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For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead store operations, drive sales, and create an amazing customer experience.
- Company: Dobbies, a historic garden centre retailer with a passion for gardens.
- Benefits: Generous leave, uncapped discounts, financial support, and development opportunities.
- Why this job: Join a vibrant team and make a real impact in a customer-focused environment.
- Qualifications: Retail management experience and strong leadership skills.
- Other info: Thriving culture with a commitment to employee wellbeing and growth.
The predicted salary is between 28800 - 48000 £ per year.
Our General Managers play an essential role in delivering customer experience across our stores - driving sales, promoting customer loyalty, maintaining high operational standards and smashing commercial targets.
Responsibilities
- Take full ownership of the store management, ensuring everything is in place to hit commercial targets with responsive management of budgets and cost controls.
- Overseeing the complete business operation, maximising profitable sales and growth while creating a unique customer focussed environment.
- Taking the lead in creating a great place to work for everyone on a day-to-day basis whilst thinking ahead to ensure your team have a development journey with Dobbies.
- Sparking your team’s passion for delivering the best customer experience possible by creating a brilliant customer journey.
- Observing your team’s service levels, identifying ways they can improve and finding the best way to suit that individual in coaching them to improve.
- Working closely with our central support teams, maintaining excellent communication, stock supply and response.
- Ensuring all compliance with health & safety regulations, whilst caring for employee and customer welfare at all times.
Who we are looking for
- Retail management expertise with proven experience of leading multiple direct reports and their teams.
- Commercial awareness and understanding of budgets, profitability from driving retail sales and improved ways of working.
- Ability to identify training needs. You’ll be effectively coaching and training all levels ensuring teams are delivering a first-class customer experience.
- Excellent communication skills. You’ll ensure that successful initiatives and actions are shared across the business and that performance is monitored.
- Adaptability. You’ll act quickly and enthusiastically to changing priority, workload and concepts.
- Positivity managing change. You’ll lead the team through each season with care and motivation to deliver best.
- Can demonstrate our values at all times - we’re one team, getting better every day. We bring a smile. We live and breathe gardens. We make it work for our customers.
What we offer
- Generous annual leave entitlement. Use your holidays when you want with limited statutory days off required.
- Treat yourself with generous uncapped discount across our stores with 50% off in our restaurants, 25% off in the Garden Centre and 10% off in our food halls.
- Access to Stream - support your financial wellbeing, with ability to access earnings ahead of pay day, save for the future and financial advice.
- Access to Retail Trust - seek confidential support, access to a virtual GP, free counselling service and discounted retail rewards with our employee wellbeing platform.
- Access to Dobbies Academy - continue your development with our eLearning platform and development programmes.
- Thriving culture; the Dobbies team are passionate, diverse and committed to making it work for our customers.
About us
At Dobbies, we’re proud to have a history dating back to 1865. We were founded by James Dobbie and are the only garden centre retailer to have stores in every nation across the UK. Our passion and joy for gardens and plants is what makes us special. In our stores, we showcase this through own brand and branded products, concession partners and services. We champion garden living all-year-round. Many of our stores feature a restaurant or coffee shop, where customers can enjoy refreshments or meals in a relaxed and welcoming environment. We offer a calendar of events and experiences that bring people and communities together, and we have a national charity partner that both our colleagues and customers raise money for. We’re committed to being a great place to work. We’re one team and we encourage our colleagues to be the best version of themselves, every day; to share their wins and celebrate success. Together, we make it work for our customers.
General Manager in Milton Keynes employer: Dobbies Garden Centres Ltd
Contact Detail:
Dobbies Garden Centres Ltd Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land General Manager in Milton Keynes
✨Tip Number 1
Get to know the company inside out! Research Dobbies, its values, and what makes it tick. This way, when you walk into that interview, you can show off your knowledge and passion for the brand.
✨Tip Number 2
Network like a pro! Connect with current or former employees on LinkedIn. They can give you the lowdown on the company culture and maybe even put in a good word for you!
✨Tip Number 3
Practice makes perfect! Prepare for common interview questions related to retail management and customer experience. Role-play with a friend to boost your confidence and nail those responses.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to follow up! After your interview, send a thank-you email expressing your appreciation for the opportunity. It shows you're keen and keeps you fresh in their minds!
We think you need these skills to ace General Manager in Milton Keynes
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for Customer Experience: When writing your application, let your enthusiasm for delivering an exceptional customer experience shine through. We want to see how you can spark that passion in your team and create a brilliant customer journey.
Highlight Your Retail Management Expertise: Make sure to showcase your retail management skills and any experience leading teams. We’re looking for someone who can take ownership of store operations and drive sales, so don’t hold back on sharing your successes!
Demonstrate Your Communication Skills: Effective communication is key in our environment. In your application, illustrate how you've successfully shared initiatives and actions across teams, and how you’ve coached others to improve their service levels.
Be Yourself and Embrace Our Values: We value authenticity and positivity! Make sure your application reflects who you are and how you embody our values. Remember, we’re one team, getting better every day, so show us how you can contribute to that spirit!
How to prepare for a job interview at Dobbies Garden Centres Ltd
✨Know Your Numbers
As a General Manager, you'll need to demonstrate your commercial awareness. Brush up on key metrics like sales figures, budget management, and profitability. Be ready to discuss how you've driven sales in previous roles and how you plan to do the same at Dobbies.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Style
This role is all about leading teams effectively. Prepare examples of how you've motivated and developed your team in the past. Think about specific instances where your coaching made a difference in customer service or team performance.
✨Emphasise Customer Experience
Dobbies is passionate about delivering a great customer journey. Be prepared to share your ideas on enhancing customer experience and how you've implemented successful initiatives in previous positions. Show that you understand the importance of customer loyalty.
✨Be Ready for Change
Adaptability is key in retail management. Think of examples where you've successfully managed change or adapted to new priorities. Highlight your positive approach to leading teams through transitions, ensuring everyone stays motivated and focused on delivering results.
