Co-op
Commercial Category Manager
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Commercial Category Manager
Commercial Category Manager
£55,000 plus great benefits (Work Level 6A) Manchester City Centre In this role, you'll work in a hybrid-way, splitting your time between home and coming into the office at least two to three times a week. Find out more about our hybrid working policy here.
About The Role
We're looking for a Commercial Category Manager to join us at Co-op. If you love shaping trading decisions, spotting opportunities in the market, and creating ranges and propositions that genuinely meet customer needs, this is your chance to make a real impact on our Food business.
Why This Job Matters
As a Category Manager, you'll play a key role in steering the direction of your category:
- From the products we put on our shelves
- How we price and promote them
You'll turn real customer behaviour and performance data into trading actions that:
- Strengthen our competitiveness
- Help deliver our commercial goals
You'll work closely with:
- Senior partners
- Commercial teams
To:
- Influence decisions
- Back recommendations with clear rationale
- Create propositions that win with customers in a fast-moving retail environment.
What You’ll Do
- Build strong, collaborative relationships with internal teams and channel partners to drive category performance
- Spend time in stores and out in the market to understand:
- Customer missions
- Customer behaviour
- Changing needs
- Use data to inform clear, commercial recommendations across:
- Range
- Pricing
- Promotions
- Support the development of category strategy, translating it into action for:
- Trading teams
- Commercial teams
- Partner with the Senior Category Manager to:
- Review performance
- Highlight risks or opportunities
- Shape customer-led plans
- Play a key role in:
- Launching new own-label products
- Shaping promotional activity that resonates with customers
- Brief commercial teams on:
- Cost
- Margin
- Promotional plans
- Ensure decisions land effectively
- Support forecasting and budgeting
- Keep a close eye on:
- Performance drivers
- Risks
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What You’ll Bring
We're committed to making our roles as accessible as possible and only ask for:
- The ability to turn a mix of customer insight, sales data, and market trends into:
- Clear commercial actions
- Experience using.tools:
- MicroStrategy
- Circana
- Excel
- PowerPoint
- Strong commercial awareness, with knowledge of:
- How pricing, cost, and volume decisions drive performance
- Confidence communicating with:
- Colleagues
- Partners at all levels
- The ability to influence decisions with well-reasoned recommendations
- A solid understanding of GSCOP and how to apply it in day-to-day decisions
Why Co-op?
At Co-op, we're owned by our members. Because we're owned by you, we can do right by you. When you join us, you're not just taking a job, you're joining a movement.
Get help with your application
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We're an organisation that:
- Puts people and communities first
- Is powered by purpose
You’ll experience:
- An annual bonus (based on personal and business performance)
- 28 days holiday (rising to 32 with service) plus bank holidays
- A pension with up to 10% employer contributions
- Access to a subsidised on-site gym (at our Manchester HQ)
- 30% discount on Co-op products and 10% off other brands
- Stream – early access to a percentage of your pay as you earn it
- Virtual healthcare including:
- GP appointments
- Mental health support
- Nutrition advice
- Fitness advice
- 24/7 colleague support service
- Training and support for:
- Development
- Career progression
- Cycle-to-work scheme
A Place You’ll Belong
We're building:
- Diverse and inclusive teams that reflect the communities we serve.
- We welcome applications from everyone.
We’re committed to:
- Creating a workplace where colleagues can feel they belong
- Supporting inclusive policies and the ways we work.
We're proud participants in the Disability Confident Scheme and offer interviews to disabled candidates who meet minimum criteria. If adjustments are needed during the recruitment process, we’ll support you.
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