part of the role.

The role oversees new item and promotional forecasts, identifies item deletions, manages markdowns/markups/price adjustments, and develops exit strategies. Leading line reviews, delivering store-ready modulars and seasonal sets on time, and completing promotional planning activities are crucial tasks. Additionally, the role involves attending trade shows and buying trips to identify new vendors and enhance product categories. The role provides coaching and direction to team members and may mentor others as needed.

Additional responsibilities may include providing administrative support for supplier negotiations, managing purchase orders, and resolving supplier issues.

The role supports the implementation of business solutions by building relationships with key stakeholders, determining necessary processes and practices, and adapting to organizational changes. Ensuring the execution of customer communication and education programs, collaborating with modular and site merchandising teams, and ensuring product page content accuracy are also key tasks. The role involves understanding customer behavior across channels, guiding suppliers and vendors in developing customer-focused processes and products, and supporting category finances by tracking performance against financial targets.

Creating sales reports, supporting forecasting, and providing input on budgeting are essential functions. The role may also support the implementation of modular layout principles, advise on item sharing and replenishment, and support pricing decisions.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required in Business or relevant field

• 3–5 years of relevant experience in a similar role

• Grocery retail experience required; fresh buying experience preferred

• Strong negotiation, vendor management, and analytical skills

• Excellent communication and organizational abilities

Demonstrates and encourages respect for all; builds a high-performing team; seeks, and embraces differences in people, cultures, ideas and experiences; creates a workplace and experiences where all associates feel seen, supported and connected through culture of belonging so associates thrive and perform; drives a positive associate and customer experience for all; identifies, attracts, and retains the best team members.