Category Manager (Dairy and Frozen - Process Food)

The CM takes responsibility for the entire life cycle of his category of products: from sourcing (brands) or inception (private label products) to quality control and eventually sales.• Be an expert in his category of products• Observe the market (competitors) to constantly have a comprehensive view on products and product developments• Carry out regular store visits: own stores, competitors including specific local formats such as local supermarkets, Mom and Pop stores, wet markets• Support the process of defining and constantly adjusting the assortment• Negotiate lowest possible cost prices and best possible terms (a.o. payment terms)• Based on the market situation propose private label products• Find the best suitable suppliers for brand and private label products• Along with suppliers develop private label products and source them• Develop stable and long-term relationships with suitable suppliers• Monitor the quality of products, most critically private label products, by• Being involved in quality control in the warehouses: provide guidance and issue product sheets to enable receiving and regional purchasing to exercise QC• Carrying out regular quality controls himself (tastings with CM’s or senior management)• Supervise external quality control through QC organizations (laboratories)• Carry out price surveys in competitor stores• Advise and monitor price surveys that are carried out by external or internal people• Ensure sales prices are at all times at the lowest sales price level• Prepare and participate in a ca. monthly meeting, the General Purchasing Meeting, in which he will lay out his proposals for products and sales prices.• Prepare and participate in the Weekly Sales Meeting, in which short term and operational matters will be decided: product introductions, sales price changes, promotional activities (launch and analysis), a few other day to day matters that may be brought forward by Central Purchasing or Sales• Prepare and check key internal documents: reports, weekly assortment information to regional offices (warehouses), weekly circular to stores• Advise his line manager and the senior management of the company on anything as it pertains to our customer offering.