Business Development Manager - Food Wholesale

Henderson Brown Recruitment; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company car

Job summary

Henderson Brown Recruitment is supporting a well-established family-owned food manufacturer in Greater Manchester to appoint a field-based Business Development Manager. The role focuses on growing wholesale and B2B sales, personally winning new customers, and leading a small team.

You will target approximately £1m in additional annual sales from new customers, manage existing wholesale accounts, and travel regionally and nationally.

Qualifications

• Food wholesale sales experience is essential.
• Experience in leading or coaching a small sales team is advantageous.
• Full UK driving licence and willingness to travel regionally and nationally are essential.

Responsibilities

• Identify and prioritise new wholesale and B2B opportunities across foodservice, hospitality, and travel channels.
• Prospect and build a strong pipeline through face-to-face field activity.
• Lead pitches, proposals and pricing within commercial authority, protecting margin.
• Convert new accounts and grow them to sustainable, profitable volume.
• Lead and develop a team of three account executives with clear performance standards.
• Coordinate with operations, NPD and customer service to ensure reliable delivery and accurate forecasts.

Skills

Food wholesale sales

Team leadership

Job description

A field-based new business role for a food wholesale seller who leads from the front, winning new customers personally while leading a small team.

Business Development Manager - Food Wholesale

Greater Manchester
Field-based, with time at head office as needed
50,000 + bonus + company car
Permanent

The Opportunity

We're supporting a well-established, family-owned food manufacturer with the appointment of a Business Development Manager focused on growing new wholesale business.

This isn't a desk-based management role. The priority is personally finding, winning and building new wholesale and B2B customers, with a target of 1m in additional annual sales from new customers. You'll also look after existing wholesale accounts and lead a team of three account executives, but new business is where your time and focus will go.

The business already supplies a broad mix of retail, foodservice, hospitality and travel customers from its own production sites, and is now investing in growing its wholesale presence regionally and nationally.

The official job title is Wholesale Manager.

Key Responsibilities

• Identify and prioritise new customer opportunities across wholesale, foodservice and wider B2B channels.
• Prospect, open doors and build a strong pipeline through face-to-face field activity.
• Lead pitches, proposals and pricing within agreed commercial authority, protecting margin.
• Convert new accounts and build them to sustainable, profitable volume.
• Lead and develop a team of three account executives, setting a clear pace and standard.
• Work with operations, NPD and customer service so new business is delivered reliably, keeping CRM and forecasts accurate.

What We're Looking For

You'll need food wholesale sales experience. This is essential rather than preferred. Backgrounds in bakery, chilled, fresh or short shelf-life food, or foodservice supply would all be relevant.

Above all, you'll have a track record of winning new business yourself, and you'll be able to talk about the accounts you've opened and what they were worth. Experience of leading or coaching a small sales team would be a strong advantage, alongside confidence on pricing and margin and a well-organised pipeline.

A full UK driving licence and willingness to travel regularly across the region and nationally are essential.

Why Join?

This is a role with a clear, measurable target and the backing to hit it. The products, production capacity and delivery network are already in place, and you'll have a team behind you.

You'll work directly with the senior team in a long-established family business, where new business is a genuine growth priority and success is highly visible.

The package is 50,000 plus a bonus of around 10,000 and a company car.

If you're interested in learning more, we'd be happy to have a confidential conversation.