Category Buyer (Food & Confectionery)

About The Group Kreol Group is a diversified organization operating multiple entrepreneurial ventures as channel specialists in the consumer goods sector. Its business spans apparel and lifestyle, travel retail, and complementary services across the CPG/FMCG value chain. The Butterfly division manages the distribution and marketing of in-house and agency fashion brands across GCC hypermarkets, value retailers, cooperatives, and e-commerce platforms, with strong positioning in innerwear through brands such as John Gladstone and Mariposa. Kreol Travel Retail focuses on duty-free distribution for international travelers in airports across the Middle East, Indian subcontinent, and Africa, with leading categories including food, confectionery, beverages, fragrance, and personal care. Kreol Group’s market leadership is reinforced by entities specializing in logistics, warehousing, merchandising, human capital, marketing, direct selling, and retail management consultancy. About the Company Kreol Travel Retail partners with international and regional brands to supply duty-free retailers across the Middle East, Indian subcontinent and Africa. Our portfolio spans every category you'd find in a duty free. We are a multi-category distributor, and food is among our biggest categories, spanning: savory snacking, confectionery and beverages. About the Role We are looking for a hands-on Category Buyer to own all vendor-facing execution work of our food, confectionery and beverage portfolio in our travel retail distribution division. You will manage the supplier-facing cycle, from agreements and assortment planning to purchasing, brand investment and promotional claims, working closely with both sales and finance. What you’ll do Manage supplier agreements: Negotiate and maintain commercial terms, pricing, payment terms, MOQs, lead times, shelf-life requirements, annual targets, marketing support and renewal deadlines. Keep a tracker maintaining the same. Build the assortment: Assess new brands and products, review performance, rationalise slow-moving SKUs and coordinate launches, seasonal ranges and discontinuations. Develop pricing and value chains: Calculate landed costs, distributor and retailer margins, rebates and promotional costs; benchmark pricing and maintain accurate, approved price files. Plan demand and purchases: Analyse sell-through, stock availability, seasonality and customer forecasts; consolidate replenishment requirements and prepare rolling supplier forecasts and purchase recommendations. Make sure orders are issued in time to avoid stock-outs. Coordinate supply: Raise and track approved purchase orders, check supplier confirmations and production readiness, and work with logistics on shipment schedules, shortages, damages and shelf-life compliance. Support customer listings: Equip the sales team with product information, samples, pricing, presentations and launch plans; maintain accurate product records and listing documentation. Secure brand investment: Negotiate advertising and promotion (A&P) budgets, promotional funding, display support, sampling, training and brand ambassador contributions. Coordinate marketing execution: Agree supplier support before commitments are made, obtain brand assets and materials, and work with sales to deliver promotions and launches. Close promotional claims: Ensure claims are raised on time for promotions and activities executed by sales, with the required approvals and evidence; follow through with suppliers and finance until credits or payments are received. Review category performance: Track sales, margins, stock cover, ageing, expiry exposure and marketing returns; lead supplier reviews and close agreed actions. Who You Should be: -Experience in a purchase role handling the food or beverages category for either a retailer or a distributor -Alternatively, experience working at a chocolate, confectionery, or snacking brand -Comfortable working half-days on Saturday -Comfortable commuting to Dubai Investments Park 2 for 6 days a week Show more Show less