National Account Manager - Grocery in London

About us
Nature, nurture and wisdom. We believe nature holds the key to our emotional and physical wellness, providing gentle yet effective remedies. At Nelsons, we harness these powerful ingredients and infuse them with centuries' worth of expertise to offer traditional treatments for a modern world. We're an award winning, family‐owned business, whose passion for providing natural healthcare choices since 1860 continues to drive us today. Nelsons is one of the UK's leading and Europe's longest established manufacturer of natural healthcare products, having built up an impressive portfolio including world‐famous RESCUE Remedy and Teetha.

What's next? Growth, and lots of it! We're experiencing a significant and exciting period of digital transformation and we're looking for talented, ambitious individuals to help drive meaningful impact across the business.

The role
Reporting to the UK Head of Sales, the National Account Manager (NAM) will be responsible for achieving sales and profit targets for the Grocery retailers in the UK. The NAM will proactively manage the account relationships and develop and manage the Sales plan. The NAM will work to develop account specific sales strategies that will increase sales value, distribution, display and promotional opportunities in the relevant retail partners. The NAM will work closely with the UK Head of Sales to develop long‐term budget, strategy and future outlook for Grocery whilst collaborating with the rest of the sales team on numbers reporting and drive efficiencies within the UK business.

Key Responsibilities

• Business Plan – to prepare and implement an annual business plan for the accounts, carrying out regular reviews to ensure key sales and marketing objectives are achieved.
• Prepare a Joint Business Plan (JBP) in conjunction with the accounts that is agreed and signed up to.
• Identify opportunities to develop and implement plans to maximise the sales opportunities.
• Competitor Brands / Activity – using information from trade press and market visits keep abreast of competitor brands / products and counter as required.
• Develop account strategies for the future.
• Plan and implement strategies in accordance with business needs e.g. project implementation.
• Forecast – prepare value and volume forecasts by products and update on a rolling basis.
• Liaise with the Supply Chain Organisation (SCO) on specific requests and issues.
• Implement and manage the appropriate trading terms and price changes within the company guidelines.
• Develop the optimum range of new and core product distribution in accounts, ensuring NPD is listed and launched effectively.
• Maintain regular meetings with Buying and Supply contacts. Organise and lead annual strategy meetings with key contacts.
• Manage the agreed expenditure budgets for their customers and work closely with the marketing team to develop trade marketing activities.
• Provide Customer P&L and ROI for each key activity in their accounts and gain approval from the UK Head of Sales.
• Work with the Customer Service team to resolve any complaints/issues.

We'd love you to have

• Previous experience as a National Account Manager/ Executive, ideally within a Grocery, FMCG or Personal Care branded supplier business.
• Strong record of building and maintaining customer relationships.
• Experience of setting, maintaining and achieving budgets both in turnover and in profit.
• Experience of managing margins, customer profitability and sales targets.
• Strong understanding of P&L's.
• Proven track record in Sales.
• Classical sales training.
• Ability to build and maintain good relationships.
• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Negotiation and account management skills.
• IT literate, including Excel, Word and PowerPoint.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to prioritise own workload.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Full, clean and valid driving licence.

Benefits

• Annual bonus.
• 25 days holiday per year PLUS Christmas shut down.
• A 'Rescue Day' each year to use how you need.
• Free products and staff discounts.
• 3pm Friday finishes ALL YEAR ROUND.
• Hybrid and flexible working.
• Paid days off to volunteer for charities.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Regular socials plus standard benefits such as pensions, eye test vouchers and season ticket loans.

Nelsons is an organisation committed to equity, inclusion and diversity to drive our business results and create a better future, every day, for our employees, global consumers, partners, and communities. We believe a diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion across the business. We are interested in every individual bringing their whole self to work and this includes you!