About Us: West Coast Kids has been a trusted, family-owned retailer since 1974, serving Canadian families for over 52 years. With 11 locations across Canada and a rapidly growing eCommerce business, we are committed to delivering an exceptional shopping experience both in-store and online. As one of Canada's leading premium baby retailers, we partner with many of the world's most recognized brands while continuously evolving our assortment to meet the needs of modern families.

The Role: We are looking for a Category Business Manager to own and grow a portfolio of product categories. This role is responsible for developing category strategies that maximize sales, profitability, inventory productivity, and customer satisfaction across both our retail stores and eCommerce channels. The ideal candidate is highly analytical, enjoys working with data, understands consumer buying behavior, and is passionate about building strong vendor relationships. You'll work cross-functionally with merchandising, marketing, eCommerce, operations, and finance to ensure every category performs at its full potential.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute category strategies that drive profitable sales growth.
• Manage assigned product categories from product introduction through end-of-life.
• Build and optimize assortments based on customer demand, market trends, competitive analysis, and business objectives.
• Analyze sales, gross margin, inventory turns, sell-through, GMROI, and other key performance metrics to identify opportunities.
• Forecast demand and collaborate on replenishment planning to maintain healthy inventory levels.
• Negotiate vendor pricing, contracts, promotional funding, rebates, freight terms, and payment terms.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with vendors and manufacturer partners.
• Evaluate new products and brands while identifying opportunities to expand or rationalize assortments.
• Develop promotional plans in partnership with Marketing and eCommerce teams.
• Monitor competitor pricing, assortment, and market activity to maintain competitiveness.
• Collaborate with eCommerce to ensure products are accurately represented online with compelling content and merchandising.
• Partner with Store Operations to support product launches, merchandising initiatives, and seasonal transitions.
• Prepare regular reporting and business reviews highlighting category performance, risks, and opportunities.
• Continuously identify opportunities to improve category profitability and operational efficiency.

Qualifications & Skills

• 3+ years of experience in Category Management, Buying, Merchandising, Purchasing, or a related retail role.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret large datasets and translate findings into actionable business decisions.
• Experience managing vendor relationships and negotiating commercial agreements.
• Strong understanding of retail financial metrics including sales, margin, inventory turns, GMROI, and sell-through.
• Excellent forecasting and inventory planning skills.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and reporting tools.
• Experience working with ERP, inventory management, or merchandising systems.
• Exceptional organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Strong communication and presentation skills.
• Comfortable working in a collaborative, fast-paced retail environment.
• Post-secondary education in Business, Commerce, Merchandising, Supply Chain, or equivalent industry experience.
• Experience in specialty retail or juvenile products is considered an asset.

AI & Technology At West Coast Kids, we believe AI is becoming an essential tool for modern retail professionals. Successful candidates will demonstrate:

• Experience using AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, or similar platforms to improve productivity and decision-making.
• Ability to leverage AI for market research, competitive analysis, product assortment planning, reporting, and workflow automation.
• Strong judgment when reviewing AI-generated recommendations to ensure accuracy, commercial viability, and alignment with company objectives.
• Curiosity and enthusiasm for adopting emerging technologies that improve efficiency and business performance.

What We’re Looking For

• Customer-focused and commercially driven.
• Naturally curious and always looking for opportunities to improve category performance.
• Data-driven and comfortable making decisions backed by analytics.
• A skilled negotiator who builds long-term vendor partnerships.
• Organized, proactive, and accountable.
• Comfortable balancing strategic planning with day-to-day execution.
• Collaborative and able to work effectively across multiple departments.
• Adaptable in a fast-changing retail environment.