General Manager

Location: London-based, with travel to Covent Garden, Spitalfields, Clapham, Richmond, Brighton + Birmingham/Cheltenham as required

Reports to: CEO

Role Overview

We are looking for a highly capable General Manager to lead day-to-day operations across our expanding retail network. This role is responsible for ensuring operational excellence, commercial performance, staff leadership and delivery of a premium customer experience consistent with the Cambridge Spectacle Co. brand.

You will be the connecting point between stores, head office, product development, and clinical teams - ensuring the smooth running and growth of a multi-site retail group.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee daily operations across all stores: Covent Garden, Spitalfields, Richmond, Clapham, Brighton, Birmingham, Cheltenham + new openings.
• Ensure stores meet KPIs across revenue, conversion, average order value, and clinical utilisation.
• Maintain operational standards, visual merchandising, and brand consistency.

Team Management & Performance

• Line-manage Store Managers, Supervisors, and support staff.
• Lead recruitment, onboarding, rotas, and performance reviews.
• Build a positive culture that reflects our brand values: design-led, customer-first, and forward-thinking.

Commercial Ownership

• Drive weekly and monthly sales performance across the group.
• Lead promotional planning, local marketing, and community outreach.
• Monitor stock, product mix, and ordering in collaboration with HQ.
• Support pricing optimisation and upsell strategy.

Operational Excellence

• Own store compliance, health & safety, and audit readiness.
• Ensure delivery of exceptional customer service standards across all stores.
• Implement process improvements and efficiencies across the group.
• Liaise with landlords, contractors and suppliers as needed.

New Store Integration

• Support onboarding, integration and rebranding of new stores into the group.
• Lead set-up and launch of new sites including staffing, training, and operational readiness.
• Ensure seamless adoption of new systems, processes and technologies.

Technology & Innovation

• Help integrate new technologies into the retail experience.
• Ensure store teams are trained to sell, demo and support new product categories.
• Champion the modernisation of the customer journey.

What We're Looking For

• Strong multi-site retail management experience (optical, fashion, premium retail, or consumer tech preferred).
• Proven ability to lead teams, improve performance and deliver commercial results.
• Highly organised, proactive and confident managing multiple priorities.
• Excellent communication and people-management skills.
• Comfortable working in a fast-changing, scale-up environment.