Category Management & Planogram Specialist

Company: INS Market

Department: Merchandising & Category Management

Position Overview

INS Market is seeking a detail-oriented, analytical, and commercially minded Category Management & Planogram Specialist to support the development, execution, and ongoing optimization of product assortments, planograms, and merchandising strategies across our retail network.

This role will focus on maximizing category performance, improving product assortment, optimizing shelf space, and ensuring stores are merchandised effectively based on sales trends, customer demand, and individual store requirements.

The successful candidate will work closely with senior management, distributors, franchisees, and field operations teams to support category initiatives and ensure consistency across the INS Market network.

Key Responsibilities

1. Planogram Management & Development

- Create, update, maintain, and optimize planograms based on sales performance, approved product assortments, and store requirements.
- Evaluate shelf space allocation to maximize sales productivity and category performance.
- Identify opportunities to improve product placement, visibility, and merchandising effectiveness.
- Support the development of an in-house planogram management process.
- Ensure planograms are accurate, current, and aligned with approved merchandising strategies.

2. Category & SKU Performance Analysis

- Analyze category and SKU-level sales data to identify top-performing products, underperforming items, and assortment opportunities.
- Evaluate product performance using sales, margins, inventory movement, and space productivity.
- Recommend new listings, delistings, and assortment adjustments based on performance.
- Develop regular category performance reports with clear findings and actionable recommendations.
- Identify opportunities to increase average transaction value and overall store sales.

3. Assortment Optimization

- Regularly review product assortments to ensure an effective balance of high-performing products, customer demand, and category variety.
- Recommend adjustments to SKU counts and shelf space allocation based on sales performance.
- Identify duplicate, slow-moving, and low-performing products for potential rationalization.
- Support consistent core assortments while accommodating store-specific requirements.

4. Vendor & Distributor Coordination

- Maintain ongoing operational communication with approved vendors and distributors regarding product availability, launches, promotions, and merchandising execution.
- Monitor distributor fill rates, out-of-stocks, discontinued products, and warehouse availability.
- Identify and escalate recurring supply issues affecting approved assortments and planograms.




- Coordinate product information, availability updates, and implementation requirements with suppliers.
- Support the execution of approved vendor programs and product launches.

5. Merchandising Strategy & Store Layouts

- Review merchandising breakdowns and store layouts to ensure effective category placement.
- Analyze how product placement and category adjacencies impact store performance.
- Recommend layout adjustments based on sales trends, store demographics, and customer shopping behaviour.
- Evaluate category space allocation to ensure high-performing categories receive appropriate visibility and shelf space.
- Support merchandising improvements in existing stores and new store openings.

6. Store Format Development

- Assist in developing standardized merchandising templates for different store sizes, locations, and formats.
- Recommend category placement, space allocation, and equipment requirements.
- Adapt merchandise assortments to suit mall, street-front, transit, and other retail environments.
- Support the development of consistent merchandising standards across the network.

7. Data Analysis & Reporting

- Maintain accurate category, SKU, pricing, margin, and product performance information.
- Prepare sales reports, category rankings, SKU rationalization analyses, and assortment recommendations.
- Use Excel and other analytical tools to identify trends and opportunities.
- Develop clear reporting that supports informed merchandising and category decisions.
- Track the impact of assortment and planogram changes on sales performance.

8. Product & System Maintenance

- Maintain accurate approved product lists, planogram files, ordering information, and category databases.
- Ensure recent listings, discontinued products, and assortment changes are reflected in relevant systems.
- Coordinate updates to product information and merchandising documentation.
- Support data accuracy and consistency across internal platforms.

9. Franchisee & Store Feedback

- Gather and evaluate feedback from franchisees and field operations teams regarding product assortment, customer demand, and category performance.
- Compare store-level feedback with actual sales data to identify opportunities for improvement.
- Recommend store-specific or network-wide assortment adjustments where appropriate.




- Support franchisees with approved merchandising guidelines and product assortment information.

10. Seasonal Planning

- Review and recommend assortment adjustments based on seasonal demand and key selling periods.
- Identify seasonal product opportunities and recommend appropriate shelf space allocation.
- Coordinate the implementation and removal of seasonal assortments.
- Evaluate seasonal product performance to improve future planning.

11. Innovation & New Product Evaluation

- Research emerging product trends, brands, and category opportunities.
- Evaluate new products based on customer demand, expected sales, margins, and category fit.
- Recommend potential new listings or product trials for management approval.
- Monitor the performance of newly introduced products and recommend further action.

12. Pricing & Margin Analysis

- Monitor retail pricing, product costs, and category margins.
- Identify pricing inconsistencies and opportunities to improve category profitability.
- Analyze the financial impact of product assortment and pricing changes.
- Provide pricing and margin recommendations to senior management for review and approval.

Qualifications & Experience
- Previous experience in category management, merchandising, retail analytics, or planogram development.
- Experience in convenience retail, grocery, or multi-location retail environments is preferred.
- Advanced Excel skills, including pivot tables, lookups, data analysis, and reporting.
- Strong analytical abilities with experience interpreting SKU-level sales and category performance.
- Knowledge of retail merchandising principles, assortment planning, and shelf space optimization.
- Experience with planogram software is an asset.
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
- Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.
- Excellent communication and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to translate complex data into practical, actionable recommendations.
- Experience working with franchise operations or multi-store retail networks is an asset.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) Success in this role will be measured through:

- Improvement in category sales and profitability.
- Increased sales productivity per linear foot of shelf space.
- Reduction in underperforming and redundant SKUs.
- Improved planogram accuracy and execution.
- Timely completion of assortment reviews and merchandising updates.
- Improved product availability and reduced out-of-stocks.
- Successful implementation of new product listings and seasonal assortments.
- Accuracy and timeliness of category reporting and product data maintenance.

Pay: $40,000.00-$50,000.00 per year

Benefits

- Extended health care

Work Location: In person

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