Vision Express is seeking a commercially driven and strategic Category Manager — Lenses to join our team at the store support centre in Ruddington, Nottingham. This is a fantastic opportunity for someone passionate about product strategy, customer experience, and driving business performance. You’ll lead the development and execution of our lens assortment, ensuring a balanced and profitable product portfolio that meets customer needs across the UK Optical retail estate including Vision Express and David Clulow.
Who Are We?
We’re Vision Express – with over 550 stores across the UK and Ireland, we offer a variety of working environments, from vibrant city centre flagships to charming village stores and scenic coastal locations. We’re proud to be part of the EssilorLuxottica family – the global leader in the design, manufacture, and distribution of lenses, frames, and sunglasses. Our portfolio includes iconic brands such as Ray‑Ban, Oakley, Costa, Vogue Eyewear, Persol, and Oliver Peoples, alongside over 20 prestigious licensed brands.
What You’ll Bring to the Team
We’re looking for a strategic thinker with strong commercial acumen and a hands‑on, entrepreneurial approach. You’ll have experience in senior retail category roles, ideally within FMCG or an optical environment, and be confident in leading cross‑functional teams. Your ability to analyse data, manage supplier relationships, and drive omni‑channel growth will be key to your success.
Key Responsibilities
* Range Planning: Drive range and collection planning to deliver a balanced product portfolio aligned with the global EssilorLuxottica strategy.
* Cross‑Functional Collaboration: Work closely with Supply Chain, Store Operations, Finance, Marketing and field teams to optimise product launches, promotional activity, and profitability.
* Trading & Lifecycle Management: Manage the full product lifecycle and drive performance through weekly trading processes.
* Growth Initiatives: Lead key initiatives focused on category growth and effectively manage senior stakeholders, ensuring clear communication and progress tracking.
* Supplier Management: Oversee local supplier relationships and contracts, ensuring consistent delivery and alignment with business expectations.
* Excellence In Store: Strategically develop and enhance the in‑store tools (including the Digital Lens Tool) used for dispensing to further our category goals.
* New Product Launches: Lead new product introductions, applying strong project management skills to coordinate cross‑functional teams, deliver training, and ensure business‑wide alignment.
* Market Expertise: Proactively review market trends and competitor activity to identify new opportunities and inform strategic decisions.
What We’re Looking For
* Proven leadership and team development skills.
* Strong analytical and decision‑making capabilities.
* Experience with SAP, Excel, and Word.
* Excellent communication and stakeholder management.
* Personal attributes: empathy, integrity, curiosity, and a collaborative mindset.
* Previous experience working for an optical retailer would be highly advantageous.
Benefits of Working for Vision Express
* Life assurance.
* Free annual eyewear from day one.
* Free parking at our Ruddington head office.
* Opportunities to support the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation.
* Friends & family discounts.
* Employee Assistance Programme offering confidential support.
* 33 days annual leave (increasing with service), with the option to buy or sell holiday.
* Flexible health benefits including Health Cash Plan, Critical Illness Cover, Dental Plan, and more.
* Access to internal communities for collaboration and knowledge sharing.
* Lifestyle benefits such as Gymflex, Dining Cards, Discounted Travel Insurance, Experience Days, and Cycle to Work Scheme.
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