Category Analyst

As we continue our mission to make people happy through chocolate, we’re looking for a Category Analyst to join our Commercial Strategy team on a full-time, permanent basis.

The purpose of this role is to use data-driven insights to guide decisions on existing and new product strategies at Hotel Chocolat. You’ll focus on analysing sales, market trends, and consumer behaviour to enhance category performance and improve profitability. Curiosity, passion, and ownership for growing our categories are key to success.

In this role, you’ll work closely with category managers, channel leads, and marketing teams to drive strategic initiatives and optimise category management.

Here at Hotel Chocolat, we've adopted hybrid working. You’ll join us on-site for three days a week, and for the other two days – you can work from wherever you like! The on-site location for this role is our support office, ‘Mint House,’ in Royston, Hertfordshire. Our home from the very beginning, it’s just off the A505 and a 10-minute walk from Royston train station, with direct rail links to London King’s Cross.

As well as a competitive salary and a range of company benefits, you’ll enjoy a 50% discount on all products and a 70% discount for you and your guests when you stay at our Rabot Estate hideaway on the paradise island of Saint Lucia.

What You’ll Be Doing…

• Collect, analyse, and interpret sales data to identify trends and areas of opportunity within specific product categories.
• Confidently work with large amounts of data in both quantitative and qualitative formats.
• Develop regular and ad hoc reports to provide actionable insights that support category planning and decision-making.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with category management, marketing, finance, and omni-channel teams to identify opportunities and risks impacting category and business growth.
• Share compelling monthly category narratives across the business to highlight insights driving performance.
• Assist in building category recommendations and influencing portfolio reviews to grow category sales.
• Support product portfolio reviews with category management to improve sales and optimise our product mix through actionable customer insights.
• Monitor KPIs such as sales volume, market share, and profit margins.
• Conduct market analysis to understand industry trends, competitor activities, and consumer preferences.
• Support forecasting models with relevant data to predict future trends and category performance.
• Collaborate with product, marketing, and channel teams to launch new products.
• Build strong relationships with external partners, such as vendors and suppliers, to enhance category success.
• Identify and recommend process improvements to streamline category management and data analysis.

Who You Are…

Essential:

• A self-starter with a strong ability to collaborate within a team and adapt to a dynamic work environment.
• Skilled at managing multiple projects and deadlines efficiently.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills for presenting data-driven insights effectively.
• Highly analytical, with the ability to assess complex data and develop actionable strategies.
• Strong quantitative and qualitative analytical skills.
• Knowledge of category management frameworks and merchandising strategies.
• Experience gathering and synthesising market data from various sources.
• Ability to create compelling presentations with clear data visualisations.
• Familiarity with retail analytics platforms (e.g., Nielsen, IRI).
• A natural curiosity and eagerness to ask questions, seek out information, and propose innovative ways to enhance category performance.

Desirable:

• 3-5 years of experience in category management, business analysis, or a similar role within retail or consumer goods.
• Experience with consumer behaviour analysis techniques.
• Proactive approach to anticipating market shifts or consumer needs.
• Proficiency with SQL or other database management systems to query and manipulate data.
• Familiarity with project management methodologies (e.g., Agile, Scrum).

Who We Are

We’re one of the UK’s favourite premium chocolate brands, with a range of products spanning luxury gifts, alcohol, and our pioneering drinking chocolate system, the Velvetiser™.

A cacao pod takes years to grow – it can’t be rushed if it’s going to be just right for our products. The same can be said for Hotel Chocolat, which originally started as a mint production company before realising luxury chocolate was our true passion.

What began as an online-only business has grown to over 135 stores across the UK, and we’re still growing… Today, we’re multi-category, multi-channel, and multi-territory, with success driven by our customers, colleagues, cacao farmers, and suppliers working together.

To learn more about us and read about our People Pledge – our commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion – click here: hotelchocolat.com/uk/engaged-ethics/our-people.html.