Senior Category Manager - Dubai - ref. a68511615
Job description / Role
Employment: Full Time
Inspire | Exhilarate | Delight
For over seven decades, Chalhoub Group has been a partner and creator of luxury experiences in the Middle East. In its pursuit to excel as a hybrid luxury retailer, the Group has curated a portfolio of over 10 owned brands and strengthened its distribution and marketing expertise for over 400 international names across luxury fashion, beauty, jewellery, watches, eyewear, and art de vivre categories.
Every step at Chalhoub Group is taken to build a future where luxury dreams become reality - bridging cultures and crafting memorable experiences for our consumers. Be it by constantly reinventing itself, committing to innovation, or embracing new technologies, the Group is shaping the future of luxury retail.It delivers seamless omnichannel experiences across more than 950 stores, online platforms, and mobile apps. Driving this innovation journey is The Greenhouse - the Group's innovation hub, incubator, and accelerator for startups and emerging businesses, regionally and globally.
Chalhoub Group fosters a people-at-heart culture rooted in diversity, equity, and inclusion, and a workplace catalysed by forward thinking and future-proofing. Today, it brings together over 16,000 talented professionals across eight countries in the Middle East, with a presence in LATAM.Their collective efforts have earned the Group the Great Place to Work/u00ae certification in several markets.
Sustainability is at the core of the Group's strategy, guided by a clear commitment to people, partners, and the planet. Chalhoub Group is proud to be a member of the United Nations Global Compact, a signatory of the Women's Empowerment Principles, and to have pledged to reach Net Zero by 2040.
What you'll be doing
Our Category Manager based in the UAE would look after Faces regionally and is responsible for defining and driving the offer and purchasing strategy for different product categories and brands. The Category Manager is also responsible for defining the action plan for the categories, merchandising, promotional activities, prices, and negotiations.
Key Responsibilities- Develop the business plan of the category in line with the strategic objectives of Faces.
- Formulate and communicate the category performance objectives and continuously monitor progress and alignment toward strategic objectives.
- Negotiate annual commercial agreements and the commercialization of advertising spaces with the brands.
- Takes ownership of gross margins and drives an optimal category mix to influence growth.
- Benchmark current performance vs. the competition and the peer market.
- Create different tools to improve the categories' performance.
- Handle the production of the annual calendar for the brands promotions, launches, etc.
- Assess the requirements and coordinate with relevant internal/external stakeholders (Marketing, Visual Merchandising, Suppliers, Category Managers and Logistics).
- Negotiate with suppliers for the stock returns (discontinued and slow movers).
- Analyse and help interpret trends pertaining to the market, competitors, customers and partners, and uses.
- Assist in building a competitive assortment, keeping in mind market and competition trends.
- Focus on core categories and new categories/brands to work on a holistic assortment.
- Work closely with internal functions like supply chain for inventory management and managing the buying budget, marketing for the promotional calendar, sales operations for driving key initiatives/novelties and e-commerce team in ensuring that the assortment is in line with offline to drive omnichannel retailing.
- Drive team to maximize additional income for the organization through initiatives like space selling (animation).
- Ensure that the commercial teams drive new launches, new categories or new brands/initiatives successfully.
- Address commercial escalations both internal and external.
- Assortment and lifecycle management (depending on defined KPIs).
- Store profitability.
- Listing and de-listing decisions.
- Development, sourcing, and implementation of new assortment concepts, trends, and brands.
- Competitive benchmarking.
- Supplier management and negotiations.
- Purchasing meetings and first-order responsibilities.
- Limit (OTB) and inventory (shared responsibility with supply chain).
- COOP, JBP negotiation.
- Build and negotiate an activation plan for the category.
- Intersection cross-department to Marketing, E-Com, Finance, Logistics, Retail Teams.
- Ongoing feedback and exchange with the Retail Team.
- A minimum of 5 years in a commercial role within the retail sector or a leadership role within category management.
- Demonstrated expertise in P&L management, showcasing the ability to drive financial performance and operational efficiency.
- Offline beauty retail category management experience is a must, however online experience is a plus.
- Adaptable and passionate about colour cosmetics market trends and brands.
- Proficiency in managing stakeholders and fostering partnerships, with a track record of successful business development.
What we can offer you
With us, you will turn your aspirations into reality. We will help shape your journey through enriching experiences, learning and development opportunities and exposure to different assignments within your role or through internal mobility. Our Group offers diverse career paths for those who are extraordinary, every day.
We recognise the value that you bring, and we strive to provide a competitive benefits package which includes health care, child education contribution, remote and flexible working policies as well as exclusive employee discounts.
We invite all applicants to apply
It takes diversity of thought, culture, background, differing abilities and perspectives to truly inspire, exhilarate and delight our customers. At Chalhoub Group, we are committed to inclusion and diversity.
We welcome all applicants to apply and be part of our exciting future. We ensure equal opportunity for all our applicants without regard to gender, age, race, religion, national origin or disability status.
Job Function: General ManagementCompany Industry: Retail
About the Company
The Chalhoub Group is the leading partner for luxury across the Middle East since 1955. As an expert in retail, distribution and marketing services based in Dubai, the group has become a major player in the fashion, beauty and gift sectors regionally.
By blending its Middle East expertise and intimate knowledge of luxury, Chalhoub Group is building brands in the region, by offering service excellence to all its partners and a unique experience to its customers through its passionate teams.
With a growing workforce of more than 9,000 people, implemented in 14 countries, as well as the operating of over 470 retail outlets, the group's success is attributed to its most valued asset of highly skilled and dedicated teams. Professionalism and passion are what fuel the Chalhoub Group's competitive edge in today's market.
By being committed to implementing sustainable practices into their business, the Chalhoub Group has been awarded in 2013 the CSR Label from the Dubai Chamber of Commerce.
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