Head channel Traditional trade

Refreshment Trading Co.; Kuwait City; On-site; KWD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Refreshment Trading Co. is seeking a commercially driven Head of Traditional Trade Channel to lead the Groceries, Mini-Markets, and Petroleum Food Malls segment.

You will own channel strategy, distribution expansion, profitability, and flawless execution across outlet types. You will manage a field sales organization to ensure perfect availability, pricing compliance, and strong customer relationships, while guiding route-to-market optimization, in-store activation, and weekly reporting to

Qualifications

• 7–10 years of FMCG sales experience with strong exposure to groceries and mini-markets channel.
• Bachelor’s degree in business, Sales, Marketing, or related field.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement annual Traditional Trade strategy for groceries, mini-markets, and fuel station food marts.
• Lead Sales Supervisors, Sales Representatives, and Van Sales teams to meet volume, distribution, and revenue targets.
• Build strong relationships with independent retailers and petroleum convenience operators and negotiate visibility spaces.
• Manage route planning, outlet frequency, and territory alignment to optimize RTM execution.
• Ensure compliance on product availability, pricing integrity, and in-store activation; coordinate POSM deployment.
• Provide demand planning inputs and deliver weekly/monthly performance reports with actionable insights.

Skills

Fluent English

Arabic proficiency

Leadership

Negotiation

Analytical skills

RTM execution

Sales force management

Distribution & velocity

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business, Sales, Marketing, or related field

Tools

Sales systems

Routing tools

Reporting dashboards

Job description

Job description

We are seeking a commercially driven Head of Traditional Trade Channel to lead and grow the Groceries, Mini-Markets, and Petroleum Food Malls segment. The role is responsible for channel strategy, distribution expansion, profitability, and execution excellence across these outlet types. The ideal candidate will manage a field sales organization to ensure perfect availability, pricing compliance, visibility execution, and strong customer relationships.

Core Responsibilities

1. Channel Strategy & Growth

• Develop and implement annual Traditional Trade strategy tailored to groceries, mini-markets, and fuel station food marts.
• Define outlet segmentation, coverage plans, and geographic growth priorities.
• Identify opportunities by pack type, category, and consumption occasion (impulse, take-home, on-the-go).
• Recommend pricing structures, discounts, and trade programs relevant to this channel.

2. Sales Leadership & Performance

• Lead Sales Supervisors, Sales Representatives, and Van Sales teams.
• Deliver monthly and annual targets for volume, distribution, and revenue.
• Improve numeric distribution, drop size, OSA, and rate of sale in targeted outlets.
• Conduct frequent market rides to assess performance and provide coaching.

3. Customer & Trade Relations

• Build strong relationships with key independent retailers and petroleum convenience operators.
• Negotiate visibility spaces, chillers, secondary placements, and promotional execution.
• Resolve escalated operational issues related to supply, delivery, returns, or pricing.

4. Route-to-Market Optimization

• Manage route planning, outlet frequency, and territory alignment.
• Enhance pre-sell or van-sell efficiency based on outlet type.
• Implement SFA tools and ensure accurate order capture and performance tracking.

5. In-Store Commercial Execution

• Ensure compliance on:
• product availability
• space and facings
• price integrity
• activation execution
• cooler utilization and productivity
• Coordinate with Trade Marketing for POSM deployment and micro-activations.
• Track competitive activity and recommend rapid countermeasures.

6. Forecasting, Reporting & Financial Control

• Provide demand planning inputs specific to this channel.
• Manage customer credit exposure and support collections discipline where applicable.
• Monitor channel profitability and SKU mix improvement.
• Deliver weekly and monthly performance reports with insights and corrective actions.

Other Responsibilities

• Report all incidents, accidents, and unsafe conditions immediately to the immediate supervisor. Protect the environment, operate on a clean basis, and achieve sustainable development.
• Accountable for own health and safety and do not put others at risk in the course of work performance.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Job Requirements

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Sales, Marketing, or related field.

Experience

• 7–10 years of FMCG sales experience with strong exposure to groceries and mini-markets channel.

Skills

• Proven success in driving distribution and sales velocity in impulse-driven environments.
• Strong leadership, negotiation, and analytical skills.
• Experience managing a field sales force and RTM execution standards.
• Proficiency with sales systems, routing tools, and reporting dashboards.

Languages

• Fluent in English; Arabic is a must.