AVP - GT Retail Sales

WHOLSUM FOODS; Gurugram District; On-site; INR 6,000,000 - 9,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Wholsum Foods seeks a seasoned Head of General Trade to lead and scale the GT business across India. The role drives national sales growth, expands distribution, strengthens market presence, and builds a high-performing sales organization.

Ideal candidates bring extensive FMCG GT experience, distributor management, and proven track record of profitable growth. This leadership role offers ownership, visibility with senior leadership, and influence on Wholsum Foods' retail growth.

Qualifications

• 10–12 years of progressive sales experience in FMCG (CFood/Packaged Foods).
• Proven General Trade leadership across multiple states or nationwide.
• Strong distributor management, route-to-market, outlet expansion, and sales execution.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the General Trade strategy aligned with business objectives.
• Drive revenue growth, market share, distribution, and outlet expansion.
• Identify opportunities, penetrate new geographies, and strengthen market presence.
• Lead and mentor Regional/Area Sales Managers and frontline teams.
• Collaborate with Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, Demand Planning, and Product teams.
• Monitor KPIs, sales productivity, and optimize trade investments.

Job description

Join the dynamic team at Wholsum Foods and be part of an extraordinary movement!

Our mission is simple: to change the world's eats. With brands like Slurrp Farm and Mille, we offer healthy and delicious alternatives to the junk food epidemic. We are on a mission to make healthy food accessible to every household by bringing the goodness of millets and clean-label nutrition to consumers across India.

Led by founders Shauravi Malik and Meghana Narayan, we are entrepreneurs, food enthusiasts, and parents committed to redefining the future of food. As one of India's fastest-growing healthy food brands, we are looking for leaders who thrive in a collaborative, entrepreneurial, and high-growth environment.

At Wholsum Foods, our people are our biggest strength. Guided by our core values—Relationship First, Dependable, Passionate, and Growth Mindset—we foster a culture of ownership, innovation, and continuous learning.

We are also Great Place to Work® Certified.

ROLE OVERVIEW

We are looking for an experienced and entrepreneurial Head of General Trade to lead and scale our General Trade business across India. This role will be responsible for driving national sales growth, strengthening the distribution network, expanding market presence, and building a high-performing sales organisation.

The ideal candidate will bring strong expertise in FMCG General Trade, distributor management, route-to-market strategy, and sales execution, with a proven track record of delivering sustainable business growth.

This is a high-impact leadership role that offers significant ownership, visibility with the leadership team, and the opportunity to shape the future growth of Wholsum Foods' retail business.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Business Strategy & Growth

• Develop and execute the General Trade strategy aligned with the company's business objectives.
• Drive revenue growth, market share, numeric distribution, weighted distribution, and outlet expansion across assigned markets.
• Identify new business opportunities, penetrate new geographies, and strengthen market presence.
• Deliver annual operating plans, sales targets, and profitable business growth.
• Build, strengthen, and manage a high-performing distributor network.
• Drive route-to-market excellence and improve distribution efficiency.
• Ensure healthy distributor profitability, inventory management, stock availability, and receivables.

Sales Execution Excellence

• Drive primary and secondary sales performance across all territories.
• Improve beat productivity, outlet coverage, merchandising, and in-store execution.
• Ensure successful execution of trade schemes, promotions, visibility initiatives, and new product launches.
• Lead, mentor, and develop Regional Sales Managers, Area Sales Managers, and frontline sales teams.
• Build a high-performance culture through regular coaching, capability development, and performance reviews.
• Create a strong succession pipeline for future business growth.

Business Planning & Commercial Management

• Lead annual sales planning, forecasting, budgeting, and target setting.
• Monitor business KPIs, sales productivity, and channel performance.
• Optimize trade investments while ensuring profitable business growth.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, Demand Planning, and Product teams to deliver seamless execution.
• Provide market insights to support product innovation, customer strategy, and business planning.

IDEAL CANDIDATE PROFILE

• 10–12 years of progressive sales experience in FMCG, Packaged Foods, Healthy Foods, Beverages, or Consumer Goods.
• Proven experience leading General Trade sales across multiple states or at a national level.
• Strong expertise in distributor management, route-to-market strategy, outlet expansion, and sales execution.
• Demonstrated success in delivering primary and secondary sales targets while driving profitable business growth.
• Experience leading Regional Sales Managers, Area Sales Managers, and frontline sales teams.
• Strong commercial acumen with experience in sales planning, forecasting, budgeting, and business reviews.
• Excellent leadership, negotiation, stakeholder management, and analytical skills.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to thrive in a fast‑paced, high-growth environment.

PREFERRED INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE

Candidates from FMCG, packaged foods, healthy snacking, beverages, dairy, or consumer goods companies with a strong General Trade background will be preferred.

WHY JOIN WHOLSUM FOODS?

• Opportunity to lead and scale the General Trade business for one of India's fastest-growing healthy food brands.
• High ownership with direct exposure to the leadership team.
• Freedom to build, strengthen, and expand the GT business across key markets.
• Collaborative, purpose-driven culture with significant opportunities for professional growth.

JOINING - Position open immediately.

Required Skills