Category Manager - Promotional Products

Are you a proven retail buying / category management professional with strong trading skills across a range of product categories?

Can you source great products at promotional price points to deliver our value proposition?

Do you thrive in a fast-paced and growing business environment, building effective stakeholder and vendor relationships?

If so, the newly created Category Manager – Promotional Products could be the perfect challenge!

About the role:

The role is responsible for reintroducing the category of ‘promotions’.  This business area takes inspiration from allproduct areas, both those already present in the business, and sourcing/testing new to the business; bringing great products at promotional price points to deliver on our value proposition on our most important cruise lines in the US, UK, and Australia.

Based in Avonmouth on a hybrid working basis – 2/3 days per week in office.

Compensation – competitive salary, car allowance, bonus scheme, pension, 4 x life assurance, healthcare, 25 days leave annually (including Christmas shutdown)

What you will be doing:

• Develop and deliver the category strategy for promotional product
• Identify and ‘own’ existing instore space – working with Retail Design and Operations to develop new selling space on board
• Build a compelling assortment of high-volume entry priced product – appropriate for the markets in which we operate
• Identify and negotiate a reliable and secure route to market across all territories in which we operate
• Use entrepreneurial flair to test, refine, and learn, ensuring the promotional range proposition is additive to the existing category assortment
• Develop, cultivate, and maintain strong vendor relationships to maximise commercial opportunities
• Work with Category Director and key internal stakeholders to deliver new projects commercially, and on time
• Use excellent Trading skills to identify opportunity and act autonomously to secure exciting new product

About you:

• Strong background and proven track record of success in category management or a senior buying role for a medium to large retail organisation
• Extensive experience in the management of teams
• Multiple product category experience
• Must have an existing right of eligibility to work in the UK

Key Attributes – trust, collaboration, respect, passion, drive, resilience

About us:

Harding+ is leading the way in innovative onboard cruise retailing, working closely with our cruise line partners and brand partners to ‘make every cruise better’.  We stay at the forefront of retailing and consistently provide outstanding customer service, culminating in winning the Cruise Retailer of the Year award for 2022 and 2023.

Harding+ is an equal opportunities employer.  We believe passionately that employing a diverse workforce is central to our success.  We make recruiting decisions based on your experience and skills.  We value your passion to discover, invent, simplify, and build.  Protecting your privacy and the security of your data is a longstanding top priority for Harding+.