Qualifications
- Valid Driver's License (Required)
- Reliable transportation and willingness to travel throughout assigned territory (Required)
- Associate's Degree or equivalent experience (Preferred)
- Minimum 2 years of merchandising, retail, beverage alcohol, CPG, or related field experience (Preferred)
- Strong communication and relationship-building skills
- Ability to work independently and manage a territory effectively
- Strong organizational and time management skills
- Proficiency with mobile reporting applications and digital platforms
Position Overview
The Merchandiser is responsible for maximizing brand visibility, merchandising execution, and retailer engagement across a designated territory. This role serves as the primary field representative for assigned accounts, ensuring merchandising standards are maintained while identifying opportunities to grow brand presence, strengthen retailer partnerships, and drive sales performance.
The Merchandiser will execute against A.P. Keaton and client objectives while supporting the implementation of the Perfect Store framework, a global execution standard focused on availability, visibility, assortment, pricing, and display excellence.
The ideal candidate is highly organized, self-motivated, relationship-oriented, and passionate about delivering best-in-class execution at retail.
Our goal is simple: Win in the Off-Premise.
Key Objectives
- Maximize brand visibility across key retail accounts and retailer partners
- Strengthen relationships and merchandising representation throughout the retail liquor store universe
- Build brand loyalty through education, communication, and consistent execution
- Execute against Perfect Store standards to improve retail execution quality
- Develop a strong understanding of market dynamics, challenges, and opportunities
- Establish a credible feedback loop from the trade to support future activation and programming
- Identify opportunities to improve merchandising effectiveness and drive sales growth
Key Responsibilities
Account Management & Relationship Building
- Service and maintain approximately 75–100+ target accounts within an assigned territory
- Establish consistent account visitation frequency to strengthen retailer relationships
- Identify merchandising, display, and programming opportunities within assigned accounts
- Serve as a trusted resource for retailers and trade partners
- Build productive relationships with store owners, managers, and key decision-makers
- Identify opportunities for incremental displays, merchandising placements, and promotional execution
Merchandising & Execution
- Deliver, build, install, and maintain displays and point-of-sale materials
- Execute merchandising programs in compliance with all applicable laws and retailer requirements
- Ensure shelves, displays, and promotional placements are visually appealing, fully stocked, and properly maintained
- Utilize POS materials strategically to maximize visibility and consumer engagement
- Support larger display builds, resets, and special execution projects as needed
- Share best-practice execution examples with retail partners
- Maintain merchandising standards across all assigned accounts
- Execute against Perfect Store standards, ensuring excellence in:
- Availability
- Visibility
- Assortment
- Pricing
- Display Execution
- Identify and correct execution gaps that impact brand visibility or sales performance
- Ensure priority accounts consistently meet program execution standards
- Build and maintain displays, case stacks, racks, display enhancers, shelf merchandising solutions, and other approved merchandising elements
- Ensure all merchandising activities support client objectives while maintaining retailer compliance
Inventory & Warehouse Management
- Manage inventory levels and monitor POS availability within the assigned market
- Coordinate with warehouse partners and internal teams to support merchandising needs
- Identify inventory requirements and communicate replenishment needs proactively
- Assist with storage, organization, and movement of merchandising materials
- Support inventory audits and POS asset accountability
- Assist with delivery, staging, and deployment of POS materials throughout the territory
Market Intelligence & Reporting
- Capture and report key market information, including:
- Store conditions and merchandising opportunities
- Competitor activity
- Retailer feedback
- Activation opportunities
- Market trends and challenges
- Conduct regular store audits to evaluate:
- Execution quality
- Pricing compliance
- Display performance
- Assortment compliance
- Adherence to merchandising standards
- Utilize reporting tools, dashboards, and photo documentation to:
- Identify execution gaps
- Track key performance indicators
- Monitor account performance
- Support continuous improvement initiatives
- Capture key account information, including:
- Store footprint
- Competitive merchandising activity
- Pricing observations
- Promotional activity
- Distribution opportunities
- Retailer feedback
- Provide actionable recommendations to improve future programs and activations
- Identify accounts willing to participate in pilot programs and innovation initiatives
- Submit accurate and timely reporting through company-approved systems and platforms
- Complete required photo documentation and execution recaps
- Maintain accurate records within company reporting systems
Commercial & Market Insights
- Monitor competitive pricing, assortment, promotions, displays, and merchandising activity within assigned accounts
- Provide actionable marketplace intelligence to distributor, supplier, and A.P. Keaton stakeholders
- Observe shopper behavior and identify opportunities to improve customer engagement
- Leverage retailer feedback and market observations to support future programming and activation development
- Identify emerging market trends, competitive threats, and opportunities for growth
- Share field insights that improve visibility, execution, and overall sales performance
- Provide regular feedback regarding customer marketing programs and sales initiatives
- Identify opportunities to improve future merchandising solutions, activation programs, and retail execution strategies
Collaboration
- Work closely with supplier and distributor sales teams to support sales priorities and execution goals
- Coordinate merchandising efforts with broader market initiatives
- Communicate opportunities, challenges, and retailer feedback to management
- Support statewide and regional merchandising initiatives as required
- Participate in market visits, ride-withs, and execution reviews with supplier and distributor partners
- Assist in the successful launch of new products, programs, and merchandising initiatives
- Collaborate with internal teams to identify opportunities for operational improvements and enhanced execution
Reporting & Administrative Responsibilities
- Utilize company reporting systems and digital platforms to document all account activity
- Complete required reporting accurately and on time
- Submit daily activity updates and required documentation
- Submit weekly recaps, photo reviews, and execution summaries
- Maintain project schedules and installation timelines
- Participate in team meetings, training sessions, business reviews, and coaching discussions
- Ensure all account activity is properly documented and supported with quality photos
- Launch and manage assigned projects within company reporting systems
- Maintain compliance with all company reporting and communication requirements
Success Measures
- Account coverage and visit frequency
- Merchandising execution quality
- Perfect Store compliance scores
- Display placement and maintenance
- Retailer relationship development
- Reporting accuracy and timeliness
- Identification of new opportunities and market insights
- Achievement of program-specific KPIs and objectives
- Execution audit scores
- Growth in display presence and brand visibility
- Client satisfaction and account retention
- Timely completion of assigned projects and initiatives
Physical Requirements
- Ability to lift and move up to 50 pounds
- Ability to stand, walk, bend, kneel, and climb for extended periods
- Ability to transport merchandising materials, POS, and displays
- Ability to work in retail, warehouse, and field environments
- Ability to load, unload, assemble, and install merchandising materials
- Ability to travel regularly throughout assigned territory
Schedule
- Full-Time
- Territory-based role
- Some evening and weekend work may be required based on program needs and retail schedules
Why Join A.P. Keaton?
At A.P. Keaton, we help some of the world's leading beverage brands win at retail through best-in-class merchandising, execution, and market intelligence. Our team plays a critical role in building brand visibility, strengthening retailer partnerships, and delivering measurable results in the marketplace.
As a Merchandiser, you will have the opportunity to make a direct impact in the field, influence retail execution, support innovative activation programs, and help shape the future of our clients' brands. If you are passionate about retail execution, relationship building, and creating results in the marketplace, we invite you to join our team.