Modern Trade Sales Manager

Hiring: Head Offline Sales | Modern Trade & Key Accounts

Location: Bangalore / Chennai
Experience: 10–12 Years
Employment Type: Full-time
Education: MBA / PGDM from a reputed B-school preferred
Industry: FMCG, Consumer Durables, Kitchenware, Home & Lifestyle

Job Summary

We are looking for a dynamic Head – Offline Sales to lead and scale the offline business for a fast-growing consumer brand. The role involves managing Modern Trade, Key Accounts, retail partnerships, distribution expansion, and overall offline P&L.

The ideal candidate should have a proven track record of scaling offline sales, managing large retail accounts, leading sales teams, and driving profitable growth while maintaining strong control over margins, inventory, and working capital.

Key Responsibilities

1. Sales Strategy & P&L Ownership

• Own offline revenue targets and overall channel P&L.
• Drive profitable growth through pricing, margins, trade spends, discounts, and promotional planning.
• Develop business plans across channels, accounts, cities, and categories.
• Monitor account-level profitability and take corrective actions where required.

2. Modern Trade & Key Accounts

• Build and strengthen relationships with leading retail chains and strategic accounts.
• Lead commercial negotiations, annual agreements, listing fees, promotions, and visibility plans.
• Develop joint business plans and expand product assortment within existing accounts.
• Identify and onboard new retail partners and strategic accounts.

3. Distribution & Business Expansion

• Develop and execute offline expansion strategies across key cities and markets.
• Drive distribution growth, new product launches, and category expansion.
• Monitor store-level productivity, sales performance, and sell-through.
• Ensure distribution expansion is aligned with profitability and inventory efficiency.

4. Inventory & Operational Excellence

• Maintain a minimum 92% fill rate and ensure product availability across retail channels.
• Work closely with supply chain and operations teams on forecasting and replenishment.
• Monitor stock-outs, ageing inventory, returns, damages, and inventory turnover.
• Drive seasonal sales planning and new product launch execution.

5. Profitability & Working Capital

• Track revenue, gross margins, CM1/CM2, trade spends, and account-level contribution.
• Own receivables, collections, and adherence to agreed credit terms.
• Work with Finance to improve cash flow and reduce overdue payments.
• Monitor logistics costs, inventory days, and working capital across accounts.

6. Team Leadership

• Build and lead teams across Modern Trade, Key Accounts, and Field Sales.
• Define sales, profitability, distribution, and collection targets.
• Establish regular performance reviews and clear account ownership.
• Coach teams on commercial negotiations, account management, and profitable growth.

Candidate Requirements

• 10–12 years of experience in offline sales, Modern Trade, and Key Account Management.
• Experience in FMCG, consumer durables, kitchenware, appliances, home, or lifestyle categories.
• Proven track record of scaling offline business and managing significant revenue and P&L responsibility.
• Strong relationships with leading retail chains, buyers, and decision-makers.
• Expertise in commercial negotiations, pricing, trade spends, margins, and account profitability.
• Strong understanding of inventory management, sell-through, collections, and working capital.
• Experience in building and leading multi-market sales teams.
• Strong analytical, strategic planning, and execution skills.
• MBA / PGDM from a reputed B-school preferred.
• Willingness to travel extensively across markets.

Ideal Candidate Profile

A commercially strong sales leader who thinks like a business owner, understands account-level profitability, and can balance revenue growth with margins, inventory efficiency, and cash flow.

Interested candidates can apply with their updated CV.