Annual Category Analyst

Annual Category Analyst

The Annual Category Analyst is responsible for analyzing sales performance, inventory trends, profitability, and market opportunities within the Annuals plant category. This position plays a critical role in supporting category management, sales, production planning, and operational decision-making to maximize revenue, improve product performance, and optimize inventory across retail and wholesale distribution channels.

The ideal candidate possesses strong analytical capabilities, advanced Microsoft Excel skills, business acumen, and an understanding of the Live Goods industry, including seasonal demand, product life cycles, retail merchandising, and inventory management.

This position works collaboratively with Category Management, Sales, Growing Operations, Production Planning, Supply Chain, and Finance to develop actionable business insights and support strategic category growth.

Measures of Success and Key Responsibilities:

Data Analysis - Daily and weekly analysis by region for annual categories

• Ship vs. Scan report
• Look for opportunities in Data to increase sales and improve sell through
• Track inventory on hand, weeks of supply and in-stock rates by facility and region
• Monitor shrink, markdowns and aged inventory, since live goods are perishable
• Assess the impact of weather and seasonality on sales trends
• Analyze sales, revenue, gross margin, inventory, and profitability across the Annuals product category
• Monitor category performance by product, variety, SKU, customer, geographic region, and retail location
• Identify sales trends, growth opportunities, underperforming products, and potential financial risks
• Develop and maintain weekly, monthly, seasonal, and annual performance reports
• Evaluate product performance against sales forecasts, budgets, and historical results
• Provide actionable recommendations to improve category profitability, product assortment, and inventory utilization
• Analyze year-over-year performance and identify key business drivers impacting category results
• Analyze discount $s internally and externally
  • • Prepare discount/ad budget
    • Execute discount budget plan

Advertising Planning and Execution

• Use tools to calculate most profitable items to advertise
• Build advertising plan to cover first 4 days of ad then accelerate sales through
• Monitor and measure sales during duration of ad
• Coordinate ad timing and promotional events with Account Managers and the customer ad calendar
• Complete a post-ad review of sales lift, ROI and sell-through, and apply lessons to future

Annual Category Management

• • Preparing Proformas
  • Setting up new items
  • Determine items that should be discounted – Internal and External
  • Sku management and maintenance
  • Preparing annual Power Points for management
  • Monitor retail pricing, costs and margins, and flag price or cost changes that affect profitability
  • Maintain accurate item, pack and pricing data across systems
  • Coordinate with growers and Production on item availability, program timing and seasonal transitions

Annual Category Forecasting

• • Determine profitable items
  • Determine non profitable items and develop exit strategy
  • Suggest category changes based on sales performance
  • Follow HD strategies/new products while making sure Bell stays profitable
  • Build weekly and seasonal forecasts by region and facility, and update them against actuals
  • Partner with Production/Growing on crop plans and planting quantities so supply matches forecast demand
  • Review results of new items and trials to decide which to expand, adjust or drop

Collaboration and Communication

• • Work closely with Account Managers, Sales, Production/Growing, Supply Chain, Marketing and Finance
  • Present findings and recommendations clearly to Account Managers and VP-level leadership
  • Meet weekly and seasonal reporting deadlines in a fast-paced environment

Inventory Analysis and Optimization

• Analyze inventory levels, product availability, inventory turnover, and sell-through rates.
• Identify excess inventory, slow-moving products, shortages, and potential shrink exposure
• Collaborate with Production Planning and Growing Operations to align production schedules with forecasted demand
• Monitor product availability and replenishment requirements across customer locations.
• Analyze product movement from greenhouse production through distribution and retail sell-through
• Support inventory allocation decisions to maximize sales opportunities while minimizing waste.
• Develop reporting to identify inventory aging, product quality exposure, and potential write-offs

Retail Sales and Customer Performance Analysis

• Evaluate retail performance at the store, district, regional, and customer levels.
• Analyze point-of-sale (POS) data to identify consumer purchasing trends and product performance
• Monitor sales velocity, sell-through, replenishment effectiveness, and seasonal demand.
• Support retail assortment planning and product mix recommendations
• Analyze promotional effectiveness, pricing strategies, and seasonal sales opportunities
• Partner with Sales and Merchandising teams to identify opportunities to improve product presentation, availability, and sales performance
• Develop customer-specific reports and business reviews to support account management

Financial Analysis and Profitability

• Evaluate category gross margin, pricing, product costs, and profitability
• Analyze financial impacts of markdowns, product shrink, freight, labor, and inventory losses.
• Support pricing recommendations and margin improvement initiatives
• Identify opportunities to reduce costs and improve category financial performance
• Prepare financial analyses supporting product introductions, assortment changes, and strategic initiatives
• Assist in evaluating return on investment for promotional programs and category expansion opportunities

Ideal Candidate Attributes

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Horticulture, Finance, Accounting, Economics, Supply Chain Management, Data Analytics or equivalent experience
• 3–5 years of experience in business analysis, category analysis, financial analysis, retail analytics, or inventory planning
• Experience in Category Management, Live Goods, horticulture, nursery, greenhouse, agriculture, or consumer retail industry preferred
• Experience analyzing large datasets and developing business performance reports
• Demonstrated experience supporting forecasting, budgeting, and business planning processes

Technical Skills

• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel is required (pivot tables, lookups, forecasting models)
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications, including PowerPoint, Word, and Outlook
• Experience with Power BI, Tableau, or comparable business intelligence applications preferred.
• Experience with ERP systems, inventory management systems, and retail POS reporting preferred
• Strong financial modeling, forecasting, and analytical reporting capabilities
• Ability to organize, interpret, and communicate large volumes of complex business data.
• Comfort working with retailer POS/scan data and reporting portals
• Strong analytical, organizational and communication skills, with attention to detail
• Ability to manage multiple priorities during peak spring and fall seasons