Department Manager – Garden Centre, Surrey
From horticruitment
Our client is a family-run business, operating stores across the South East of England committed to delivering exceptional customer service alongside high-quality products at competitive prices.
The business prides itself on its supportive and inclusive working environment, offering excellent opportunities for training, career progression and personal development. Guided by its core values of trust and integrity, family, teamwork, accountability and retail excellence, the business continually strives to provide an outstanding shopping experience for its loyal customers.
Role Overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic and experienced Seasonal Department Manager to lead the busy Seasonal team.
The Seasonal Department is one of the largest and most dynamic areas of the store, offering an extensive range of products including BBQs, garden furniture and seasonal lines such as Christmas decorations. This is a hands-on management role where you will lead, motivate and organise your team to deliver exceptional customer service, maintain outstanding retail standards and maximise sales throughout the changing retail seasons.
Working closely with buyers and other departments, you will play a key role in planning seasonal transitions, merchandising displays and ensuring the department remains well-stocked, organised and visually inspiring.
Key Responsibilities
- Manage, lead and motivate the Seasonal Department team to deliver excellent customer service
- Prepare staff rotas and manage holidays and absence cover to ensure adequate departmental staffing
- Deliver an exceptional shopping experience for both in-store and online customers
- Work closely with the buyer to support seasonal product planning and departmental changes
- Organise and coordinate annual product transitions throughout the department
- Merchandise products to a consistently high standard, ensuring safe, attractive and accurate displays
- Ensure all products are correctly priced and presented
- Serve customers, process enquiries and assist with customer orders
- Keep the team informed of promotions, new product lines, deliveries and shop floor changes
- Develop and implement ideas to increase sales and improve product presentation
- Liaise with other departments to ensure efficient stock replenishment, transfers and storage
- Plan and manage seasonal department changes, creating engaging and inspirational retail displays
- Maintain high retail standards across the department at all times
Skills & Experience
- Previous retail management experience is essential
- Experience within a retail sales environment with a passion for customer service
- Strong leadership skills with the ability to motivate and develop a successful team
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- Proven ability to deliver outstanding customer service and confidently handle a variety of customer enquiries
- Strong organisational skills with excellent attention to detail
- Ability to prioritise workloads and manage multiple tasks effectively
- Experience in merchandising and retail display presentation is advantageous
- Commercial awareness with an understanding of driving sales performance
Personal Attributes
- Enthusiastic, approachable and customer focused
- Positive and motivational leadership style
- Well organised with excellent planning skills
- Proactive with a can-do attitude
- Adaptable and able to thrive in a fast-paced retail environment
- Professional with excellent attention to detail
- A collaborative team player committed to maintaining high retail standards
Benefits
- Free onsite parking
- 29 days holiday including Bank Holidays
- 15% staff discount, increasing to 20% after five years’ service
- Training and career development opportunities
- Employee recognition and rewards platform
- Pension scheme
Working Hours
- Full-time, 40 hours per week
- Monday to Friday with one rota’d day off during the week
- Alternate weekend working required
Who This Role Would Suit
This position would suit someone currently working as a:
- Seasonal Department Manage
- Retail Department Manager
- Garden Centre Department Manager
- Retail Store Manager
- Assistant Store Manager
- Garden Centre Supervisor
- Retail Team Leader
- Department Supervisor
Apply Now
If you are an experienced Retail Manager or Department Manager looking to join one of the UK’s leading independent garden centre groups, we’d love to hear from you.
If this Department Manager role is of interest, please click ‘Apply Now’ above or contact Sara Yassin on 01233 732767 or email sara@horticruitment.com
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Thank you for the interest you have shown in this vacancy. Due to the high volume of applications received, it is not possible to respond to every applicant. Therefore, unless you hear from us within 14 days, your application has been unsuccessful.