Racking & Shelving Systems leadership recruitment in Manchester
Confidential search for storage systems sales leadership, including Heads of Sales, Sales Directors and Commercial Directors. We run these appointments discreetly to protect both the hiring business and the leaders being approached. On the ground in Manchester and across the wider North West racking & shelving systems cluster.
Manchester sits at the centre of the North West's distribution economy, anchored by Trafford Park and a dense network of logistics parks along the M60, M62 and M6, plus significant air freight through Manchester Airport. That concentration of warehousing, fulfilment and manufacturing creates one of the deepest markets in the country for forklift dealers, racking and storage installers, conveyor and sortation suppliers, and warehouse automation integrators. The city's universities produce one of the largest engineering and commercial graduate pools in the UK, keeping commercial and technical supply strong.
The North West is one of the UK's busiest warehousing regions, served by the M6 and M62 and the Port of Liverpool. The distribution clusters around Manchester, Warrington and Preston, and the ongoing development of large distribution space, support consistent demand for racking and shelving systems and the commercial people who sell them.
Mecalux
Racking and storage systems
Manufacturer of racking, shelving and storage systems.
SSI Schaefer
Racking and storage systems
Manufacturer of racking, shelving and integrated storage systems.
Stow Group
Racking systems
Manufacturer of pallet racking and storage systems.
Whittan Group
Racking and shelving
UK manufacturer of racking and shelving, including the Link51 and Apex brands.
BITO Storage Systems
Shelving and racking
Manufacturer of shelving, racking and storage systems.
Dexion
Racking and storage systems
Storage systems brand within Gonvarri Material Handling.
AR Racking
Industrial racking
Manufacturer of industrial racking and storage systems.
Racking and shelving commercial talent is project-led and specification-driven. Many of the strongest sellers come up through estimating, design support or project sales, giving them credibility on layout, load and compliance. The pool of people who can manage specification and long procurement cycles into national accounts is more concentrated than transactional product sales, and they tend to move for stronger design and estimating support behind them, larger projects or a clear step up in account responsibility.
Pay in racking and shelving is driven by project size, the level of specification and design involved, and whether a role carries national accounts or a regional patch. Project and specification sellers who manage large, complex storage schemes are rewarded above transactional product sales, often with incentives tied to project margin. Reward rises with the scale of projects handled, the design content of the sale and the seniority of the accounts held.
Manchester Piccadilly and Victoria provide direct national rail. The Metrolink tram network connects MediaCityUK, Spinningfields, the Northern Quarter and Trafford. Manchester Airport gives the city national and international reach unique among UK regions.
How we work
01
We start with the commercial mandate the leader must deliver: the growth plan, the team they inherit or build, the customers and channels, and the stakeholders they answer to. We design the seat before we search for the person.
02
We build a confidential map of the relevant leadership pool across competitors and adjacent intralogistics sub-sectors, protecting both the hiring business and the leaders we approach.
03
Senior people are approached with a sanitised, credible narrative. Named-employer messaging is held back until second-stage conversations, so a sensitive search stays sensitive.
04
Leadership assessment goes beyond track record to judgement, team building, change capability and the ability to operate at board level. We test the things that actually predict success in the seat.
05
A considered shortlist, then full support through offer, acceptance and a structured first-100-days plan agreed with the board. We are as comfortable advising on team design and succession as filling a single seat.
FAQs
Area and project sales managers, specification sales, business development, estimating and design sales support, key account managers and sales leadership, for racking, shelving and storage systems manufacturers, distributors and installers.
Racking and shelving are project-led, specification-driven sales with long procurement cycles. A specialist recruiter screens for the design credibility and project commercial discipline that win this business rather than transactional product selling.
Yes. Estimating and design support is central to winning storage projects, so we recruit across both the field sales and the technical design sides of the function.
Manchester is anchored by Trafford Park, one of the largest industrial estates in Europe, with dense logistics parks along the M60, M62 and M6 and significant air freight. That concentration of end users makes it one of the deepest markets in the country for handling, storage and automation.
A typical senior commercial search runs 8 to 12 weeks. The market is competitive, the best candidates are passive, and counter-offers are common, which lengthens the close phase.
Email Rachel Lunn and the team. We will reply within one working day with a Manchester-specific racking & shelving systems market read for the role you have in mind.
Email Rachel Lunn/leadership-recruitment/manchester/racking-shelving
Specialist commercial search for the intralogistics industry. We reply within one working day.
Email Rachel Lunn