Retail Expansion & Channel Development Manager

Sapwood Ventures; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 1,200,000 - 2,400,000; Full time

Job summary

Sapwood Ventures is seeking a Retail Expansion & Channel Development Manager to scale our offline retail business. This role focuses on premium and design-led retail, relationship-driven sales, and thoughtful channel expansion across India.

You will build systems for growth, improve in-store visibility, and coordinate with distributors to ensure successful launches. You will manage relationships with retail partners, track performance, and work with cross-functional teams to deliver

Qualifications

• 3 to 5 years of experience in retail sales, channel development, or business development.
• Experience in premium/lifestyle/kids/gifting/design-led brands preferred.
• Strong relationship-building ability.
• Understanding of premium retail environments.
• Good communication and negotiation skills.

Responsibilities

• Identify and onboard aligned retail stores across India.
• Build relationships with premium and design-led retail partners.
• Expand presence in childrens, lifestyle, gifting, and experiential retail channels.
• Evaluate retail fit and long-term brand alignment before onboarding.
• Build systems for retail onboarding and account management.
• Improve reorder cadence and retail sell-through.
• Coordinate with distributors and retail partners where required.
• Develop retail expansion strategies by city/category.
• Maintain strong ongoing relationships with retail buyers and store teams.
• Track store-wise performance and sell-through.

Skills

Relationship building

Negotiation

Communication

Ownership & execution

Job description

Role & responsibilities

About the Role

We are looking for a Retail Expansion & Channel Development Manager to help build and scale The companys offline retail business. This is not a traditional sales role focused only on opening stores.

We are looking for someone who understands:

Premium and design-led retail

Relationship-driven sales

Storytelling-led products

Retail experience and merchandising

Thoughtful channel expansion

The role involves:

Building strong retail relationships

Improving sales per store

Onboarding aligned retail partners

Creating systems for retail growth

Improving retail visibility and sell-through

Key Responsibilities

Retail Expansion

Identify and onboard aligned retail stores across India

Build relationships with premium and design-led retail partners

Expand presence in childrens, lifestyle, gifting, and experiential retail channels

Channel Development

Evaluate retail fit and long-term brand alignment before onboarding

Build systems for retail onboarding and account management

Improve reorder cadence and retail sell-through

Coordinate with distributors and retail partners where required

Develop retail expansion strategies by city/category

Relationship Management

Maintain strong ongoing relationships with retail buyers and store teams

Conduct regular check-ins with retail partners

Understand retail partner feedback and customer response

Ensure smooth communication between retail partners and internal teams

Visual Merchandising & Brand Presence

Improve in-store visibility and presentation of products

Work with the creative team on display concepts and retail storytelling Ensure product presentation aligns with brand positioning

Sales & Performance Tracking

Track store-wise performance and sell-through

Monitor inventory movement and reorder patterns

Maintain retail sales MIS and reporting

Share insights and recommendations for growth

Cross-functional Coordination

Coordinate with production, logistics, creative, and D2C teams

Ensure smooth product launches and inventory planning for retail channels

Support collaborations and retail activations where relevant

Preferred candidate profile

Ideal Candidate Profile

We are looking for someone with:

• 3 to 5 years of experience in retail sales, channel development, or business development
• Experience in premium/lifestyle/kids/gifting/design-led brands preferred
• Strong relationship-building ability
• Understanding of premium retail environments
• Good communication and negotiation skills
• Strong ownership and execution ability
• Comfort working in an evolving, founder-led business
• Interest in storytelling, design, childrens products, or meaningful consumer brands is a plus

Preferred Industry Background

Candidates from the following industries/backgrounds are preferred:

• Premium children’s brands
• Lifestyle or design-led retail brands
• Gifting and experiential brands
• Handcrafted/conscious consumer brands
• Premium toy or educational brands
• Boutique hospitality or experiential retail