Business Development Manager

Goedvanstart; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading convenience retail company in the UK is seeking an experienced Convenience Retailing Business Development Manager to support and develop the existing customer base. Candidates should have managerial experience in supermarkets, account management skills, and a passion for retail. This interim role offers competitive salary, benefits, and a chance to work with leading brands like SPAR.

Benefits

Competitive salary plus bonus opportunity

Generous staff discount

Company life insurance

Company pension scheme

Extra holidays – purchase scheme

Long service awards

Qualifications

• UK Driving Licence required.
• Good knowledge of retail operations.
• Retail management experience is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Develop retail business plans, operational targets, and budgets.
• Monitor adherence to SPAR operating standards.
• Control bad debt management.
• Provide retailers with necessary information and support.
• Develop good relationships with retailers.

Skills

Managerial experience in convenience store/supermarket

Account management experience with B2B accounts

High level of numeracy and literacy

Excellent customer service skills

Passion for retail

Self-motivated and driven

Experience in account/field management

Education

Business degree or equivalent

Job description

We have a fantastic opportunity for an experienced Convenience Retailing Business Development Manager to join our SPAR Blakemore Trade Partners Team (this is an interim role that may become permanent). Your role is to support and develop the existing SPAR convenience store customer base in your allocated area whilst controlling the implementation of Trade Partner initiatives and ensuring that multi‑site retailers maintain the standard required by A.F. Blakemore and SPAR.

Location: Field based (Geographic Area Dependent on Successful Candidate)

Salary: Competitive plus bonus

Hours: 40hrs per week (Flexible)

Contract type: 12 month interim role, may become permanent

Excellent benefits package.

Key Tasks/Responsibilities

• Development of appropriate retail business plans, operational targets and budgets in conjunction with the retailer.
• Monitoring retailers’ level of adherence/loyalty towards recognised SPAR operating standards and facilitating improvement as required.
• Monitoring retailer performance and facilitating improvement as required, in conjunction with the wider retail team.
• Control of bad debt management within the business and liaising closely with head office regarding identified issues.
• Providing retailers with information and support regarding the implementation of new SPAR developments/initiatives.
• Providing retailers with advice/reference materials on general business issues and legislation (e.g. health and food safety, training, employment law, etc.).
• Developing good working relationships with individual retailers and their teams, without compromising the needs and expectations of the AFB Group.
• Identification of issues that may affect the retailers’ ability to trade or pay AFB Group bills, and reporting these to head office.
• Successful integration of new retailers as they are handed over from recruitment.
• Supporting the Regional Sales Managers by representing the Sales Department within project groups.

Essential Qualifications

• Ideally possess managerial experience in convenience store/supermarket.
• Account management experience with B2B accounts, ideally in convenience/food.
• UK Driving Licence.
• High level of numeracy and literacy.
• Good knowledge of retail operations.
• Excellent customer service skills.
• Passion for retail.
• Extremely self‑motivated and driven.
• Experience in account/field management.

Desirable Qualifications

• Business degree or equivalent.
• Retail management experience.

Benefits & Perks

• Competitive salary plus bonus opportunity.
• Dynamically expanding team.
• Fast‑paced exciting opportunity working with some of the UK's leading brands including SPAR.
• Generous staff discount.
• Proactive promotion of internal candidates.
• 24/7 access to your payslips via HR/Payroll portal.
• Access to colleague benefits scheme offering a wide range of high‑street retail, holiday & leisure discounts.
• Company life insurance worth 1 × annual salary.
• Company pension scheme (NEST pension scheme).
• Extra holidays – purchase scheme.
• Long service awards.

About the company

A.F. Blakemore & Son Ltd is one of the largest privately owned companies in the UK. Since 1917, we have grown from a counter‑service grocery store into a company that owns 250 SPAR convenience stores and employs almost 6,000 people, with a turnover of £1.2 billion. We are committed to creating a fair, inclusive workplace for all and are a Disability Confident, Committed employer offering a Guaranteed Interview Scheme to candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum criteria for the role.