Area Sales Manager

Matthew Clark Bibendum; Leeds; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

Matthew Clark Bibendum is seeking an Area Sales Manager to drive profitable growth in a defined Northern England/West Yorkshire territory, covering Leeds/Bradford. The role focuses on developing customer relationships, expanding product range, and achieving ambitious targets.

You will work with customers, suppliers and internal teams to maximise brand distribution and deliver exceptional customer experiences in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Proven sales, account management or BD experience in drinks/Hospitality/FMCG.
• Strong commercial awareness and ability to grow profitability.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills; able to influence decision-makers.

Responsibilities

• Drive sales growth and profitability across on-trade customers.
• Build strong relationships and expand product range.
• Generate new business through proactive prospecting and networking.
• Plan territory, promotions and brand activations.
• Collaborate with internal teams and supplier partners to meet objectives.

Skills

Sales experience

Account management

Business development

Drinks/FMCG sector

Relationship building

Negotiation

Presentation skills

Territory management

CRM proficiency

Education

WSET Level 2

Tools

Microsoft Excel

CRM systems

Job description

We’re a team of drinks industry obsessives, driven by supporting the trade – day in and night out. Passion paired with unparalleled industry insight mean we’re always moving forward, collaborating with our customers to understand the needs of their business and to ensure we’re supporting their future growth. We are one of the UK’s largest drinks wholesalers, supplying drinks to several thousand venues in every part of the UK and every segment of the trade, from luxury hotels and world-class event spaces to local restaurants and community pubs. With over 200 years of on-trade experience behind us, and unique insight into the future of our industry, our experience matters.

About the Role

We are looking for a driven and commercially astute Area Sales Manager to join our Commercial team. This is an exciting field-based opportunity to manage and grow a portfolio of on-trade customers, driving profitable sales growth across an established territory.

As the face of the business, you will develop strong customer relationships, identify new business opportunities, and use your industry knowledge to deliver outstanding commercial results. You'll work closely with customers, suppliers, and internal stakeholders to maximise sales performance, increase brand distribution, and deliver exceptional customer experiences.

This role is ideal for a proactive sales professional who thrives on building relationships, spotting opportunities, and achieving ambitious targets in a fast-paced environment.

This is a field based role covering Northern England/West Yorkshire - Leeds/Bradford area.

Key Accountabilities

• Drive sales growth and profitability across a defined portfolio of on-trade customers, delivering against volume, revenue, margin, and distribution targets.
• Build and develop strong customer relationships, identifying opportunities to increase product range, grow share of wallet, and deliver long-term value.
• Generate new business through proactive prospecting, networking, and market insight, creating a healthy pipeline of opportunities.
• Deliver best-in-class sales execution through effective territory planning, promotional activity, brand activations, and customer engagement.
• Use commercial insights, CRM data, and market trends to identify opportunities, manage performance, and support informed decision-making.
• Collaborate with internal teams and supplier partners to maximise customer outcomes, enhance brand visibility, and achieve shared business objectives.

Key Skills & Experience

• Proven sales, account management, or business development experience within the drinks, hospitality, or FMCG sectors.
• Strong commercial awareness with the ability to identify growth opportunities and drive profitable sales performance.
• Skilled at building and maintaining influential relationships with customers, suppliers, and stakeholders.
• Demonstrated success in winning new business and developing existing accounts.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and presentation skills, with confidence influencing decision-makers.
• Strong organisational and territory management skills, with the ability to prioritise effectively in a fast-paced environment.
• Comfortable using CRM systems, sales reporting tools, and Microsoft Excel to manage performance and pipeline activity.
• Self-motivated, resilient, and able to work autonomously while delivering results.

Requirements

• Full UK driving licence.
• WSET Level 2 qualification or a genuine interest in studying towards it (training provided).

Why Join Us?

This is an opportunity to play a key role in driving growth across a dynamic and growing business. You'll have the autonomy to manage your territory, the support of experienced commercial teams, and the chance to work with a strong portfolio of leading brands while developing your career within a high-performing sales environment.

About Us

Operating through the Matthew Clark Bibendum, Tennent’s and Bulmers Ireland brands, the Group has a market leading range, scale and reach including an intimate understanding of the markets it serves.

From grass to glass, and everything in between, we grow, brew, manufacture, market, and deliver some of the world’s favourite drinks. C&C Group’s portfolio of owned/exclusive brands include: Bulmers, the leading Irish cider brand; Tennent’s, the leading Scottish beer brand; Magners the premium international cider brand; as well as a range of fast-growing, premium and craft ciders and beers, such as Heverlee, Menabrea, Five Lamps and Orchard Pig.

We seek to champion and embed sustainability in everything that we do at C&C. While delivering joy to customers, we always shine a light on people and the planet. We have a clear ESG vision delivering to a better world. We respect, support, and develop all our people to be their best, with a focus on results by creating a culture of winning together.