Garden Centre Manager

Garden Centre Manager

Location: Wakefield
Salary: Competitive DOE
Hours: 45 hours per week, alternate weekends

This is a great opportunity to take ownership of a well-established, mid-sized garden centre within one of the UK's largest garden centre groups.

The centre has plenty going for it - a strong location, an experienced management team and a large plant area - but there's a real opportunity for a commercially minded retail manager to come in and take the site to the next level.

The immediate priority will be bringing some stability to the team and leading them through the busy Christmas period. Beyond that, the opportunity is about improving commercial performance, raising retail standards and getting more from a site with plenty of untapped potential.

What you'll be doing:

As Garden Centre Manager, you'll have overall responsibility for the commercial, operational and people performance of the centre.

Key responsibilities include:

• Driving sales, KPIs and overall commercial performance across the centre.
• Leading and developing a team of around 20, supported by an experienced Deputy Manager, Plant Manager, Indoor Team Leader and Restaurant Manager.
• Raising retail standards and ensuring products, promotions and seasonal ranges are presented effectively.
• Leading the team through seasonal changes, with Christmas the immediate priority.
• Bringing structure, stability and clear direction to the team.
• Working closely with the Restaurant Manager on performance, numbers and people management.
• Maintaining a visible presence across the centre and building strong relationships with the team.
• Identifying opportunities to improve performance and get more commercially from the site.

What they're looking for:

• A commercially minded retail manager who knows how to drive a shop.
• A strong people manager who can quickly get a team on side and create some stability.
• Someone comfortable leading a sizeable team and working through busy seasonal periods.
• Strong understanding of KPIs, merchandising, promotions and retail standards.
• Garden centre experience would be ideal, but strong managers from DIY or other relevant retail environments will also be considered.
• You don't need to be the strongest horticulturist - there is already excellent plant knowledge within the management team.
• Someone who can look at an already solid site and identify what needs to change to make it perform even better.

Why join?

• Join one of the UK's largest and most established garden centre groups.
• Take ownership of a sizeable site with genuine scope to improve performance.
• Strong existing management team and horticultural expertise around you.
• Excellent location with significant potential to attract and retain more customers.
• Genuine progression opportunities into larger and higher-profile centres across the wider group.