Category Management Regional Manager

WHO WE ARE 

Avolta is the world’s leading travel experience player. With a traveler-centric philosophy and a geographically diverse network, the travel retail and F&B company addresses the needs of up to 2.3 billion passengers each year, with 5,500 outlets in more than 75 countries across six continents. Guided by their Destination 2027 strategy and boosted by their recent combination with travel F&B giant Autogrill, the company is well positioned to realize their ambition to create a Travel Experience Revolution through their many locations at airports, motorways, cruise lines, seaports and railway stations amongst others. 

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE 

The Category Management Manager will be managing vendor relations, defining and optimizing assortment strategies and overseeing pricing and promotional plans for global brand partners. Responsibilities include analyzing sales and margin performance, coordinating corrective actions, supporting commercial planning and retail execution. The Category Management Manager is also responsible for maintaining up-to-date planograms and supporting the central tender process. This position reports into the Global Category Management Head and is based in Basel, Switzerland.  

RESPONSIBILITIES 

Vendor and Brand Management 

• Manages vendor relationships, while focusing on retail execution and stock availability 

• Identifies and coordinates corrective actions with internal stakeholders 

• Serves as brand champion for selected global partners 

Assortment and Category Strategy 

• Defines and agrees on assortment strategy per segment (SKUs, price points, customer needs) 

• Manages global and local product listings and delistings based on performance 

• Identifies local brands for broader category development 

Sales, Margin and Reporting 

• Reviews sales and margin performance per segment and country 

• Coordinates and implements corrective actions with local/regional teams 

• Monitors and analyzes promotional activities, sharing outcomes with stakeholders 

Pricing and Promotion 

• Reviews and validates pricing strategies per segment and country 

• Defines and executes country-specific promotion and digital plans 

• Coordinates with marketing and pricing teams on implementation and communication 

Commercial Planning and Retail Execution 

• Prepares and aligns Commercial Plans (CP) for each country 

• Defines and agrees on store space allocation and maintain planograms 

• Supports the central tender process and category strategy definition 

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR  

• 3 to 5 years of business experience in category management 

• Experience in leading and/or interacting with cross-cultural teams in a global context 

• Experience in Business Development and Project Management  

• Experience in the retail industry, particularly in sectors like tobacco, alcohol, cosmetics, perfumes, textile, jewelry accessories, and/or food is preferred  

• Strategic thinker with the ability to develop and execute long-term plans 

• Strong communication and mobilization skills 

• Excellent listening skills to understand and formalize needs and actions 

• Good team leadership abilities, supporting and encouraging team members to perform well