Dalgety Teas is a market-leading UK herbal tea brand specialising in ginger and wellness ranges, sold direct-to-store across London’s vibrant network of convenience stores, independent supermarkets, and ethnic minimarkets. We move over 1 million units a year across multiple channels, with retailers consistently choosing us for our quality, brand recognition, and consumer pull.
We’re now expanding our London retail van sales team to capture the significant growth opportunity in front of us — and we’re looking for a driven, customer-focused Van Sales Representative to join us.
The Role
This is a hybrid sales-and-delivery position — you’ll be the face of Dalgety Teas to your London retail customers, growing your territory from day one through consultative selling, strong relationships, and reliable service. You’ll work closely with our existing retail sales team, with full back‑office support and a clear path to senior roles for top performers.
What will you be doing?
- Operate a daily route of 10–20 retail customer visits across an assigned London territory, growing from 60 to 120+ active customers within 12 months.
- Sell from van stock to existing accounts and convert dormant or new convenience stores, independent supermarkets, and ethnic food retailers using consultative selling.
- Hit weekly sales targets — current company standard is £5,000 weekly net of returns, with a new-hire ramp from £3,500 in month 1 to £5,000 by month 4 and a stretch target of £6,500+ by month 9 — alongside monthly new-customer activation targets (5+ new live accounts/month).
- Process all transactions via our EPOS system on a hand‑held device, capturing customer details, payment method (cash/BACS), and stock movement accurately at point of sale.
- Collect payment on delivery where required; accurately reconcile cash and BACS receipts daily back to the depot.
- Conduct daily walk‑around vehicle checks and maintain the company van in roadworthy condition.
- Load van stock at depot using a counterbalance forklift or pallet truck, working from a daily picking list.
- Manage van inventory: rotate stock by date, return slow‑moving SKUs, and maintain accurate van stock records.
- Comply with all London ULEZ, Congestion Charge, and Direct Vision Standard (DVS) requirements while in zone.
- Build long‑term relationships with shop owners and managers, becoming the brand’s face for Dalgety Teas in their store.
- Capture market intelligence — competitor pricing, new product launches, promotional activity — and feed back to the Sales Director weekly.
About You – What we are looking for?
We’re looking for someone who combines confident London driving skills with genuine commercial flair — a people person who enjoys building relationships and is energised by hitting targets. You’ll need all of the following:
Driving Qualifications
- Full UK driving licence held for a minimum of 3 years with no more than 6 active penalty points and no disqualifications in the last 5 years.
- Category B entitlement (cars and light vans up to 3.5 tonnes) — covers Ford Transit‑class vans. Category C1 (3.5–7.5 tonnes) is desirable for future fleet flexibility, especially if a Bedford‑style box van is to be deployed.
- Demonstrable experience driving panel vans (Ford Transit, Mercedes Sprinter, VW Crafter or equivalent) in central London traffic conditions for at least 12 months.
- Familiarity with operating older‑style box vans (Bedford TK/CF or modern Luton‑bodied 3.5‑tonne equivalents) is a strong plus.
- Minimum 2 years’ van sales, field sales, or multi‑drop delivery‑with‑sales experience in FMCG, food and beverage, wholesale cash‑and‑carry, or independent retail supply.
- Track record of hitting individual sales targets (evidence required at second interview).
- Comfortable handling cash and BACS payments and reconciling daily takings.
- Confident using EPOS, hand‑held devices, smartphones and basic spreadsheets.
Personal Attributes
- Right to work in the UK without sponsorship requirement (we do not currently hold a sponsor licence).
- Physically fit — capable of repeatedly lifting cases up to 15kg throughout the day.
- Lives in or within reasonable commuting distance of the depot, ideally within Zones 1–4.
- Self‑motivated, presentable, fluent English. Additional community languages (Bengali, Urdu, Punjabi, Tamil, Polish, Turkish) are a strong asset given the target customer base.
Good to Have (we’ll fund it if not)
These won’t disqualify you if you don’t have them — and we’ll fund the FLT licence for a strong candidate. But they’ll put you straight to the top of the shortlist:
- Valid in‑date counterbalance forklift truck (FLT) licence — RTITB or ITSSAR accredited.
- Reach truck or pivot‑steer (Bendi) FLT licence.
- Existing relationships in the London independent grocery, halal, or Caribbean/African food retail trade.
- Knowledge of the herbal tea, wellness, or ethnic FMCG categories.
- First Aid at Work certificate.
What We Offer
Base salary – £28,000–£32,000 depending on experience and FLT qualifications
Commission – Uncapped. 3% on revenue above £5,000/week (current company target); 5% on revenue above £7,000/week (stretch tier). Realistic OTE £40k–£48k Year 1; top performer £55k+
Vehicle – Company van provided (Euro 6 ULEZ‑compliant), all fuel and tolls covered
Pension – Workplace pension — 5% employee / 3% employer minimum
Other benefits
- Smartphone and tablet provided
- Uniform
- Staff product allocation
- Cycle‑to‑work scheme
- Employee Assistance Programme
Training investment
- FLT licence funded if not already held
- Defensive driving course
- Sales coaching with the Retail Sales Manager
Career Progression
Path to Senior Van Sales Rep (Yr 2), Territory Manager (Yr 3+), or Key Account Manager
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