National Sales Manager - Retail - JHB

National Sales Manager

Location: JHB (National role)

Role Overview

Our client is seeking a strategic thinker, commercially driven and operationally strong National Sales Manager to lead and optimise our retail footprint across all key accounts. This role is responsible for managing national retailer relationships while ensuring best-in-class execution in-store to maximise sales performance and brand presence.

This is a high-impact leadership role requiring a balance of strategic account management and hands on operational excellence.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and grow relationships with major retail partners
• Negotiate trading terms, promotional space, and joint business plans
• Drive revenue growth and margin optimisation across accounts. Ensure maximizing range per retailer and store type.
• Review new retail channels to determine feasibility and strategy for entry.
• Ensure growth strategy executed within the companys own store stable.

• Ensure consistent and high-quality in-store execution across all locations including the presentation and execution of in store demonstrators
• Oversee merchandising standards, stock availability, and promotional compliance
• Identify and resolve operational bottlenecks impacting sales

• Deliver national sales targets and KPIs
• Analyse sell-through data and adjust strategies accordingly
• Implement initiatives to improve conversion and basket size
• Ensure minimum profitability requirement is achieved per account.

• Lead and develop regional sales/merchandising teams
• Set clear performance targets and accountability structures
• Build a high-performance, execution-focused culture

• Work closely with marketing, supply chain, and product teams
• Align campaigns with in-store execution
• Ensure demand planning supports retail needs

• Identify new market opportunities
• Stay Informed on industry trends, competitor activities and market dynamics.

Requirements and Experience:

• Minimum 8+ years experience in FMCG sales, with strong retail exposure
• Proven track record managing national key accounts
• Demonstrated success in driving in-store execution and sales growth
• Strong commercial acumen and negotiation skills
• Experience leading and managing teams at scale
• Experience in direct-to-retail or high-volume consumer products
• Exposure to multi-channel retail (brick-and-mortar + promotional environments)
• Strong understanding of South African retail landscape

• Commercially driven and results-oriented
• Highly analytical with strong decision-making ability
• Operationally hands-on (not just strategic)
• Strong relationship builder at senior retail levels
• High accountability and ownership mindset

• Improved retail relationships and stronger trading terms
• Measurable uplift in in-store execution and visibility
• Consistent achievement (or exceeding) of national sales targets (topline and profitability)
• A disciplined, high-performing sales and merchandising team

Salary - R1.2 - R1.8 mill pa CTC