Merchandising Manager - Private Label

The Merchandising Manager – Private Label is responsible for developing, managing, and growing the supermarket’s private-label product portfolio. The role oversees product sourcing, assortment, pricing, supplier management, product development, promotions, and performance monitoring to ensure products are competitive, profitable, and aligned with customer needs.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement merchandising strategies for private-label products across supermarket categories such as grocery, food, beverages, household, personal care, and other applicable categories.
• Identify new private-label product opportunities based on customer preferences, market trends, competitor activities, and sales performance.
• Manage product assortment, pricing, promotions, and product lifecycle to achieve sales and margin targets.
• Source and evaluate manufacturers and suppliers for private-label products.
• Negotiate product cost, pricing, terms, minimum order quantities, lead times, and other commercial requirements with suppliers.
• Coordinate product development, including product specifications, packaging, labeling, quality requirements, and launch timelines.
• Work closely with Quality Assurance and suppliers to ensure products meet company quality standards and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Monitor sales, gross margin, inventory levels, stock availability, and sell-through performance of private-label products.
• Analyze category and SKU performance and recommend assortment changes, pricing adjustments, promotions, or product discontinuation when necessary.
• Coordinate with Store Operations, Marketing, Supply Chain, Warehouse, and other departments to ensure proper product availability and execution in stores.
• Develop and monitor promotional programs to increase private-label sales and customer awareness.
• Conduct market and competitor checks to monitor pricing, assortment, packaging, and product positioning.
• Review customer feedback and store performance to identify opportunities for product improvement.
• Prepare regular reports and business reviews covering sales, margins, inventory, supplier performance, and other merchandising KPIs.
• Lead and coach the merchandising team and ensure effective execution of private-label initiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Management, Retail Management, or a related field.
• At least 5 years of relevant experience in supermarket merchandising, category management, FMCG, retail, or private-label product management, with supervisory or managerial experience.
• Experience in private-label product development, sourcing, supplier/vendor management, or category management is highly preferred.
• Strong knowledge of supermarket merchandising, product assortment, pricing, promotions, inventory, and margin management.
• Strong analytical and negotiation skills.
• Good communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Excel and other Microsoft Office applications.
• Experience with merchandising systems, ERP, POS data, or business intelligence tools is an advantage.
• Willing to conduct market visits, supplier meetings, and store visits as needed.