Giant Tiger Stores Ltd.

Head of Grocery

Giant Tiger Stores Ltd.$137K — $187K *
Retail & Consumer Goods
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 10+ years in grocery, food merchandising, or related retail environments.
  • 5+ years leading merchandising or category teams with leadership development experience.
  • Strong understanding of grocery/fresh merchandising, including pricing and profitability responsibilities.
  • Ability to identify products driving customer traffic and sales.
  • Experience in simplifying assortments while maintaining customer value.
  • Proficiency in translating merchandising strategy into actionable priorities for teams.
  • Experience in influencing store operators and franchisees effectively.
  • Collaborative skills with strong vendor management and negotiation expertise.
  • Bachelor's in Business, Merchandising, or related field with minimum 10 years of industry experience.

Responsibilities

  • Lead merchandising strategy for grocery, focusing on hard discount and lowest-price positioning.
  • Streamline grocery assortment by evaluating SKU productivity and sales performance.
  • Develop pricing and promotional strategies that reinforce the company's value proposition.
  • Collaborate with Private Label to enhance grocery offerings and grow private label business.
  • Engage franchise owners to align on merchandising decisions that benefit their operations.
  • Partner with various departments to translate strategies into executable store plans.
  • Provide forecasts and insights for effective inventory management and turnover rates.
  • Build and maintain vendor relationships to ensure competitive pricing and product availability.
  • Guide, coach, and grow a team of merchandising leaders, ensuring clarity in strategy execution.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive health and dental benefits available on hire.
  • Annual paid time off, including vacation and personal days.
  • Career growth opportunities with a focus on internal advancement.
  • Store discounts and parental leave salary top-up.
  • Recognition programs for employee achievements with rewards and additional perks.
Full Job Description

Job Title

Head of Grocery

About This Role:

Giant Tiger is looking for a grocery leader to help shape the next chapter of our grocery business as we strengthen our position as a Hard Discount retailer.

This is a significant merchandising leadership role with the opportunity to influence how Canadians shop Giant Tiger. Reporting into our Executive Vice President and Chief Merchant,  you will lead our Grocery business and team, making disciplined decisions about assortment, pricing, promotions and SKU productivity to drive customer traffic, sales and profit while protecting what matters most: delivering consistently low prices our customers can trust.

Giant Tiger operates differently than Canada's largest grocers. We are a Canadian-owned retailer with more than 260 stores, including a significant franchise network. Our stores operate with a focused supply chain and our franchise owners know their customers and businesses well. Success in this role requires someone who can set a clear merchandising direction, work within that operating reality, and earn the confidence of store owners, suppliers and partners across the business.

Workplace Arrangements:

This role will follow a hybrid remote/onsite schedule. Applicants for this role can expect to work on-site from our Ottawa, Ontario Head Office throughout the month.

What You'll Be Doing

  • Lead Giant Tiger's Grocery merchandising strategy, strengthening our Hard Discount and lowest-price position while delivering sales growth, profitability, customer value and increased market penetration.

  • Lead the evolution toward a simpler, more productive grocery assortment, making disciplined decisions about the SKUs that earn their place based on customer traffic, sales, profit and inventory productivity.

  • Develop pricing and promotional strategies that protect Giant Tiger's lowest-price position and give customers a compelling reason to shop our stores more often.

  • Partner closely with Private Label to identify opportunities within the Grocery assortment and support the continued growth of Giant Tiger's private label business.

  • Develop strategies that earn the support of our franchise owners, using strong commercial judgment, data and store insight to demonstrate how assortment and merchandising decisions improve their business.

  • Partner with Supply Chain, Replenishment, Marketing, Merchandising Financial Planning and Store Operations to turn the Grocery strategy into simple, executable plans for our stores.

  • Provide accurate demand forecasts and commercial insights that support inventory planning, product availability and strong inventory turns within Giant Tiger's supply chain.

  • Build strategic vendor relationships and negotiate competitive commercial terms that support lowest price, product availability, profitability and agility.

  • Lead, coach and develop a team of merchandising leaders, translating strategy into clear priorities and consistent day-to-day decisions.

What You'll Bring

  • 10+ years of progressive experience in grocery, food merchandising or a related retail environment.

  • 5+ years of experience leading merchandising or category teams, including experience leading and developing other leaders.

  • Strong grocery/fresh merchandising experience with demonstrated accountability for assortment, pricing, category performance and profitability.

  • A strong commercial mindset with the ability to identify the products that drive customer traffic, sales and profit.

  • Experience simplifying or rationalizing assortments while protecting customer value and business performance.

  • A proven ability to translate merchandising strategy into clear priorities and day-to-day execution for your team.

  • Experience influencing store operators, franchisees or other independent business partners where alignment must be earned rather than directed.

  • A highly collaborative approach and demonstrated ability to work effectively with Supply Chain, Marketing, Operations, Finance and other merchandising teams.

  • Strong vendor management and negotiation experience.

  • University Undergraduate degree in Business, Merchandising, or related field and 10 years' experience in the retail industry OR 15 years' experience in the retail industry.

Assets You May Have

  • Experience working within a Hard Discount, value or limited-assortment retail environment.

  • Private label merchandising experience.

  • Experience across fresh and ambient grocery categories.

  • Experience working within a franchise retail environment.

  • Bilingual in FR and EN.

Travel Requirements

  • Moderate travel required, including regular travel to Giant Tiger Home Office, stores, and vendors.

Giant Tiger is proud to offer a Total Rewards package designed to support your financial security, health, and career growth. This includes competitive compensation for all employees, as well as retirement savings support and comprehensive well-being benefits for our permanent team members.

Salary

$137,300.00 - $187,300.00

Short Term Incentive Plan

Bonus - Short-Term Incentive Plan, 30% Annual

Retirement Support

Stock - Long-Term Incentive Plan (LTIP), 35% Annual

What Giant Tiger Offers:
Competitive Compensation: The salary range for this position is listed above. Giant Tiger will consider factors such as experience, skills and internal equity to ensure you are paid competitively.


Short Term Incentive Plan: This role includes an annual bonus opportunity based on the percentage of base salary listed above, with payout determined by company and individual performance.


Retirement Support: This role is eligible for company-funded retirement savings, with contributions made on your behalf. The specific retirement program and contribution level are noted above.


Health Benefits and Paid Time Off: Access to our flexible, cost-shared health and dental benefits (available on hire) and annual paid time off, including personal and vacation days, plus additional paid holiday time between Christmas and New Year’s.


Career Growth: Giant Tiger is committed to developing our people. We promote from within, and many of our leaders started right here. We provide the coaching, training, and support you need to build a long-term career. If you're looking for a place to grow and take on new challenges, you've found it.

Extra Giant Tiger Perks:
• Store Discount,
• Parental leave salary top-up,
• Recognition program that celebrates great work with monetary rewards and other perks,
• Safety first environment.

Location

2480 Walkley Road, Ottawa, Ontario, K1G 6A9

Job Requisition

JR133377

About Giant Tiger Stores Ltd.

Giant Tiger Stores Ltd. is a Canadian discount store chain which operates over 250 stores across Canada. The company was founded in 1961 in Ottawa, Ontario, and has since expanded to other provinces. Giant Tiger offers a wide range of products including clothing, groceries, electronics, and home decor. The company is known for its low prices and has a strong presence in small towns and rural areas. Giant Tiger is committed to giving back to the community and has donated millions of dollars to various charities and organizations.
Learn more about Giant Tiger Stores Ltd.
Size
8,000 employees
Industry

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