Category Management Course in Saudi Arabia

RCMA's Retail Category Management Essentials is a live online category management course that fits the working week in Saudi Arabia. Sessions run on Sunday and Wednesday evenings at 8:00 pm Riyadh time, each 90 minutes, on Google Meet. It is taught in Arabic with the English terms used in Saudi retail and FMCG companies, in small cohorts, by a category management practitioner who works in Saudi pharmacy retail.

• Buyers and assistant buyers in hypermarkets, supermarkets and pharmacy chains who want to move into category management
• New category managers who want a complete, structured method
• Trade marketing, key account and sales professionals at FMCG suppliers and distributors who work with Saudi retailers
• Data and commercial analysts who support category teams
• Graduates who want to start a career in retail or FMCG

The method of category management is the same worldwide, but the Saudi market has its own rhythm. The course works through it with examples from the market you work in:

• Ramadan and Eid planning: demand shifts sharply, so range, stock and promotions must be planned months ahead.
• Pharmacy retail: Saudi pharmacy chains run large personal care, baby care and beauty categories that behave like FMCG.
• Distributors and trading terms: many brands reach retailers through distributors, so rebates, listing fees and promotion funding are a large part of category profit.
• Many store formats: hypermarkets, supermarkets, convenience stores, pharmacies and online all need a different range and space plan.

The course covers the full category management cycle in 13 live sessions: category definition and roles, master data and the product hierarchy, the Customer Decision Tree, category performance and the scorecard, assortment and delisting, inventory and availability, pricing and promotions with post-evaluation, space planning and planograms, supplier negotiation, procurement and Joint Business Planning (JBP), and AI tools for the category manager's work. Each session works on applied examples and exercises.

• Live online on Google Meet, so you can join from Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam or anywhere in the Kingdom
• Sunday and Wednesday, 8:00 pm Riyadh time, 90 minutes per session
• Small cohorts with limited seats, so every participant takes part
• Taught in Arabic with the English retail terms you use at work

The price per seat is shown in Saudi riyals for visitors in Saudi Arabia, and you can pay in riyals. Company invoices are available, so your employer can sponsor your seat.

Participants who complete the course and reach the pass mark receive an RCMA certificate of completion with its own verification number. Any employer can check it on the RCMA website. It is a certificate of completion from RCMA, not a professional accreditation from an external body.

Khalid A. Elmohammadi is the founder and instructor of RCMA. A pharmacist by training (BSc in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Al-Azhar University; MBA in Digital Business Administration), he has more than 12 years of experience in retail and FMCG, five of them in category management, and leads the personal care sector of a pharmacy retail chain in Saudi Arabia. He has managed more than 5,600 SKUs and trained more than 23 category managers. His credentials include CPCA, CIPM, Category Manager (CMKG–SIMA), Certified Professional Strategic Analyst and T.O.T, and he is a certified CIPSCA ambassador.

Is the course in Arabic or English? It is taught in Arabic, with the English terms used in Saudi retail and FMCG companies, so you can apply them at work straight away.