Area Business Manager – Independent Retailers – Northern UK & Scotland Full Time NEW

We are seeking an ambitious Area Business Manager to build, maintain and enhance our relationships with retailers across Northern England and Scotland. Your goal will be to deliver Sony UK’s (SUK) budgeted sales and share of business through nominated independent retailer businesses within the buying group channel.

Crucial to the position is someone who bring local commercial acumen, and a customer-first mindset. You will seek to build on existing and long-standing relationships with independent businesses, who respond best to genuine customer care and engagement. You should also have a sell-out mindset, and the ability to understand data, investment vs outcomes, and maintain up-to-date pipelines and forecasts.

This is a field-based role, so you will be someone who can devise smart route planning for great account coverage. You will be part of a strong, collaborative and friendly team, who support each other to overcome challenges & capitalise on opportunities. You will enjoy the growth opportunity here, and being part of a super-brand, with premium products, within a “most ethical companies” winner for consecutive years.

You Will

• Deliver agreed sales, margin and customer satisfaction targets by developing and executing channel and account business plans aligned to company and retailer strategies.
• Drive ranging, availability, merchandising and promotional execution across accounts to maximise sell through, conversion and brand representation.
• Forecast sales, manage stock flow and optimise replenishment to deliver profitable growth across physical and online channels.
• Implement national and regional promotions, supporting brand and product awareness through dealer engagement, training and in‑store activity.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key retail stakeholders and internal sales and marketing teams, ensuring clear communication and effective collaboration.
• Develop and execute sales strategies by account and product category, identifying opportunities, barriers and tactical solutions to exceed performance targets.
• Ensure retail staff are trained and confident in communicating product features, benefits and launches.
• Analyse area, store and category performance, providing regular reporting and insights to inform future sales, category and brand strategies.
• Plan and manage an effective journey plan to ensure regular, value-adding contact with key decision makers.
• Work closely with the Key Account Sales Manager to align area plans with wider business objectives.

You Will Bring

• A track record of delivering profitable sales growth
• Numeracy, and an ability to identify trends and opportunities i.e. manage tactical expenditure to drive demonstrable ROI
• Advanced social, communication, negotiation & influencing skills & behaviours
• Products based sales experience within the retail space

Life at Sony

We ensure competitive salaries and benefits by using established benchmarking. We encourage healthy work-life balance supported by hybrid and flexible working policies. We are a positive community who dream big together, respect each other, and enjoy a collaborative culture.

We like to celebrate our colleagues who make a real difference using our recognition platform. We also provide access to numerous services and platforms for all aspects of wellbeing. We listen to our people through conversations and surveys, respect their suggestions, then act on them. We also provide allowances for volunteering days so that our staff can support the causes they are most passionate about.

You can build your career around you with our fantastic range of learning & personal development programs to enhance your skills. We also encourage our staff to try exciting new roles, in a wide range of countries, with a supportive mobility team to support you if you take that leap!

Bring your uniqueness to Sony

We are passionate about creating a culture that promotes equity and cultivates inclusion, diversity, and belonging. We want employees with diverse backgrounds and perspectives that will stimulate innovation and have a direct impact on our creation of social value to fulfil Sony’s purpose – ‘to fill the world with emotion, through the power of creativity and technology’. We want you to bring your unique self to work and help shape our culture.

We are Sony Europe

Our people collaborate in an environment of respect, integrity, and open-mindedness. Diverse teams from all over Europe are the driving force for our business, and we embrace the differences that make each of us original and unique.

With offices in 28 European countries, Sony Europe caters to consumer, professional, semiconductor and healthcare markets with innovative electronics products and solutions. Our European laboratories research and develop new technologies and capabilities that contributes to the Sony Group and important issues on a planetary scale.

Bring your passion, creativity and ambitions to Sony Europe. Apply now, and let’s create the future together.

Equal Opportunity

Sony Europe is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment regardless of race, colour, religion, gender, citizenship, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, medical condition, or any other protected characteristics.

Disability Accommodation for Applicants to Sony Europe

Sony Europe will provide reasonable accommodation for any qualified individuals with disabilities in the application process. For reasonable accommodation requests, please contact us by email at AccommodationRequest@eu.sony.com or by mail to: Sony Europe Limited, Human Resources Department, the Heights, Brooklands, Surrey, KT13 0XW, UK. When contacting us please indicate the position you are applying for, and the accommodation required.

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Please be aware that unauthorised individuals or organisations may attempt to solicit personal information or payments from job applicants by impersonating our company through fraudulent job postings. While we take these matters seriously, we cannot control third-party websites. To protect your personal information, please verify that any job posting you respond to also appears on our official Sony Europe Career Portal. Please also be advised that we never request payment or personal financial information.