Wine Development Manager

Lwc Drinks Ltd; Washington; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

LWC Drinks Ltd is seeking a Wine Development Manager to drive the wine category across their Northeast depot area. You will act as the local ambassador for wine, balancing commercial goals with expert wine knowledge while spending about 15 days monthly in trade activities in the region.

The role involves new business development, existing account management, category planning, and training of Account Managers along with regional wine tastings and events.

Qualifications

• Commercial experience in selling wine (on-trade preferred).
• A good track record in sales and meeting growth targets.
• Knowledge of the wine trade and trends.
• WSET Level 3 preferred.

Responsibilities

• Open new wine accounts and support Account Managers in the region.
• Manage top wine accounts with focused reviews and quarterly visits.
• Develop and implement Regional Wine Tastings and wine-led events.
• Train Account Managers and coordinate wine courses at depots.

Skills

Wine sales

Account management

Field sales

Customer relationships

Education

WSET Level 3 preferred

Job description

Job Title: Wine Development Manager

Reports to: Sales Manager

Covering: Northeast

Main Duties

The Wine Development Managers at LWC are responsible for the development of the wine category within their depot. As the local ambassadors for the wine range, it is crucial that they have a positive attitude to on-trade wine sales and marry commerciality with excellent wine knowledge. WDMs are field-based, expected to spend 15 days a month working in the trade in their area, supporting Account Managers from their depots whilst developing business on their own. Working hours are 40 hours per week, with some requirement to work outside of regular business hours to support customers.

NEW BUSINESS

• Opening new wine accounts, working alongside the Account Managers.
• Maintaining and updating a live customer prospect list.

EXISTING BUSINESS

• Working closely with Account Managers to develop and retain existing customers.
• Account management of the top 50 wine accounts in their region.
• Wine reviews are to be undertaken half-yearly with the agreed top 50 wine accounts within the region. The top 20 wine accounts should be visited once a quarter.
• Responsibility for Wine Development Plans within Key Accounts as and when agreed upon.

CATEGORY MANAGEMENT

• Building commercial and interesting wine lists in line with market trends.
• Maximising profitability by identifying LWC's own brand opportunities.
• Presenting a wine slot at each monthly depot meeting.
• Quarterly account reviews with Account Managers.
• Training and education of Account Managers, key events, tastings, liaising with WSET course providers and running these courses at the regional depot where applicable.
• Local bespoke customer training (National accounts included).
• Management of samples within the depot, sample depot budget management.
• Work closely with the Depot Managers, Stock Controllers, Telesales and Wine Team.
• Take ownership of Regional Wine Tastings and wine-led events.
• Supporting LWC wine business in Key and National accounts and occasionally travelling to our head office in Manchester

ADMINISTRATION

• Completing weekly call logs and sending them to the Line Manager.
• Attending monthly meetings with the Line Manager to discuss sales performance.
• Attending quarterly meetings with the Regional Sales Manager to discuss depot wine performance.
• To be fully prepared for Management, RSM, WDM meetings and 1:1s.
• Support the depot in management of depot wine stock (slow-moving stock, QA/QC issues, etc.).

Knowledge and Experience:

• Commercial experience in selling wine (on-trade preferred).
• A good track record in sales and meeting growth targets.
• Knowledge of the wine trade and trends.
• WSET Level 3 preferred.

LWC Drinks Ltd provides licensed establishments with all their bar and sundry supplies. However, we are more than just a distributor, becoming the fastest growing privately owned drinks company in Britain, placing 24th in the Sunday Times PWC Profit Track 100. Our aim is to provide the best customer service in the industry, employing over 1,800 people at 18 depots across the UK, with a Support Centre and Hub Distribution Centre based in Manchester.