Category Manager

This range is provided by Beyond Retail (UK). Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.

Beyond Retail is an award-winning multi-website online retailer offering bathroom, kitchen and heating products to Britain’s homeowners and tradespeople. Over 8 million people visit our websites (Drench, Tap Warehouse and Only Radiators) each year, and we’re on a mission to help create well-designed homes that look great, feel special, and positively impact people's everyday lives. We’re a little over 10 years old now, and in that short time, we’ve accelerated from zero to £50m/year revenue, won local and national awards, and grown to.

The role & responsibilities:

• We seek an experienced and strategically-minded Category Manager to own multiple product categories fully.
• You will be responsible for range planning strategy and execution across your categories – optimising product assortment, leading the go-to-market strategy for new product launches, identifying and onboarding new suppliers, owning product life cycles, and ultimately driving improvements to revenue and margin.
• You’ll work closely with marketing, operations, and sales teams to drive category performance and expansion.
• Your outstanding analytical and commercial acumen will be vital in ensuring we continue to offer our customers outstanding value for money and market-leading choice whilst returning healthy profits and sustainable growth.

Category Strategy:

• Develop and implement comprehensive range-planning strategies, covering pricing, promotions, and product life cycles.

Supplier Management:

• Manage and nurture supplier relationships, onboard new suppliers and conduct high-level negotiations to secure competitive terms.

Financial Performance:

• Monitor financial performance to ensure optimal margin and revenue performance and make data-driven decisions on product discontinuations and range adjustments.

Market Analysis:

• Identify new opportunities and stay ahead of market trends and competitor activities.

Customer Focus:

• Enhance customer experience by aligning product offerings with customer needs and preferences.

Product Launch:

• Lead the go-to-market strategy for new products, ensuring high value for money and strong customer appeal.

People Management:

• Manage and support team members as required, fostering a collaborative work environment.

Cross-functional Collaboration:

• Work closely with marketing, operations, and sales teams to optimise category performance.

Pricing Strategy:

• Develop and implement competitive pricing strategies, considering market conditions and competitor pricing.

Supplier Visits:

• Travel both within the UK and abroad to visit suppliers and factories, scope out new suppliers, and assess new products.

What we require from you:

• 5+ years in category management, buying, or merchandising, preferably within a fast-paced and high-volume retail environment.
• Strong negotiation skills with the ability to build and maintain supplier relationships effectively.
• Previous experience in the KBB industry or similar retail sectors is preferred.
• Strong commercial awareness with a proven track record of delivering profitable category growth.
• Ability to analyse market trends, customer behaviour, and financial data to inform strategic decisions.
• Excellent interpersonal skills to influence stakeholders and lead supplier negotiations effectively.
• Highly organised with strong decision-making capabilities.
• Visit our HQ (generally once or twice a month) and attend supplier meetings and factories as required.

What we can offer you:

• Flexible working hours — we work 40 hours per week, typically starting and finishing between 8 am and 6:30 pm Monday to Friday.
• Generous annual leave.
• All the tech you need + remote working budget for setting up your home office.
• A fantastic office, or flexibility to work at home.
• A company-wide commitment to learning and development.
• A friendly, customer-focused environment built on teamwork, collaboration, ownership, and transparency.
• Team and company-wide social events.
• No corporate dress code.

Our Values:

Everything we do is shaped by our ten core values. These inform the foundations of our relationships with customers and each other, but they also shape how we measure and reward the performance of our colleagues. Simply put, success is not about who you are or how loud you shout, but about the impact you make and what you do. We encourage doing rather than dreaming – if you have an idea, speak up, and we will listen! Everyone’s opinion matters and any suggestions are welcomed.

Our Diversity:

We aim to foster a culture where individuals of all backgrounds feel confident in bringing their whole selves to work, feel included and their talents are nurtured, empowering them to contribute fully to our vision and goals. Work is not a place; it is what you do…

We believe the future of work is about flexibility. Not everyone does their best work from an office, and not everyone wants to work from home exclusively. Our employees can choose to work flexibly either from home or in our office. To demonstrate our commitment to this, we have a fantastic Home Working Support Scheme! We want to ensure that those who do choose to work from home can still work in the best possible environment, and are not left out of pocket.

In a nutshell, we offer:

• A one-off allowance of £500 for you to set up your home office.

If you would like further information on this position before applying then please get in touch, otherwise please send in your CV for consideration.

Seniority level: Mid-Senior level

Employment type: Full-time

Job function: Marketing, Retail