Commercial Manager

Bravo Brands is looking for a Commercial Manager to develop and execute the commercial strategy for the linen, sheets, pillows and duvet categories, driving profitable revenue growth, market share expansion, product innovation, customer satisfaction, and brand development across retail, wholesale, hospitality and e-commerce channels.

• Deliver annual sales, volume, revenue, market share and gross profit targets within approved budgets.
  
• Build a profitable product and customer mix through effective category planning, pricing and margin management.
  
• Develop a competitive product portfolio through innovation, successful launches and disciplined lifecycle management.
  
• Strengthen strategic customer relationships while expanding into new customers, channels and markets.
  
• Improve forecast accuracy, product availability and inventory performance while reducing stock-outs, excess and slow-moving stock.
  
• Grow brand visibility and demand through effective positioning, customer activity, promotions and digital initiatives.
  
• Build a high-performing commercial team and provide accurate insight into performance, risks and growth opportunities.
  

Commercial and category strategy

• Develop and implement the commercial strategy in line with the company objectives and brand strategy.
  
• Translate market opportunities, consumer needs, emerging trends and competitor activity into annual category plans, budgets and growth priorities.
  
• Determine the right product, customer and channel mix to support sustainable growth and profitability.
  
• Drive sales growth and profitability across all product categories.
  
• Identify market opportunities, emerging trends, and consumer insights.
  
  

Product portfolio and innovation

• Manage the portfolio across bed linen, sheets, pillow ranges, duvets, mattress protectors and bedding accessories.
  
• Identify product gaps and innovation opportunities, lead product-development initiatives and guide product positioning.
  
• Manage product lifecycles from launch to discontinuation and improve category SKU productivity.
  
  

Sales and customer development

• Build and maintain strategic relationships with key retail, wholesale and hospitality customers.
  
• Negotiate trading terms, pricing, promotions, service levels and annual commercial agreements.
  
• Develop customer category plans, secure new business and maintain a healthy pipeline across existing and new channels.
  
• Support the sales team in delivering volume, revenue and profitability targets.
  

Pricing and commercial profitability

• Set and manage pricing strategies that support market competitiveness and margin objectives.
  
• Conduct profitability analysis by customer, channel and product.
  
• Monitor costs and competitor pricing, and act on margin-improvement opportunities.
  
• Ensure category gross profit and contribution targets are achieved.
  
  

Forecasting budgets and performance

• Prepare annual budgets and commercial forecasts, including accurate sales and demand forecasts.
  
• Monitor performance against budget and prior-year results and lead regular commercial performance reviews.
  
• Identify opportunities to enhance revenue, improve returns and reduce costs, and keep top management informed of material changes.
  
  

Supply chain and inventory performance

• Partner with Operations, Procurement, Planning and Supply Chain to align demand, supply and inventory decisions.
  
• Improve stock availability, service levels, forecast accuracy and inventory turns while minimising stock-outs, excess inventory and slow-moving stock.
  
  

Brand and marketing development

• Collaborate with Marketing on promotional campaigns, product launches, customer events and digital initiatives.
  
• Develop clear value propositions and product stories that communicate the brand promise and respond to customer and consumer needs.
  
• Monitor local and international trends to identify opportunities for innovation, market expansion and commercial growth.
  
  

Team leadership and commercial governance

• Lead and develop commercial and category team members.
  
• Establish performance objectives and development plans.
  
• Promote a high-performance culture of accountability, customer focus and delivery.
  
• Coach and mentor team members.
  
• Maintain strong commercial governance and customer information by ensuring sales, customer and commercial records are accurate and continually updated,
  
• Maintaining regular engagement with key customers and ensuring relevant commercial developments, risks and opportunities are communicated to Top Management.
  

• A relevant three-year bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Commerce, Retail Management or a related field at NQF Level 7 is essential.
  
• An MBA or equivalent postgraduate business qualification would be advantageous.
  
• Eight to ten years' relevant experience in a commercial, category management, marketing, brand or sales environment, with demonstrated responsibility for strategy, customer management and business growth.
  
• At least five years' relevant key-account management experience calling on retail buyers and head offices in linen, top-of-bed, home-textile or closely related categories.
  
• A proven record of growing revenue and gross profit, managing pricing and margins, and negotiating with major customers.
  
• Practical experience in product or category management, budgeting, commercial analysis, forecasting and demand planning.
  
• Experience in bedding, home textiles, FMCG, retail or manufacturing would be highly advantageous.
  
• Strong strategic thinking, commercial judgement, negotiation, customer orientation, problem-solving, innovation, communication and relationship-management capability, with the willingness to travel locally when required.