Gardening jobs in Ilfracombe

Category Manager – Gardening

Location: To be based at any Blue Diamond Garden Centre
Reporting to: Head of Gardening

The role

Blue Diamond is one of the UK’s leading garden centre groups, with 55 centres across the UK and Channel Islands. As the business continues to grow, we are looking for a commercially driven Category Manager to take ownership of part of Gardening category and drive sales, profit and performance across the group.

This is a role for someone who understands that successful buying goes beyond selecting products. It is about buying the right products, at the right price and in the right quantities, ensuring they are in the right stores and working closely with centre teams to maximise their commercial potential.

You will combine strong buying and negotiation skills with a passion for numbers, analysis and commercial decision-making. You will use data to understand what is selling, what is not, where opportunities exist and how to improve performance, turning those insights into clear actions for both the buying team and our stores.

Working closely with the Head of Department and centre teams, you will play a key role in developing a commercially successful category, with a collective focus on delivering sales, margin and profit across Blue Diamond.

Category ownership and scope

You will be responsible for the full category lifecycle, including:

• Managing the end-to-end buying process, from range selection and supplier negotiation through to in-season trading.
• Developing ranges that reflect customer demand, price points, colour, size, product mix and the requirements of individual stores.
• Ensuring the right products are selected, in the right quantities and allocated to the right locations.
• Using EPOS data, sales trends and historical performance to inform buying decisions and future range planning.
• Analysing SKU-level performance to identify bestsellers, underperforming products and opportunities to improve the range.
• Working closely with the Head of Department and category committee to develop commercially focused ranges.
• Communicating regularly with centre teams to understand local performance, address challenges and identify opportunities to improve sales and profit.
• Reviewing category performance throughout the season and making timely decisions on pricing, stock movement and range adjustments.
• Conducting detailed end-of-season reviews to understand what worked, what did not and how future buying decisions can deliver better results.

Commercial accountability

• Taking ownership of the category budget and delivering against sales, profit and margin targets.
• Using data and commercial analysis to drive buying decisions rather than relying on instinct alone.
• Monitoring weekly trading performance, identifying risks early and taking action to maximise opportunities.
• Working collaboratively with centre teams to ensure ranges are presented, managed and traded effectively.
• Challenging underperformance and ensuring there is a clear action plan to improve results.
• Identifying opportunities to improve margin through supplier negotiations, pricing strategy and range optimisation.
• Managing stock levels carefully to improve availability, sell-through and stock efficiency.
• Understanding the commercial impact of buying decisions, including the consequences of overbuying, poor product selection or placing the wrong stock in the wrong locations.
• Sharing performance insights and best practice across the group to encourage a collective focus on category profitability.

Supplier and buying responsibility

• Building and maintaining strong supplier relationships to secure competitive pricing, quality and availability.
• Leading supplier negotiations and identifying opportunities to improve commercial terms.
• Developing a clear buying strategy that balances customer appeal, commercial return and stock risk.
• Using sales data and market insight to challenge existing ranges and identify new opportunities.
• Evaluating supplier and product performance to ensure buying decisions deliver measurable results.
• Working with suppliers to improve product selection, availability and the overall customer offer.

What success looks like

• A commercially strong Gardening range that meets customer needs and delivers a clear point of difference.
• Improved sales, margin and profit across the category.
• Buying decisions supported by robust analysis, with a clear understanding of product-level performance.
• The right products in the right stores, with ranges reflecting customer demand and local requirements.
• Stronger communication and collaboration between the buying team and centre teams.
• Centre teams equipped with the insight and direction needed to maximise category performance.
• Improved stock efficiency, reduced residual stock and better sell-through.
• A consistent, group-wide focus on commercial performance and continuous improvement.

What we are looking for

• Proven experience in a commercial buying, category management or merchandising role.
• Strong numerical and analytical skills, with the ability to interpret data and turn it into commercial action.
• A genuine passion for understanding sales performance, margin, stock and profitability.
• Commercial common sense and the confidence to challenge decisions when the numbers do not support them.
• Experience negotiating with suppliers and managing product ranges.
• The ability to communicate effectively with stores, build relationships and influence performance.
• A practical, hands-on approach, with the confidence to identify problems and take ownership of solutions.
• A collaborative mindset, recognising that category success depends on the collective efforts of the buying team and stores.

Knowledge of gardening products would be beneficial, but strong buying ability, commercial judgement and analytical skills are more important than being a gardening specialist.

The role can be based at any Blue Diamond Garden Centre.

Benefits:

• Company pension
• Employee discount
• Free parking
• On-site parking
• Store discount

Application question(s):

• Please ensure you are able to commute to a Blue Diamond Garden Centre five days a week. This is an office-based role, which can be based at any of our centres.

Work Location: In person