Primary Objective:
- To lead the merchandising team for Perishable categories (Meat, Seafood, Vegetables, Fruits,...), including: National Brands (NB) and Private Brands (PB) of Perishable and PB for Delica also.
- The role is responsible for achieving sales and profit budget, managing and developing supplier relationships, leading contract negotiations, executing promotional plans, ensuring product quality, resolving operational issues related to Merchandiser.
- Driving the development and expansion of the Private Brand (PB) assortment in alignment with company strategy.
Key Activities:
• Take ownership of sales, gross profit, inventory, and key KPIs based on approved budget.
• Ensure product quality and promptly resolve any issues in coordination with QC, SMD and Operations.
• Develop and expand the Private Brand (PB) portfolio in alignment with market needs and profitability goals.
• Plan and execute promotions in collaboration with Marketing and Operations.
• Analyze business results and implement actions to optimize category performance.
• Negotiate contracts and commercial terms with suppliers; manage supplier performance and relationships.
• Lead and manage the Perishable merchandising team, ensuring alignment with company strategy and performance targets.
• Train, coach, and evaluate team members to build a strong and capable merchandising team.
Roles and responsibilities:
List in order of importance the major responsibilities of the job and estimate the percentage of time spent on each responsibility (the main function of the job may or may not be the one where the most time is spent).
Responsibilities:
Category Sales & Profit Management (25%)
• Coordinate with Operations to ensure proper in- store execution and customer satisfaction.
• Analyze sales trends, seasonality, and consumer behavior to identify growth opportunities and optimize assortment.
• Manage full P&L responsibility for assigned categories: monitor revenue, gross profit, markdowns, and stock levels against budget.
• Prepare and present category reviews and business plans to management.
Private Brand (PB) Development (25%)
• Build and execute PB development strategies for fresh categories, ensuring alignment with customer trends, pricing strategy, and company positioning.
• Coordinate with internal departments (QA, R&D, Marketing, Packaging Design, etc.) and external suppliers to develop and launch PB products that meet AEON’s quality, cost, and brand identity standards.
• Monitor performance of PB items (sales, margin, quality feedback) and propose improvements or delisting if needed.
• Lead product benchmarking, tasting panels, and supplier capability assessments to ensure product competitiveness.
Supplier Management & Contract Negotiation (15%)
• Evaluate supplier performance based on delivery, quality compliance, responsiveness, and competitiveness.
• Build strategic partnerships with key suppliers to ensure long- term supply stability and value creation.
• Ensure suppliers comply with company standards, legal requirements, and food safety protocols (HACCP, traceability, etc.).
• Lead negotiation of trading terms, product pricing, rebates, return policy, and marketing support with both local and import suppliers.
Team Leadership & People Development (15%)
• Build a results- driven team culture while maintaining AEON’s core values and collaboration mindset.
• Manage a team of buyers and assistant buyers: assign responsibilities, monitor performance, and support their professional growth.
• Participate in recruitment and succession planning for the merchandising function.
• Conduct regular coaching and on- the- job training to improve team members’ negotiation, product knowledge, and data analysis skills.
Promotion Planning & Execution (10%)
• Work with Marketing and Store Operations to execute promotions effectively, ensuring visibility, availability, and in- store communication.
• Monitor promotion ROI and prepare post- promotion evaluations to guide future activities.
• Develop monthly and seasonal promotional plans to boost category performance, aligned with sales targets and customer insights.
Quality Control & Issue Resolution (10%)
• Coordinate with QA and SCM teams for root cause analysis and implement preventive actions to avoid repeat issues.
• Ensure immediate action is taken in the event of product recalls or customer complaints.
• Serve as the contact point for operational teams to resolve product quality issues (expired goods, contamination, damages, etc.).
• Supervise product quality standards at all stages: sourcing, logistics, and store level.
