Job Description
Job Title: Commercial & Category Analyst
Reporting to: Commercial Director
Location: Hybrid
Role Summary:
The Commercial & Category Analyst plays a key role in supporting sales and buying teams by providing data-driven insights to improve sales, profitability, and product performance. The role combines category analysis with commercial performance analysis, helping the business make informed decisions on range, pricing, promotions, and customer/channel opportunities.
The successful candidate will be the champion of internal databases and software, turning complex data into clear recommendations that support growth across customer groups, product categories, and sales channels.
Key responsibilities (but not limited to):
Reporting & Insight
· Produce regular reporting and dashboards covering sales, margin, category performance, and other key metrics across the business for Leadership Team (including a monthly MI Pack)
· Translate data into clear, actionable insights for stakeholders.
· Support the preparation of category reviews and brand activation performance presentations.
· Improve reporting processes and develop more automated insight tools where possible.
· Production of regular reports for sales team to highlight sales performance including weekly/monthly and seasonal. Emphasising where we are tracking by account manager, region and channel vs prior year and budget, seeking comment/feedback, as necessary.
Category Analysis
· Monitor category performance and trends to support range and assortment decisions.
· Analyse product-level performance, including rate of sale, margin contribution, and promotional effectiveness in key accounts, particular Nationals.
· Provide insight into category trends and customer behaviour to Marketing and Sales teams to support customer presentations and marketing activity.
· Provide data and feedback loops about retailer/customer preferences in relation to channels & products as part of our company sustainability goals.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
· Provide analytical support for business planning and budgeting processes.
· Support strategic projects relating to pricing, range optimisation, and commercial performance improvement.
· Work closely with Marketing, Buying, Sales, Finance, and Supply Chain teams on any ad hoc projects as an when required.
· Become the internal champion for our CoFI software, helping set up reporting and training for others to become proficient themselves.
About You:
The successful candidate will have a passion for data and insights obviously! You will also have a passion food and drink, know food retail, in particular the speciality food and drink sector. You are determined to achieve success and will understand the benefit of using insights to drive decision making and improve both sales, profit, and service by supporting range decisions via category analysis.
Experience:
Essential
· Strong analytical and numerical skills with the ability to interpret complex data.
· Advanced Excel skills (pivot tables, modelling, data analysis).
· Experience working with large datasets and reporting tools.
· Ability to communicate insights clearly and influence decision-making.
· Commercial awareness and an interest in product performance and market trends.
Preferable
· Experience in retail, FMCG, wholesale, or foodservice sectors.
· Some knowledge of category management principles.
· Experience with Power BI or similar BI tools
Desirable Personal Qualities and Attributes:
· Curious and commercially minded with a passion for understanding performance drivers.
· Strong attention to detail with a proactive approach to problem solving.
· Ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver insights at pace.
· Confident communicator who can translate data into clear business actions.
About Cotswold Fayre
Cotswold Fayre is an award-winning speciality and fine food wholesaler, supplying premium ambient and chilled products from the UK’s best producers – and beyond – to retailers nationwide. We are proud to be recognised as the No.1 SME in the UK by Elite Business (2023), Lloyds Bank Purpose Before Profit Business of the Year (2022), and a Grocer Gold Award winner.
Our mission is simple: to inspire, delight, and make a positive difference – to our customers, to our communities, and to the planet – through our shared passion for exceptional food and drink.
As a certified B-Corporation, a Living Wage employer, and a carbon-neutral business since 2019, we are committed to using business as a force for good. We work closely with our suppliers – many of whom we know personally – to offer retailers a more sustainable way to source products, consolidating deliveries to reduce environmental impact while strengthening the connection between makers and sellers.
Our diverse and experienced team brings deep market knowledge and a collaborative approach to everything we do. Together, we deliver solutions that help retailers grow their business while making a positive impact on people and planet.
Interested? We offer an attractive package including:
· Competitive salary
· Annual bonus
· Generous benefits package.
We are looking for a person who, like us, believes business should be a force for good and welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and with all levels of ability. Diversity and inclusion are at the heart of what we stand for. We want our people to grow and develop their confidence and responsibilities treating our customers with kindness and care; all within an atmosphere of fun and rewarding hard work.