📝 What is your name and what do you do at Arvid Nordquist?

💬 My name is Niklas Nyberg, and I’ve been working in sales for the grocery trade for nearly 40 years, 35 of which I’ve spent as a sales manager in some capacity. I’d say that’s a Swedish record... For the past 17 years, I’ve been the sales manager at Arvid Nordquist, responsible for the retail sales team in Sweden. It’s been an incredible journey, during which we’ve quadrupled our revenue, tripled our market share in coffee, and more than doubled the number of salespeople in Sweden – to name just a few accomplishments.

The role is multifaceted, but primarily it involves sales planning, goal setting, ensuring execution, key metrics follow-up, joint customer visits with sales reps, recruitment, personnel management, and serving as a link between the field and headquarters.

📝 What qualities are important in your profession?

💬 Planning is everything. There’s a well-known saying that I like: 'retail is about detail.' Broad strokes are all well and good, but success hinges on planning and attention to detail. As a salesperson, you can’t rely on chance. Every sales period, week, day, and visit must be meticulously planned with quantifiable objectives and goals if you want to succeed over time. Other important qualities include building relationships, both internally and externally, and not shying away from the physical aspects of the job out in the field.

📝 What are you most passionate about in your role?

💬 Results, that’s the immediate answer! Competing isn’t the currency, it’s winning that matters. You’re only as good as your last result, and sure, it can feel frustrating to start from zero over and over again—but that’s just how it is in FMCG (Fast-Moving Consumer Goods). We’re simply never ‘done.’

As a salesperson, you run the last leg of the relay. For us, primarily selling agricultural-based products, it’s the farmer who runs the first leg, followed by others like purchasing, logistics, production, marketing, and the central customer team running the middle legs. Everyone is equally important, but it’s thrilling to run the last stretch. That’s where we take the race to the finish line, and we can’t afford to stumble.

📝 What’s the best part of being a sales manager at Arvid Nordquist?

💬 Arvid Nordquist is a successful company that’s growing in value, volume, and profitability. We’re also expanding our broad portfolio with many well-known brands, which makes the workdays varied and fun, while also making us appealing to our customers. We can always sell something, and we can offer customers many creative solutions at the same time, which is a huge advantage in today’s time-pressed environment.

The work climate at Arvid Nordquist is family-like, structured, and goal-oriented, with high expectations—yet, under the leadership of Anders Nordquist, the company always cares about both people and the environment.