Commercial Category Manager / Procurement Manager (Wholesale), East London

Minimum Requirements Education&Experience

Relevant tertiary qualification in Commerce, Procurement, Supply Chain, or related field (advantageous).

Minimum 8–10 years’ experience in FMCG wholesale or retail buying.

Proven experience managing Food and/or Liquor categories.

Strong background in high-volume, low-margin trading environments.

Experience managing multi-branch or regional category portfolios.

Demonstrated experience negotiating trading terms, rebates, and promotional funding.

Leadership experience managing or mentoring junior buyers (advantageous).

Key Responsibilities Category Strategy&Performance

Develop and execute category strategies aligned with wholesale trading objectives.

Drive sales growth, margin achievement, and stock turn performance.

Manage category budgets including sales, GP, and promotional participation.

Monitor and analyse category performance, implementing corrective actions where necessary.

Supplier&Commercial Negotiation

Negotiate pricing, rebates, settlement discounts, and trading terms.

Secure supplier funding for promotions, advertising, and in-store campaigns.

Build and maintain strong supplier partnerships.

Monitor supplier performance and service levels.

Promotions&Pricing

Develop and implement promotional calendars across branches.

Oversee product listings, price positioning, and margin control.

Ensure promotional execution delivers planned ROI.

Align promotional activity with seasonal and bulk-buy trends.

Stock&Working Capital Management

Manage stock levels to optimise availability and minimise out-of-stocks.

Ensure healthy stock turns and controlled inventory holding.

Collaborate with supply chain to maintain efficient replenishment cycles.

Leadership&Cross-Functional Collaboration

Provide leadership and guidance to buying team members.

Work closely with operations, finance, and branch management.

Present category performance reports to senior management.

Act as support to senior commercial leadership when required.

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