Category Manager

About Guardian Health & Beauty

Established in 1972, Guardian Health & Beauty stands as Singapore's leading health and beauty retailer, operating over 110 stores nationwide. Evolving from its pharmacy foundation, Guardian now offers a comprehensive one-stop solution for health and beauty, blending professional services such as patient-care counseling and dispensary services with a wide range of products. It also supports online shopping with over 9,000 products and a “Click & Collect” option. Guardian is recognized with the Progressive Wage mark accreditation.

Role Overview

The Category Manager is tasked with overseeing assigned product categories to meet sales, profit, and income objectives. This requires crafting and executing strategic plans, managing promotions and pricing, maximizing assortment and space efficiency, and fostering strong supplier relations. The role demands a proactive, data-informed approach, adaptability to market changes, and alignment with business priorities.

Key Responsibilities

• Achieve category sales, gross profit, and income targets by analyzing market trends and formulating growth and competitive strategies.
• Implement inventory processes to maintain an optimal product assortment that satisfies customer demand and minimizes losses.
• Design and carry out promotional campaigns aimed at boosting in-store excitement and incremental sales.
• Develop and apply planograms and space management tactics to enhance shelf productivity, customer experience, and category turnover.
• Conduct regular reviews of product ranges to ensure optimal assortment and remove underperforming SKUs.
• Manage category and brand strategies, including private label product development.
• Establish and maintain productive relationships with suppliers and internal teams to synchronize business goals.
• Monitor consumer behavior, market developments, and competitor actions to inform strategies.
• Develop competitive pricing plans balancing customer value and profitability.
• Negotiate collaborative partnerships with suppliers to optimize trading terms and promotional funding.
• Prepare detailed reports on category performance, offering meaningful insights and recommendations.
• Assess promotional effectiveness and suggest improvements for future campaigns.

Candidate Requirements

• Diploma or Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, or a related discipline.
• 4 to 6 years of relevant experience in retail or FMCG sectors, preferably in merchandising or category management.
• Strong grasp of customer-focused business strategies.
• Fluent in written and spoken English.
• Deep knowledge of market dynamics and consumer trends.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially Excel and PowerPoint.
• Excellent presentation, communication, and negotiation talents.
• Robust analytical skills with the ability to convert data into actionable insights.
• Energetic, creative, cooperative, and highly flexible.
• Well-organized, results-oriented, and proactive.
• Effective team player who fosters cross-functional collaboration.
• Decisive and adaptable in a fast-evolving environment.
• Capable of communicating effectively across all organizational levels.