Melashen Govender

• Strategic Category Growth: Define, execute, and manage short- and long-term category strategies; integrate data-driven consumer insights and market trends to continuously optimize product range efficiencies and ensure the portfolio remains highly relevant.
• Commercial & Vendor Management: Drive end-to-end vendor relationship management, building sustainable partnerships with key global and local suppliers; lead rebate and trading term negotiations to optimize overall category profitability.
• Financial & Operational Performance: Manage budget development, revenue targets, and gross margins for the category; regularly review and analyze department profit & loss (P&L) statements to identify growth and turnaround opportunities.
• End-to-End Supply Chain: Develop balanced procurement strategies by sourcing products locally and managing international imports; implement robust demand forecasting to ensure high product availability.
• In-Store & Digital Merchandising: Optimize floor space sales performance using linear-meter product analytics while simultaneously overseeing the digital catalog, product data, and enriched content to enhance website SEO.
• Private Label Development: Lead the end-to-end development of local and international private label products, collaborating with suppliers to conceptualize, source, and launch high-margin exclusive brands.
• Team Mentorship & Leadership: Actively mentor, guide, and onboard junior category management talent; lead and develop a cross-functional workflow across Buying, Supply Chain, and Merchandising teams.
• Management of all imports for the category & Selection of Sourcing.
• Managing budget development and revenue for the category.

• Full Portfolio Ownership: Defined and executed the commercial strategy, product ranging, and P&L management for the Fixing & Fastening department across all brick-and-mortar stores and e-commerce platforms.
• Vendor & Margin Management: Led end-to-end local and international supplier negotiations, securing optimized trading terms, volume rebates, and promotional margin support.
• Omni-Channel Execution: Collaborated with supply chain and marketing to optimize stock availability, manage digital catalog data for SEO, and drive in-store linear-meter performance.

Concurrent Interim Portfolio Coverage:

• Interim Category Manager – Tools Department (June 2024 - January 2025): Managed the Tools portfolio concurrently, ensuring business continuity, supplier stability, promotional campaign execution, and leading supplier pricing and trading term negotiations.
• Interim Category Manager – Utility Storage Department (June 2023 - January 2024): Absorbed and managed the Utility Storage category concurrently, maintaining range relevance, hitting departmental revenue targets, and driving supplier pricing and trading term negotiations.

• Category Strategy Execution: Assisted the Senior Category Manager in executing short- and long-term department strategies; analyzed consumer insights and market trends to optimize product range efficiency.
• Vendor & Commercial Support: Managed day-to-day relationships with local and global suppliers; supported trading term preparations, coordinated promotional pricing, and tracked margin support.
• Stock & Sourcing Coordination: Coordinated local sourcing and international import processes; monitored stock levels and utilized demand forecasting to maintain high product availability.
• Financial Tracking: Monitored budget compliance, revenue targets, and gross margins; analyzed department P&L data to flag underperforming lines and assist in drafting corrective action plans.
• Merchandising Analytics: Supported store teams with layout execution; utilized linear-meter analytics to evaluate sales performance per meter and optimize floor space.
• Digital Catalog Management: Maintained the e-commerce catalog for the lighting category, optimizing product data, enriched content, and imagery to improve SEO performance.
• Private Label Assistance: Supported the development and launch of exclusive private label brands by coordinating product details and timelines with suppliers.
• Promotional Execution: Partnered with the marketing team to coordinate category promotions, ensuring accurate product features across catalogs, social media, and in-store campaigns.

• Administrative Category Support: Assisted the Category Manager with the day-to-day administrative tasks required to execute short- and long-term category development plans.
• Master Data & Product Creation: Captured and loaded new product listings into the system; managed the ongoing maintenance of product data, including cost and retail pricing changes, barcodes, and accurate product descriptions.
• Promotional Administration: Prepared and processed deal requests for upcoming promotional activities and catalog features.
• Negotiation Support: Assisted the Category Manager with administrative documentation and data preparation during vendor cost price and trading term negotiations.
• Data Compilation & Reporting: Extracted and compiled financial data to create regular performance reports, helping the team track category direction and sales targets.
• Supplier Coordination: Served as an operational point of contact for local and international vendors, handling order follow-ups and maintaining supplier files.
• Ranging & Allocation Assistance: Supported the coordination of product distribution across channels, ensuring stock files aligned with localized store ranging plans.
• Systems Transformation & UAT: Appointed as a Key User for new procurement systems and tools; actively participated in User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and provided operational feedback to support system rollouts.

• Purchase Order Management: Placed and managed local purchase orders, coordinating direct-to-store deliveries and distribution center allocations to ensure optimal stock availability.
• Master Data & Product Creation: Captured, loaded, and maintained accurate product master files, including barcodes, comprehensive product descriptions, and core system parameters.
• Pricing & System Updates: Processed and updated cost changes and retail pricing parameters in the system, ensuring seamless data integration between the supply chain and the shop floor.
• Promotional Execution: Administered, loaded, and activated pricing overrides and stock allocations specifically for promotional campaigns, broadsheets, and special deals.
• SAP Reporting & Analysis: Extracted and compiled daily and weekly sales and inventory reports using SAP BI and SAP ERP6 Production to help the category team monitor performance.
• Market & Competitor Tracking: Conducted basic market research and competitor price checks to assist the buying team with trend analysis and range planning.
• Operational Query Resolution: Served as the central point of contact to investigate and resolve product, delivery, and pricing queries from stores, customers, and suppliers.

• Marketing & Advertising: Drafted and managed online property listings, flyers, and print publication advertisements to maximize property visibility.
• Contracts & Documentation: Assisted with the administrative drafting of Deeds of Sale and formal lease agreements for clients.
• Financial Administration: Managed monthly rental collections and handled general office financial tracking, including basic income and expenditure reporting.
• Market Research: Conducted local market research and competitor property tracking to assist the team with accurate market pricing.
• Client & Property Showings: Coordinated and attended property show houses, engaging with potential buyers and tenants to address inquiries.