Senior Category Manager
L’Oréal UK
Total years of experience :8 years, 6 Months
Category Development Lead for Superdrug (2nd largest Health & Beauty retailer in the UK) covering Total Beauty. #
Role involved developing and utilising my well-rounded understanding of the current and future beauty market, having a shopper focus and conveying thought leadership across the total beauty business to develop tangible strategies - focused on Sales growth.
Account
* Joined the L’Oréal Category team as Asda account lead and quickly built my knowledge of the total Beauty Market,
individual categories and the Asda business, alongside understanding the dynamics of Category Management.
* Used my experience as a Buyer to convey key messages to the retailer in a way that resonated and built trust.
* Grew the account from being Category Partners on 7 categories to 9.
* Worked closely with the buyers and merchandisers to develop long and short term strategies to grow key metrics.
* Delivered a number of key fixturisation changes to develop the retailer as a beauty destination.
* Managed multiple inter division relations and escalation of key messages within both businesses.
* Nominated by Asda for a ‘Best for Customer’ award recognising my focus on delivering growth through shopper led
strategies.
* Reported in to the Category Controller and led a team of two - a Category Manager and a Category Intern.
* Continued to manage the Asda account until November 2015 while a replacement was found.
Medicines (Healthcare)
CURRICULUMVITAE
HETAL PATEL 2
* Managed the General Sales List Medicines business for the UK, generating annual Sales of £180m. Total supply base of over
50 suppliers, with over 500 product lines.
* Delivered Like for Like sales of 2% from April to October 2012.
* Developed Seasonal promotional plan for Hay fever and Cold and Flu to maximise sales from incidence. Hay fever relief
sales were up 18% on previous year.
* Conducted the extensive analysis of data and customer reports to develop a strategy for the Category Merchandising
Range Review within 3 months of being in role - landed in store October 2012 and deliver 2 points of market
outperformance 6 weeks post review.
* Maintained Joint Business Plans with top 15 suppliers upon entering role. Conducted periodic reviews to maintain plans and
close half year investment plan.
* Delivered process change within the team by developing a new more efficient promotional and new product admin
process.
Grey Market Buying (Health & Beauty and Household)
* Selected by a Commercial Director to initiate and run a project to develop a concept to compete with the high street
discounter sector within the Household and Health & Beauty Division.
* Developed a new process of enabling products to land in store faster to maximize the value from the Grey Market.
* Initial set up of process, selection of range, layout in store and point of sale developed and launched in the trial store three
weeks from conception.
* Presented results of the trial to the UK Board of Directors six weeks after launch. Due to the positive impact to the store (7%
increase in total number of customers vs. previous 6 weeks and +10% Sales vs. similar stores) it was agreed to roll out the
project to the top 100 price sensitive stores.
* Recruited and trained a Buyer’s Assistant to manage the set of products and store stock ordering.
* Trained other Buyers in the division on how to maximize Grey Market Supplier relationships. This resulted in an increase in
the total amount of Grey Market stock bought in the division. This in turn showed a reduction in the total cost of goods and
improved business relations with the suppliers.
Laundry Additives (Household Dept.)
* Responsible for managing the Fabric Conditioner and Stain Remover business for the UK, generating annual Sales of £150m
(35% of total UK Market share).
* Delivered Like for Like sales of 3% and market outperformance of 6% for year ending March 2011.
* Developed Joint Business Plans with top 3 suppliers to maximize the true potential of the supplier relationship and track
progress through the year. Introduced Joint Business Plans to smaller suppliers who were unfamiliar with the process to
successfully align targets.
* Negotiated with Proctor & Gamble for a first to market launch for key new innovation Ariel Stain Remover taking a 55%
market share within 12 weeks. Awarded Best in Class Launch for Western Europe by Proctor & Gamble.
* Launched a Premium ‘Ambience’ range of Own Brand fabric conditioners and redesigned the packaging on standard fabric
conditioners resulting in a 30% increase of sales year on year.
* Developed a strategy for reporting true incremental sales from product promotions. Undertook deep rooted analysis of
prior year’s performance, category data and consumer needs. This resulted in a more effective annual promotional plan and
reducing cannibalization in the category.
* Led a project to introduce bulk packs in the household range, launched in April 2011. Deliver an additional 1% LFL sales for
the total category in the first year. The project involved determining the market, evaluating competitors, sourcing the range,
agreeing commercials and developing an effective communication strategy for customers.
* Nominated as a guest speaker at the annual Tesco National Asian Network Event presenting to over 500 employees about
my personal career progression and the benefits of mentoring.
Initially responsible for the Plastics business (Bin liners, Foils, Clingfilm, Food bags & storage containers - Sales of £110m
annually) for UK. Awarded additional responsibility of Facial tissues following 6 months of successful KPI delivery (£50m
annual sales).
* Received a Tesco Buying Award (April 2009) for redeveloping the Bin liners range of 24 products within 6 months and
negotiating a £2m annual cost saving whilst commodity prices increased. The redevelopment also improved quality,
CURRICULUMVITAE
HETAL PATEL 3
introduced a UK based ‘greener’ manufacturing process and increased customer understanding of the range through new
and innovative label designs. In turn, Sales increased by 10% annually in a previously declining market leading to 4.1%
market outperformance over 52 weeks.
* Reworked the Christmas foils range by sourcing new product lines resulting in 200% LFL sales and improving profit by 42%
YoY.
* Managed the unexpected surge in demand of Facial Tissues due to the Swine Flu pandemic. Worked with store format
teams to offer bespoke solutions to ensure all stores had a suitable offering. This also required close management of the
supply chain to ensure stock was readily available as demand fluctuated.
* Redesigned the own label Facial Tissue range to reflect current interior trends to increase penetration of usage. Increased
Sales annually by 12% and delivered market outperformance of 7%.
Developed Grocery ranges for the International Tesco Stores (based in 13 countries). The role involved understanding the
customer needs in the various countries to ensure the stores could maximize sales of their Tesco Own Label ranges.
* Delivered annual revenue growth of 11% by understanding global trends, developing appropriate offerings and updating
ranges with innovative and engaging products.
* Introduced Branded goods to the range. Negotiated directly with suppliers to offer international stores products they were
previously unable to source locally.
* Restructured the operational process to deliver lasting beneficial change and efficiencies.
* Graded Exceptional at end of year review and offered a job in Buying.
,
A) Classical Civilisation (B) and Theatre Studies (B) GCSE Grades: 9 GCSE’s including 7 A grades