About Ugaoo
Ugaoo is one of India's leading D2C brands in home gardening, on a mission to make gardening simple, accessible, and enjoyable for every household. Over the years, we have built a strong omnichannel presence through our website, marketplaces, quick commerce platforms, and an expanding offline retail network.
Today, Ugaoo operates 19 retail stores across India, offering customers an immersive shopping experience across live plants, planters, gardening essentials, home décor, and lifestyle products. As we continue to expand our retail footprint, delivering the right assortment, competitive pricing, and an exceptional in-store experience remains central to our growth strategy.
Role Overview
The Category Manager will be responsible for driving the commercial success of assigned product categories across Ugaoo's retail stores. This role will own category strategy, buying, merchandising, pricing, vendor partnerships, inventory performance, and profitability while working closely with Retail Operations, Planning, Supply Chain, Marketing, and Visual Merchandising teams.
The ideal candidate combines strong buying expertise with analytical thinking, exceptional vendor relationships, and a deep understanding of retail merchandising to deliver sustainable category growth across Ugaoo's 19 retail stores.
Key Responsibilities
Category Strategy & Commercial Ownership
- Own the P&L and overall commercial performance of assigned product categories across all retail stores.
- Drive category sales, gross margins, profitability, inventory productivity, and overall business performance.
- Develop category growth strategies aligned with customer demand, seasonality, and business objectives.
- Deliver category targets in line with annual business plans and revenue objectives.
- Build the right product assortment by balancing best sellers, new launches, premium offerings, and customer preferences.
- Continuously optimize category assortment by evaluating SKU productivity, introducing new products, and phasing out low-performing SKUs.
- Identify category expansion opportunities and introduce innovative products to strengthen the retail portfolio.
Buying & Vendor Management
- Source, evaluate, and onboard high-quality vendors and brands.
- Build and maintain strong long-term relationships with suppliers and strategic partners.
- Lead commercial negotiations to secure competitive pricing, improved payment terms, rebates, promotional support, and overall commercial value.
- Evaluate supplier performance on quality, service levels, pricing, and delivery timelines.
- Continuously benchmark market pricing and identify cost optimization opportunities.
Market Intelligence & Category Development
- Monitor competitor assortments, pricing, promotions, and emerging consumer trends to identify growth opportunities.
- Identify market gaps and recommend new brands, products, and category expansion opportunities.
- Stay updated on industry trends and customer preferences to ensure Ugaoo maintains a differentiated and competitive product portfolio.
- Collaborate with internal teams to translate market insights into category strategies.
New Product Introduction (NPI)
- Lead end-to-end new product introductions, from vendor identification and sourcing through commercial evaluation, assortment planning, launch execution, and post-launch performance tracking.
- Work closely with Marketing, Retail Operations, and Supply Chain teams to ensure successful product launches across all stores.
- Evaluate new product performance and recommend actions to maximize category growth.
Merchandise Planning & Inventory Management
- Collaborate with Demand Planning and Supply Chain teams to ensure optimum inventory levels across stores.
- Monitor stock availability, replenishment, and sell-through performance.
- Reduce stock-outs and excess inventory through proactive planning.
- Support seasonal buying plans and promotional calendars.
Pricing & Commercial Excellence
- Develop pricing strategies to maximize category profitability while maintaining market competitiveness.
- Analyze margins, markdowns, promotional effectiveness, and sales performance.
- Drive initiatives to improve category profitability and inventory productivity.
Performance Analytics
- Track key retail metrics including Sales, GMROI, Sell-through, Inventory Turnover, Stock Cover, Margin %, ASP, and Category Contribution.
- Prepare regular category performance reports and recommend corrective actions.
- Leverage customer insights, sales trends, and business analytics to refine assortment and buying decisions.
Cross-functional Collaboration
- Partner with Retail Operations to ensure effective product availability and execution across stores.
- Work with Marketing on category campaigns, product launches, and seasonal promotions.
- Collaborate with Visual Merchandising to enhance product presentation and customer experience.
- Coordinate with Supply Chain and Finance for procurement planning and commercial closures.
Key Skills & Competencies
- Strong commercial acumen with a customer-first mindset.
- Excellent vendor relationship management skills.
- Proven negotiation and influencing capabilities.
- Strong analytical and data interpretation skills.
- Category planning and merchandising expertise.
- Inventory and demand planning understanding.
- Market and competitor analysis capabilities.
- Strong decision-making and problem-solving abilities.
- Excellent stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration.
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced retail environment.
Preferred Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Retail Management, Commerce, Supply Chain, or a related field. MBA is preferred.
- 3-5 years of experience in Category Management, Buying, Merchandising, or Retail Procurement.
- Experience in retail, lifestyle, home décor, gardening, FMCG, consumer goods, or omnichannel retail businesses is preferred.
- Strong network of vendors and suppliers with demonstrated success in commercial negotiations.
- Proficiency in MS Excel and retail planning/reporting tools.
Why Join Ugaoo
- Be part of one of India's fastest-growing D2C lifestyle brands.
- Own and shape category growth across a rapidly expanding retail network.
- Work with cross-functional teams in a fast-paced, innovation-led environment.
- Build strategic partnerships with leading vendors and brands.
- Make a measurable impact on the growth of Ugaoo's omnichannel retail business.
If you can spot a great vendor deal from a mile away and a gap on our shelves even faster - we'd love to talk. 
