Area Manager in Cornwall

As one of our Area Managers you will play a pivotal role in engaging, inspiring and coaching store management teams to deliver exceptional store standards and customer service. You will be passionate about delivering service that matters to our customers, through leading a customer-focused culture where great recruitment, training, development, and recognition ensures we have great colleagues. As an Area Manager, you will be tasked with continually growing sales and delivering against key KPIs such as sales and customer service metrics. You will also consistently implement and execute retail priorities which drive great customer experience.

Create a safe environment in stores for our colleagues and customers through effective management of audits and key regulatory affairs such as legal and H&S compliance. Act as custodian and role model our values of: One Halfords Family, WoW Our Customers, Be Better Everyday & Pride In Expertise.

Responsibilities:

• Planning: Responsible for planning up to 6 months ahead ensuring robust plans are in place to engage our colleagues and deliver great service to our customers. Create area plans and Store Level business plans which are easily translated at Store level and ultimately deliver against the Retail Strategic/divisional plans. Accountable for ensuring the accurate long-range planning of colleague deployment in line with the operating model. Responsible for reviewing quality of hourly deployment on visits. Accountable for talent and succession plans which enable Area plans. Fully understand the competitor landscape and ensure correct plans are in place to respond.
• Capability: Upskill teams and improve capability through effective coaching. Coach and manage teams through periods of change. Develop a compelling vision and engage, communicate, and inspire your teams to your shared vision. Implement robust succession planning to develop future leaders. Spot and nurture the very best talent to develop a “high performing” team. Analyse area performance and develop strategies to drive people metrics. Effective implementation of training and development plans to raise capability. Drive a recognition culture using the tools and processes available. Implement effective communications through weekly conference calls, regular area meetings and a culture of ‘Huddles’ in stores.
• Engagement: Passionate about engagement, have robust plans in place that reflect Engagement Survey results and are kept alive through regular ‘you said, we did’. Undertake listening groups to ensure our colleagues have a voice and their ideas are being heard. Responsible for role modelling our values and ensuring they are embedded and kept alive. Create a culture of customer excellence through engaged colleagues.
• Driving Performance: Identify and develop commercial action plans that drive sustainable sales & customer growth. Drive business results through focusing on key KPIs, ensuring each metric has a plan to drive continuous improvement. Continually monitor and review each store in terms of KPIs and using available data coach Store Managers to improve sales, profit and customer service metrics. Identify underperforming stores and develop plans to address performance. Implement robust performance management to drive store performance and behaviours. Genuinely passionate about meeting the needs of our customers, coach Store Managers to use customer feedback to improve service in our shops. Create centres of excellence to continually drive great standards in area. Encourage managers to seek and develop knowledge of competitor activity to make appropriate recommendations to drive sales.
• Execution: Ensure stores execute exceptional standards and embed a culture of accurate and timely implementation. Accountable for ensuring the correct implementation of all commercial and operational change in their Area and for validating that all central communication has been actioned on time, in full and as intended by their Area. Accountable for ensuring their Area is operationally on standard. Ensures that their team works to standard on all processes and in all elements of display. Holds accountability for implementation of Retail Basics across the Area. Accountable for health and safety and retail legislation within their shops. Responsible for ensuring that their shops are safe environments for colleagues and customers and that any accidents are reported in a timely and appropriate manner. Accountable for the accurate maintenance of the Area stock file and for minimising stock loss. Responsible for ensuring that our agreed processes are followed at all times. Responsible for ensuring that Halfords receives timely, relevant, factual feedback on the key opportunities in its overall trading plan. Ensure the fixed assets (buildings, machinery) are properly maintained.

Skills and experience:

• Success in leading and managing operational teams in a multi-site retail environment.
• Experience of delivering sales targets within a dynamic environment.
• A proven track record of implementing business plans and driving compliance.
• Experience of leading teams through significant changes.
• Working knowledge of current employment practices.
• Computer literate with basic level of Excel.
• Experience of presenting and influencing senior teams within an organisation.
• Effective planning and personal organisation.
• Effective decision making and problem solving.
• Effective coach and role model for colleagues.
• Drive, enthusiasm, and tenacity to deliver targets in a fast-paced environment.
• An effective implementer – able to make things happen.
• A change manager able to overcome the concerns and fears of colleagues associated with changing from traditional ways of working.
• Able to understand and interpret financial and operational reports, to make informed judgements and decisions.
• A leader who can motivate and coach the team to achieve area objectives.
• Commercial acumen ability to analyse data to drive performance.
• Demonstrates a proactive and determined approach to deliver results.
• Excellent presentation, influencing and facilitating skills; the ability to communicate strategic concepts and issues in a straightforward, articulate, and concise way.
• Ability to challenge others as well as accepting challenge in order to achieve success.
• Possess integrity and engender trust at all levels.

Hybrid working but some travel to our support centre in Redditch, Worcestershire will be required at times.

What’s in it for you:

• By joining Halfords, you join our family. A team that backs each other and is considerate and welcoming to all.
• Competitive salary (negotiable for the right candidate with the right experience).
• Bonus scheme, company pension, life assurance and various others.
• Up to 25% colleague discount across the Halfords Group.
• Access to a wide range of discounts on everyday goods, financial products and services.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Hybrid working.
• Free on-site parking.

We are the UK’s leading provider of motoring and cycling products and services. Join us and be part of our success story in supporting a lifetime of motoring and cycling for our customers!