Retail Store Manager - Virgin Atlantic Holidays

Location: Battersea, London

Hours: Full Time, 37.5 hours per week. Shift-based, retail stores operate 7 days a week between 9:00am and 9:00pm. This role requires flexibility to work a variety of shifts, including evenings, weekends, and bank holidays.

Contract Type: Permanent

Salary: £40,000 per annum plus Sales Incentive Plan

Closing Date: 27th August 2026

In a nutshell

Our retail stores are more than places to book holidays. They are where curiosity starts, dreams become plans and our guests get the confidence to holiday to the fullest. As Retail Store Manager, you will lead a flagship standalone store in a prestigious capital city destination, representing one of the UK's most recognisable travel brands in a high-profile retail environment. You'll create a welcoming, high-performing culture where guests feel inspired and colleagues feel proud, supported, and motivated to succeed. This is a role for someone who can balance commercial performance with real warmth and personality. You will be responsible for driving sales, developing your team, building local relationships and making sure every guest interaction reflects the energy, care and confidence that make Virgin Atlantic Holidays different.

Day to day

• You will set the tone for the store. Leading from the front, you will inspire your team to deliver trusted, personalised holiday advice and create exceptional experiences at every touchpoint.
• Working alongside our award-winning Retail team who share your passion and dedication to delivering outstanding guest service, you will:
• Lead your store to deliver sales, guest experience and people performance targets, using insight and data to drive continuous improvement
• Coach, develop and inspire a team of Retail Advisors to deliver personalised holiday experiences and exceptional service at every touchpoint
• Create a positive, inclusive and high-performing team culture where colleagues feel motivated, supported and empowered
• Build relationships within the local community and with key partners to grow brand awareness, attract new guests and drive commercial performance
• Bring the Virgin Atlantic Holidays brand to life through every guest conversation, local activity and team interaction
• Champion innovation, embrace change and help your team feel confident through new ways of working
• Oversee the day-to-day operation of the store, ensuring compliance with policies, health and safety, data protection and operational standards
• Act as the key escalation point for the store while working closely with the Divisional Manager and wider support teams to deliver operational excellence

About You

You will be a passionate and inspiring leader who gets the best out of people. You will care about performance, but you will know that great results come from engaged teams, trusted relationships and exceptional guest experiences. You will bring:

• Proven experience leading a team to achieve sales, guest and operational performance targets, ideally within a retail, travel or hospitality environment
• A natural coach who enjoys developing others, building confidence and creating an engaged, high-performing team culture
• Strong commercial awareness, using data, market insight and local opportunities to drive business performance and guest acquisition
• The ability to create an energised, inclusive and high-performing team culture
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, with the confidence to influence and collaborate with colleagues, suppliers and stakeholders
• Resilience, adaptability and a positive approach to change
• A guest-first mindset, with the ability to make every interaction feel personal, thoughtful and memorable

Retail management experience is desirable, but we are equally interested in inspirational leaders from retail, travel, hospitality or guest-focused environments who bring commercial thinking, people leadership and a passion for creating brilliant experiences.

Why Virgin Atlantic Holidays?

This is your chance to lead a store with personality, purpose and ambition. You will be part of a brand known for doing things differently, challenging the ordinary and putting people at the heart of travel. You will have the opportunity to shape a store culture, grow a team, connect with your local community and help guests create holidays they will never forget. You will also have access to a range of learning and leadership development programmes to support your progression and help you build the next stage of your career.

What we offer

• With our blended training programme, you'll be able to confidently recommend and sell holidays, ensuring our guests have the best store experience!
• Industry-leading Staff Travel benefits with up to seven flights a year to any Virgin Atlantic destination
• Go above and beyond and get rewarded for it. Our uncapped commission scheme rewards great guest experiences and outstanding sales performance, giving you the opportunity to significantly increase your earnings.
• Explore a range of learning programmes, available both online and in person, to support your personal and professional development.
• Generous contributory pension scheme and life assurance
• Our iconic Vivienne Westwood uniform in your choice of styles!

Be yourself - Our differences make us stronger

Our guests come from all walks of life and so do our colleagues. That's why we're proud to be an equal opportunity employer and actively encourage applications from all backgrounds. At Virgin Atlantic, we believe everyone can take on the world - no matter your age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disabilities, religion, or beliefs. We celebrate difference and everything that makes our colleagues unique by upholding an inclusive environment in which we can all thrive. So that everyone at Virgin Atlantic can be themselves and know they belong. To make your journey with us accessible and individual to you, we encourage you to let us know if you'd like a little extra help with your application, or if you have any individual requirements at any stage along your recruitment journey. We are here to support you, so please reach out to our team, feeling confident that we've got your individual considerations covered.