Category Planner

Overview Salary: Competitive Plus BenefitsLocation: London Store Support Centre and Home, London, EC1M 6HAContract type: PermanentBusiness area: Food CommercialClosing date: 15 December 2025Requisition ID: 400042628 We’d all like amazing work to do, and real work-life balance. That’s waiting for you at Sainsbury’s. Here, everything in our Sainsbury’s stores starts out in Sainsbury’s Commercial. Whether it’s the product, proposition, packaging or price, or the fact that something tastes great, our team is responsible for all food, non-food and Clothing items available in Sainsbury’s stores, digitally and on demand. You’ll discover it’s incredibly fast-paced. People here are in it together and not afraid to take risks. They’re enthusiastic too, and their amazing leadership team is right behind them. The knowledge and experience you gain here could set you up for career moves anywhere else in the business. So, if you’re passionate about your products and just as hungry to learn, you’ll fit in perfectly. We are currently looking for a Category Planner to join the Grocery Food team here at Sainsbury’s. To succeed in the highly competitive landscape of grocery retail, you must be bold, make decisions quickly, and spot opportunities where others do not. We’re looking for a motivated, organised & commercially minded individual who is passionate about Retail and excited to play a pivotal role in the success of Sainsbury’s largest food category. Our Grocery Food team is a diverse group of problem solvers and strategic thinkers, passionate about delivering exceptional experiences for our customers. You’ll join a collaborative environment where ideas are valued, and innovation drives success. More about the role As a Category Planner in the Grocery Food team, you’ll be responsible for coordinating and optimising the promotional strategy across all secondary space, key events, and channels. You will work alongside a range of stakeholders, from Buyers through to Marketing and Space teams, as well as external partners in our supply base. Day-to-day, you will own and oversee the promotional plan across promotional space, in-aisle and online, ensuring messages land effectively with customers to drive incremental sales and volume. You’ll activate plans within required timelines, collaborate with cross-functional teams, and use insight and data to inform decisions and lead performance reviews. More about you To succeed in this role, you’ll need excellent project management and strong communication skills to build relationships and influence stakeholders. You should be highly organised, thrive on planning and prioritising, and demonstrate initiative to solve problems and improve processes. We’re looking for someone who is ambitious, motivated, and eager to learn and grow. You’ll be confident using Excel and PowerPoint, and able to manage projects effectively to deliver results. All candidates must demonstrate the following: Project management, organisational, and stakeholder management skills, with strong abilities to influence Demonstrable commitment to compliance, simplicity, and continuous improvement to processes Proven customer-centricity, with experience using qualitative and quantitative insights Basic Excel skills (VLookups) and understanding of commericals, advanced analysis not required Benefits We are committed to being a truly inclusive retailer, so you’ll be welcomed whoever you are and wherever you work. Around here, there’s always the chance to try something new - whether that’s as part of an evolving team or somewhere else across the business - and we take development seriously and promise to support you. We also recognise and celebrate colleagues when they go the extra mile and, where possible, offer flexible working. When you join our team, we’ll also offer you an amazing range of benefits. Here are some of them: Starting off with colleague discount, you'll be able to get 10% off at Sainsbury's, Argos, TU and Habitat after 4 weeks. This increases to 15% off at Sainsbury’s every Friday and Saturday and 15% off at Argos every pay day. We've also got you covered for your future with our pensions scheme and life cover. You'll also be able to share in our success as you may be eligible for a performance-related bonus of up to 20% of salary, depending on how we perform. Your wellbeing is important to us too. You'll receive an annual holiday allowance, and you can buy additional holiday. We also offer other benefits that will help your money go further such as season ticket loans, interest free car loan of up to £10k, cycle to work scheme, health cash plans, pay advance (where you can access some of your pay before pay day) as well access to a great range of discounts from hundreds of other retailers. And if you ever need it there is also an Employee Assistance Programme, you will also be eligible for private healthcare too. Moments that matter are as important to us as they are to you which is why we give up to 26 weeks’ pay for maternity or adoption leave and up to 4 weeks’ pay for paternity leave. Please see www.sainsburys.jobs for a range of our benefits (note, length of service and eligibility criteria may apply). #J-18808-Ljbffr