JOB DESCRIPTION - FRUIT WHOLESALE MANAGER

Position Summary

The Fruit Wholesale Manager is responsible for the overall performance and daily operations of the company's fruit wholesale business. The Manager must ensure sufficient stock availability, product freshness, competitive pricing, timely deliveries, food-safety compliance, cost control and customer satisfaction.

This is a critical operational role. The Manager will be held accountable for stock losses, excessive wastage, delivery failures, poor product quality, customer complaints and failure to follow company procedures.

Key Responsibilities

1. Purchasing and Supplier Management

• Source and purchase fresh fruits locally and internationally at competitive prices.
• Negotiate prices, payment terms, delivery schedules and product specifications with suppliers.
• Monitor seasonal supply, market prices, crop conditions and product availability.
• Maintain reliable relationships with farms, importers, distributors and logistics providers.
• Check purchase orders, invoices and supporting documents for accuracy.
• Identify alternative suppliers to prevent shortages and supply disruptions.
• Reject products that fail to meet the company's quality requirements.

2. Inventory and Quality Control

• Inspect all incoming fruits for freshness, ripeness, size, appearance, quantity and overall quality.
• Ensure products are correctly received, weighed, counted, labelled and recorded.
• Implement proper stock rotation using the First-Expiry, First-Out or First-In, First-Out method.
• Monitor stock levels daily and prevent over-ordering, shortages and unnecessary wastage.
• Ensure fruits are stored at the correct temperature and under suitable storage conditions.
• Investigate stock discrepancies, spoilage, damage, missing goods and unusual wastage.
• Maintain accurate records of rejected, damaged and discarded products.
• Take immediate action when product quality or food safety is compromised.

3. Sales and Customer Management

• Develop and maintain relationships with supermarkets, restaurants, hotels, retailers, market vendors and other wholesale customers.
• Prepare quotations and negotiate selling prices, quantities and delivery arrangements.
• Follow up on customer orders, enquiries, complaints and outstanding payments.
• Monitor competitors, customer demand and wholesale market trends.
• Develop sales strategies to increase revenue, market share and customer retention.
• Ensure that customer orders are accurate, complete and delivered on time.
• Resolve customer complaints professionally and prevent repeated service failures.

4. Warehouse and Delivery Operations

• Plan daily receiving, sorting, packing, storage, loading and delivery activities.
• Coordinate drivers, warehouse workers, packers and delivery schedules.
• Ensure each order is checked against the invoice or delivery order before dispatch.
• Monitor delivery routes and take prompt action when delays or problems occur.
• Ensure vehicles, cold rooms, weighing equipment and warehouse facilities are properly maintained.
• Prevent incorrect deliveries, missing items, product damage and unnecessary transport costs.
• Conduct regular stock counts and operational inspections.

5. Staff Management

• Recruit, train, supervise and evaluate warehouse, packing, sales and delivery employees.
• Prepare duty rosters and allocate daily work according to operational requirements.
• Set clear work targets and ensure employees complete their duties properly.
• Monitor staff attendance, punctuality, productivity, conduct and compliance with company rules.
• Conduct briefings on product handling, hygiene, safety and customer-service standards.
• Investigate misconduct, negligence and repeated work errors.
• Recommend appropriate corrective or disciplinary action when necessary.
• Maintain a professional, respectful and productive working environment.

6. Financial and Cost Control

• Monitor sales, purchasing costs, gross profit margins, labour costs, delivery expenses and wastage.
• Set or recommend selling prices based on product cost, market conditions and target margins.
• Review daily and monthly sales and expense reports.
• Control unnecessary spending and identify opportunities to improve profitability.
• Ensure cash collections, credit sales, invoices and payment records are properly handled.
• Follow up on overdue customer accounts and report payment risks to management.
• Prevent fraud, unauthorised discounts, stock manipulation and misuse of company property.

7. Food Safety and Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure compliance with applicable food-safety, hygiene, import, storage and workplace-safety requirements.
• Maintain proper records relating to product sources, deliveries, inspections and traceability.
• Ensure the warehouse, cold rooms, vehicles, equipment and work areas are clean and hygienic.
• Implement pest-control, cleaning and waste-disposal procedures.
• Cooperate with inspections, audits and investigations conducted by management or relevant authorities.
• Report suspected contamination, unsafe products, accidents or regulatory breaches immediately.
• Arrange product isolation, withdrawal or recall when required.

8. Reporting and Accountability

• Submit regular reports on sales, stock levels, purchasing, wastage, deliveries, customer complaints and staff performance.
• Immediately report serious operational, financial, safety or product-quality issues to senior management.
• Investigate the cause of recurring problems and implement corrective measures.
• Protect confidential information relating to prices, suppliers, customers and company operations.
• Carry out other reasonable duties assigned by the Employer according to business needs.

Key Performance Indicators

The Manager's performance may be assessed based on:

• Sales revenue and gross profit margin
• Stock accuracy
• Product freshness and quality
• Wastage and spoilage levels
• Purchasing costs
• Order accuracy and on-time delivery rate
• Customer satisfaction and retention
• Collection of outstanding payments
• Staff productivity and attendance
• Food-safety and workplace-safety compliance
• Number and seriousness of customer complaints
• Overall operational efficiency

Requirements

• Relevant experience in fruit wholesale, fresh produce, food distribution, warehouse operations or a related industry.
• Strong knowledge of fruit varieties, grading, ripeness, shelf life, storage and quality assessment.
• Experience in purchasing, pricing, inventory control, sales and staff supervision.
• Strong negotiation, planning, leadership and problem-solving abilities.
• Able to work accurately in a fast-paced and physically demanding environment.
• Able to work early mornings, weekends, public holidays and extended hours when required.
• Able to enter warehouse, loading and cold-room environments.
• Good communication and customer-service skills.
• Basic computer skills and the ability to use inventory, invoicing and reporting systems.
• Honest, responsible, disciplined and capable of working with minimal supervision.