Ares Holdings is recruiting a Trade Marketing Graduate for a contract internship that offers practical exposure to retail campaigns, visual merchandising, consumer promotions, events and wholesale marketing. Applications close on Tuesday, 18 August 2026.
Based within the company’s Brands department, the successful graduate will report to the Trade Marketing Manager and support campaigns across retail stores and wholesale partners.
The internship will introduce the selected candidate to strategy development, campaign implementation, point-of-sale coordination, product training and performance reporting. Moreover, the graduate will work with brand, merchandising, retail operations, sales and marketing operations teams.
Ares Holdings has not disclosed a stipend or salary in the advertisement. The company also does not list a specific academic qualification in the supplied vacancy details, although it identifies the position as a graduate internship.
What will the Trade Marketing Graduate learn?
The internship aims to show the graduate how brands translate marketing strategies into activity inside stores and across wholesale channels.
While brand teams may develop broader plans, trade marketing ensures that campaigns reach customers through the correct displays, promotions, training materials and retail touchpoints.
The successful candidate will therefore learn how to support a campaign from planning through to execution and reporting.
Key areas of exposure will include:
- Retail and wholesale campaign execution
- Seasonal marketing planning
- Visual merchandising
- Point-of-sale materials
- Consumer promotions
- Product training
- Trade events and activations
- Campaign reporting
- Marketing budget administration
- Cross-functional collaboration
As a result, the internship may suit graduates who want to understand both the creative and commercial sides of marketing.
How will the graduate support campaign execution?
The graduate will help the trade marketing team roll out seasonal plans and brand campaigns across retail and wholesale channels.
This work will require careful coordination because each campaign may involve several teams, deadlines and store-level requirements.
The graduate may:
- Assist with trade marketing strategies
- Support seasonal campaign plans
- Track campaign timelines
- Follow up on outstanding deliverables
- Coordinate requirements with internal teams
- Monitor execution feedback
- Help adjust plans when challenges arise
Additionally, the graduate will need to ensure that campaign communication reaches the relevant teams on time.
This responsibility will help the successful candidate understand how delays in one department can affect campaign execution across an entire retail network.
What retail and wholesale exposure will the internship provide?
The position supports both retail stores and wholesale partners.
Therefore, the graduate will learn how marketing requirements can differ between company-owned retail environments and external wholesale accounts.
Responsibilities may include:
- Supporting communication with retail partners
- Coordinating promotional requirements
- Assisting with in-store activations
- Gathering execution feedback
- Monitoring campaign consistency
- Helping teams resolve rollout challenges
- Supporting marketing operations with store requirements
The role will also require the graduate to consider customer needs, store conditions and commercial objectives when supporting marketing plans.
Consequently, the successful candidate should develop a stronger understanding of how brands maintain consistency across different sales channels.
How will the graduate manage point-of-sale materials?
Point-of-sale materials help attract attention, communicate product information and support purchasing decisions inside stores.
The graduate will assist with the production, ordering and distribution of these materials.
Tasks may include:
- Coordinating point-of-sale material requirements
- Following up on production schedules
- Tracking deliveries to stores and partners
- Monitoring stock levels
- Supporting reorders
- Checking whether materials arrive on time
- Adapting global materials for local market needs
- Working with Marketing Operations on distribution
Because stores rely on these assets during campaigns, the graduate must pay close attention to quantities, deadlines and delivery records.
Strong organisation will therefore remain important throughout the internship.
What visual merchandising responsibilities are included?
Visual merchandising helps brands present products consistently and attractively across stores.
The Trade Marketing Graduate will support the creation and rollout of visual merchandising guidelines with the Group Visual Merchandising Specialist.
The graduate may:
- Assist with visual merchandising briefs
- Distribute toolkits and campaign instructions
- Collect store execution images
- Review implementation feedback
- Identify possible improvements
- Support communication with Marketing Operations
- Coordinate visual merchandising training
- Maintain campaign records
This exposure will help the graduate understand how store layouts, product positioning and branded displays support wider marketing objectives.
Moreover, reviewing store images will show how campaign plans translate into real customer-facing environments.
How will the internship support product training?
Retail employees need accurate product knowledge before they can confidently assist customers.
For this reason, the graduate will help coordinate training materials and schedules.
Responsibilities may include:
- Assisting with product training content
- Distributing training materials
- Coordinating training schedules
- Tracking employee participation
- Monitoring training completion
- Helping assess training impact
- Maintaining training content libraries
- Following up with Marketing Operations
The graduate will therefore gain insight into the relationship between staff knowledge, customer experience and sales performance.
What role will the graduate play in consumer promotions?
Consumer promotions can encourage customer engagement and support seasonal sales goals.
The successful candidate will help coordinate promotion timelines, materials and communication across stores and wholesale partners.
The role may involve:
- Supporting promotional rollouts
- Coordinating sales incentive programmes
- Tracking promotional materials
- Confirming campaign timelines
- Monitoring execution across stores
- Gathering operational feedback
- Supporting post-promotion reports
- Recording campaign outcomes
After each promotion, the graduate may help compare planned activity with actual execution.
As a result, the candidate will learn how marketers identify successes, weaknesses and possible improvements.
How will the graduate use marketing data?
The internship includes campaign monitoring, market research and performance reporting.
The graduate will collect information from campaigns, stores and competitors before helping the team prepare reports and presentations.
This may include:
- Compiling campaign performance data
- Monitoring competitor activity
- Tracking in-store trends
- Maintaining reporting templates
- Updating marketing trackers
- Preparing presentation content
- Recording customer or execution feedback
- Highlighting patterns for the marketing team
Analytical thinking will matter because the graduate must help turn raw information into useful insights.
For example, store feedback may reveal that a particular display works well in one retail environment but needs adjustment in another.
What events and activations will the graduate support?
The graduate will assist with trade shows, brand activations and promotional events.
These activities require careful preparation because they often involve suppliers, equipment, promotional materials and several internal stakeholders.
The graduate may help with:
- Event planning
- Venue and setup requirements
- Branding materials
- Promotional assets
- Event logistics
- Equipment delivery
- Supplier coordination
- Post-event feedback
- Results reporting
The role will also require the graduate to confirm that all branded assets arrive before the activation begins.
Therefore, the successful candidate should feel comfortable following up with teams and resolving last-minute challenges.
How will the graduate support budgets and administration?
Trade marketing also includes financial administration.
The graduate will help track campaign spending, purchase orders and invoices while keeping supporting records updated.
Responsibilities may include:
- Updating budget trackers
- Supporting purchase order management
- Maintaining records of marketing expenditure
- Recording supplier invoices
- Helping reconcile campaign costs
- Organising campaign documentation
- Following up on missing financial records
- Supporting cost reporting
Although the position focuses on marketing, the successful candidate must also work accurately with figures and documents.
This experience will show how campaign decisions affect budgets and commercial returns.
Itumeleng’s Insider Tip: Tailor your curriculum vitae to the internship’s practical responsibilities. Highlight university projects, events, campaigns, presentations or student activities where you coordinated timelines, worked with a team, analysed results or managed promotional materials.
Which teams will the graduate work with?
The internship requires regular collaboration across the business.
The graduate will work with:
- The Trade Marketing Manager
- Brand teams
- Merchandising teams
- Retail Operations
- Wholesale key accounts
- Marketing Operations
- Sales teams
- Product teams
- Creative teams
- External retail and wholesale partners
Because different teams may manage separate parts of one campaign, the graduate must communicate clearly and follow up consistently.
The role has no direct reports. However, the graduate will still need to influence timelines and help stakeholders complete agreed deliverables.
Which qualities will help a candidate succeed?
Ares Holdings wants someone who can work well with others while taking responsibility for assigned projects.
Strong candidates should demonstrate:
- Clear communication
- Collaboration
- Problem-solving
- Adaptability
- Accountability
- Customer awareness
- Attention to detail
- Initiative
- Analytical thinking
- Time management
- Curiosity about retail trends
- A willingness to learn
The company also values people who bring fresh ideas and stay informed about changes in retail and trade marketing.
Therefore, candidates should show an active interest in brands, shopping behaviour, visual merchandising and consumer campaigns.
Which technical skills will the graduate develop?
The internship provides exposure to several professional marketing disciplines.
These include:
- Marketing strategy
- Brand management
- Retail and wholesale marketing
- Point-of-sale coordination
- Digital marketing
- Market research
- Event management
- Budget management
- Campaign measurement
- Cross-functional planning
The graduate will also learn how to track campaign performance and use findings to improve future marketing activity.
Moreover, the role offers practical insight into how brands balance customer engagement with commercial performance.
What qualification does Ares Holdings require?
The supplied advertisement identifies the position as a graduate internship. However, it does not specify a required degree, diploma or field of study.
Candidates should review any screening questions on the recruitment portal before submitting their details.
A relevant qualification may include fields such as:
- Marketing
- Brand Management
- Retail Business Management
- Communications
- Business Management
- Advertising
- Digital Marketing
However, these fields do not appear as confirmed minimum requirements in the supplied advertisement. Applicants should therefore rely on the official portal when checking whether their qualification meets the company’s selection criteria.
Which documents should candidates prepare?
The advertisement does not provide a complete supporting-document list.
Nevertheless, candidates should prepare:
- An updated curriculum vitae
- A copy of their South African identity document
- Their academic record
- A copy of their completed qualification
- Any certificates relevant to marketing or digital tools
- A brief portfolio where applicable
- Any additional documents requested online
A marketing portfolio does not need to contain professional agency work.
Candidates could include university campaigns, social media plans, presentation decks, event concepts, research projects or examples of promotional content.
How can candidates submit their details?
Applications must reach Ares Holdings before Tuesday, 18 August 2026.
Candidates must submit their information through the official Ares Holdings online recruitment portal.
Before submitting, applicants should confirm that their contact information remains correct and that every uploaded document opens clearly.
They should also avoid waiting until the closing day because technical problems or incomplete uploads could prevent successful submission.
Ares Holdings states that candidates who do not receive feedback within two weeks after the closing date should regard their applications as unsuccessful.
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Final Thoughts
The Ares Holdings Trade Marketing Internship 2026 offers graduates practical exposure to the activities that bring retail campaigns to life.
The successful candidate will support visual merchandising, point-of-sale materials, product training, promotions, events, reporting and budget administration. Furthermore, the role will provide regular interaction with brand, retail, wholesale, sales and marketing operations teams.
This opportunity may particularly suit a graduate who enjoys combining creativity with planning, data and commercial thinking.
Candidates should prepare a focused curriculum vitae, highlight relevant project experience and submit their details before 18 August 2026.
