Buyer for Performance Supplements

The Vitamin Shoppe•Secaucus, NJ

About The Position

The Buyer is responsible for the overall Profit and Loss (P&L) of large, complex categories, specifically performance supplements. This role involves setting, communicating, and executing strategic direction for assigned categories, including planning and managing category sales, promotional activities, margin, inventory, product assortment, and item data accuracy. The Buyer will collaborate with various departments such as Marketing, Inventory Team, Retail Operations, Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, Public Relations, and Finance to achieve category plans and share insights. A key aspect of this role is being the primary owner of vendor relationships for both national branded and Vitamin Shoppe brand products.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Nutrition or related Field
Current or previous category merchandising expertise in commodity/replenishment driven categories
5-7+ years in a progressive retail or CPG merchandising career
Ability and passion to drive change and innovation within categories of accountability
Strong vendor partner with strong negotiation skills and experience negotiating with multinational vendors.
Advanced analytical rigor with ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.
Expertise using market share data to aid decision making and promotion cadence
Passion for the health and wellness industry
Passionate hands-on leader with the ability to execute in a fast paced organization

Responsibilities

Set, manage and execute the strategic direction for the category(s) to include both Vitamin Shoppe Brand and national branded product
Collaborate with Category Planner to develop category inventory productivity targets, monitor receipts and work to implement strategic initiatives to drive results
Develop and achieve category quantitative plans including sales, promotional mark downs and merchandise margin.
Create well-balanced assortments partnering with Private brands on opportunities
Develop and execute the monthly promotional cadence in partnership w/ the marketing and pricing teams
Work with the Pricing team to determine competitive position of products against our various categories of competition
Cultivate, sustain and be the primary owner of vendor relationship with a primary focusing creating business opportunity
Establishes and maintains a reputation of credibility and responsiveness in the marketplace (e.g. promptly returns vendor phone calls, ensure timely follow-up on issues, etc.)
Develop and maintain positive working relationships with cross-functional partners (Inventory, Private Brands, Marketing, Visual, MIO)
Build and communicate category & market intelligence throughout the organization
Proactively leads, develops and manages staff with a goal of developing internal merchandising bench strength
Stay current on industry and competitive landscape by attending primary industry events and by regularly visiting competitors to understand what they offer and to validate our competitive advantages and positioning