Dominique – Category Manager France

I started with Sara Lee Coffee & Tea in 1991 as a sales.representative. In 1997, I joined the French headquarters as a space planning manager, and since 2001 I have been the category manager in charge of our relationship with French retailer Carrefour.

Carrefour is a major customer for Sara Lee, and I am responsible for growing our business in both volume and value. For this, I am in close, regular contact with Carrefour’s retail entities. Working closely with Sara Lee’s marketing and national key account teams, I analyze and identify all levers of growth for our category (product, space planning, pricing, promotions) and recommend strategies and action plans, driving additional value for the benefit of the category, Carrefour and Sara Lee.

My favorite project has been my contribution in building our highly professional Category Management team, recognized as best-in-class by retailers, according to a 2008 Advantage Group survey. Creating the team was a long-term process where we continually improved our expertise and exchanged ideas with customers on category management topics such as shopper studies, market reviews, product launch, assortment and promotion activities and analysis.

I am especially proud about my contribution to the launch plan of our latest innovative coffee offering “L’Or Pépites,” implemented in all Carrefour banners in less than three weeks. “Always surprise your customers and focus on specific items” is my credo.

I like my job, because there are always new inspiring projects to promote, making every day different. The team spirit at Sara Lee, our ambition to grow and our willingness to innovate energize me. It’s a company always moving ahead to ensure success, continuously improving and investigating new approaches to excellence.

April 2009