AREA SALES MANAGER – GENERAL TRADE

AREA SALES MANAGER – GENERAL TRADE

Lekki, LagosOn-siteFull timeSales and Marketing

A fast-growing FMCG manufacturer in the Home Care, Soaps and Detergents category is seeking a high-performing Area Sales Manager to lead General Trade operations across the Lekki–Ajah territory in Lagos.

The successful candidate will take ownership of primary and secondary sales performance, distributor inventory movement, retail penetration, field team execution and territory growth.

This is a highly field-driven position suited to an experienced FMCG sales professional with strong knowledge of Lagos General Trade channels, distributor management and route-to-market execution.

Compensation: ₦350,000 – ₦500,000 net monthly, plus conveyance allowance and performance incentive.

What you will do

• Drive primary sales and distributor re-orders by ensuring consistent secondary sales movement across retail outlets and open markets.
• Monitor and audit distributor inventory to prevent stock build-up and improve stock rotation.
• Manage distributor order cycles, credit positions and re-stocking requirements.
• Lead, deploy, coach and monitor sales representatives and field agents across assigned territories.
• Enforce beat-plan execution, outlet call rates, productive calls and active outlet coverage.
• Work with the commercial and marketing teams to execute trade promotions, market activations, product sampling and point-of-sale visibility.
• Expand numeric distribution across traditional trade outlets, supermarkets, neighbourhood stores and open-market wholesalers.
• Monitor sales performance against monthly and weekly targets and implement corrective actions where necessary.
• Identify new distributors, wholesalers, retailers and high-potential sales territories.
• Maintain strong relationships with distributors and key trade partners within the assigned territory.
• Spend significant time in the field monitoring execution, supporting sales representatives and resolving trade issues.
• Provide accurate territory reports, competitor intelligence, distributor performance updates and sales forecasts.

What you need

• Minimum of 4–6 years of direct FMCG General Trade field sales experience.
• Strong experience in Soaps, Detergents, Home Care or Personal Care products is highly preferred.
• Proven record of achieving primary and secondary sales volume targets.
• Demonstrated experience managing distributors and distributor sales operations.
• Strong understanding of General Trade, open-market distribution and route-to-market execution.
• Deep knowledge of Lagos retail corridors, distributor structures and traditional trade channels.
• Experience managing and coaching sales representatives or field sales teams.
• Strong commercial, negotiation and relationship-management skills.
• Ability to analyse distributor inventory, sales trends and territory performance.
• Must be highly field-oriented and comfortable spending approximately 80% of working time in the market.
• Candidate must reside within Lekki, Ajah or a closely adjoining location.
• Ability to work independently and take full ownership of assigned sales territory.

Skills

• FMCG SalesGeneral TradeDistributor ManagementPrimary SalesSecondary SalesRoute-to-MarketTerritory ManagementField Sales LeadershipTrade MarketingRetail DistributionSales ForecastingInventory ManagementNegotiationTeam LeadershipMarket ExpansionTrade Activation