Field Sales Manager

Vibrant Foods is one of Europe's largest South Asian food groups, bringing together a portfolio of well-established heritage brands, including East End, TRS, Fudco, Cofresh, and Everest. Headquartered in Watford, with three manufacturing facilities across the Midlands, the company is dedicated to creating authentic, flavour-led food experiences that celebrate South Asian heritage while meeting the growing demand for plant-based and vegetarian products.

The business combines a rich cultural legacy with a modern, growth-focused approach, supplying both retail and foodservice markets across the UK and internationally. Its purpose is to create adventures in flavour that bring people together by connecting consumers with foods rooted in taste, heritage, and culture.

At the heart of Vibrant Foods is a people-focused culture underpinned by five core values: Swift, Passionate, Inclusive, Collaborative, and Empowered. Employees are encouraged to share ideas, work collaboratively to solve challenges, and take ownership of their work. This creates an agile, supportive environment where innovation, continuous improvement, and personal development are actively encouraged.

Job title - Sales Manager - Independent Sales

Location - Field based across Central UK

Reporting to - Sales Team Leader

Role Purpose

To grow an already warm territory to maximise profitable sales and build long-term relationships with independent retailers and wholesalers across an agreed territory. The role uses expert brand knowledge, in-person engagement and commercial insight to open accounts, increase distribution and deliver sustainable growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver a territory plan covering sales, distribution, new business and customer growth.
• Build expert portfolio knowledge and communicate compelling brand stories, benefits and propositions.
• Improve in-store availability, range, positioning, visibility, merchandising and promotional execution.
• Prospect, convert opportunities and open sustainable accounts across independent and wholesale channels.
• Build trusted relationships by understanding each customer's business, shoppers and growth ambitions.
• Deliver responsive customer service, owning enquiries, issues and commitments through to resolution.
• Act as the voice of the customer, sharing market insight and coordinating support across internal teams.
• Use sales and customer data to identify trends, ranging gaps, risks and opportunities and prioritise activity.
• Maintain accurate CRM, pipeline, forecast and call records while reporting performance and competitor activity.

Person Specification

• Proven field-sales, territory or account-management experience, ideally in FMCG, food or wholesale.
• Strong customer-development and new-business skills across prospecting, negotiation and account growth.
• Confident knowledge-led selling, communicating brand stories, benefits, promotions and value clearly.
• Customer-first communication and service skills, with reliable ownership and follow-through.
• Commercial awareness and ability to use sales, customer and market data to prioritise opportunity.
• Strong organisation and self-management, planning an efficient territory and consistent visit cadence.
• Accurate CRM and pipeline administration, with a full driving licence and willingness to travel.
• Experience selling culturally relevant or branded food into diverse independent retail communities.
• Established relationships with retailers, wholesalers, cash-and-carries or regional distributors.
• Experience in merchandising, promotional execution, category insight or retailer development.

Benefits Full of Flavour

At Vibrant Foods, we believe great benefits are an essential ingredient in a rewarding career. Here’s a taste of what you can enjoy:

• 33 days’ annual leave - Plenty of time to relax, recharge and enjoy life outside work.
• Pension contributions matched up to 5% - Contribute 5% and we’ll match it—giving you a total pension contribution of 10%.
• Private healthcare eligibility - Access additional support to help you look after your health and wellbeing.
• Volunteering days - Take time away from your usual role to support the causes and communities that matter to you.
• Free on-site parking - Making your daily journey a little easier.