Retail General Manager in Bicester

Where passion meets premium – join our retail team!

Location: Bicester, United Kingdom

Employment type: Full time permanent

Weekly hours: 37.5 hours over 5 days per week, Monday to Sunday. Expectation of 3 in 4 weekends worked

Annual salary: Up to £70,000

About Le Creuset

At Le Creuset, every dish begins with a story - and every story begins with people. Since 1925, we’ve brought generations together around the table, transforming everyday meals into cherished memories. Our legacy is built on colour, craft, and a deep passion for innovation - shaped as much by our iconic products as by the people who bring them to life.

The Recipe for Success: Role Summary

As our Retail General Manager, you'll be the master chef behind a thriving retail business, expertly combining commercial insight, operational excellence, exceptional customer experiences, and people leadership to create a winning formula for success. Working through your management team, you'll ensure every element of the store is prepared and served to the highest standard. You’ll have direct responsibility for an Assistant Store Manager and a team of approximately 15 colleagues, creating an environment where talent flourishes, high performance is celebrated, and everyone is equipped to deliver exceptional results.

Through coaching, development, and inspirational leadership, you'll help shape the next generation of retail leaders within Le Creuset. With full ownership of the business, you'll carefully balance the key ingredients of profitability, productivity, customer engagement, talent development, and operational execution. By blending these ingredients seamlessly, you'll create a consistently exceptional Le Creuset experience that delights customers and drives outstanding results.

You’ll foster a culture where excellence is always on the menu, inspiring your team to grow, innovate, and perform at their very best. Through your leadership, the store will become a destination of choice, delivering sustainable growth and creating an environment that customers, colleagues, and stakeholders are proud to be part of.

Ingredients: Key Responsibilities

What’s On Your Daily Menu

• Business Leadership: Take full ownership of the store's commercial and operational recipe, combining sales growth, profitability, and productivity to deliver exceptional results.
• Leadership & Talent Development: Lead, inspire, and develop a multi-layered leadership team, cultivating a high-performing culture across the entire store.
• Exceptional Customer Experience: Champion a premium customer experience, making sure every interaction reflects the quality, craftsmanship, and heritage of the Le Creuset brand.
• Commercial & Financial Performance: Own sales forecasting, labour planning, and business performance reviews, ensuring commercial targets are consistently achieved.
• Operations & Inventory Management: Oversee all aspects of store operations, ensuring the business runs efficiently, safely, and in line with company standards.
• Compliance & Risk Management: Maintain a safe, secure, and fully compliant operating environment for customers and colleagues alike.

What’s On Your Seasonal Menu

• Strategic Planning: Create and deliver seasonal business recipes that drive sustainable growth, maximise profitability, and keep the store performing at its very best.
• Recruitment & Succession: Source the finest talent, nurturing and developing future leaders to ensure a strong and sustainable leadership pipeline.
• Community & Brand Partnerships: Build meaningful local relationships and partnerships that enhance brand visibility, strengthen community connections, and create new commercial opportunities.
• Reporting & Business Reviews: Regularly take stock of performance, preparing and presenting insightful business reviews, commercial analysis, and updates that help shape future success.
• Project Leadership: Lead and support new initiatives, operational enhancements, and company-wide projects, ensuring every new ingredient is successfully blended into the business.
• Additional Duties: Be ready to add the finishing touches when needed, taking on reasonable ad-hoc responsibilities that contribute to the overall success of the store and wider business.

The Perfect Blend: What We’re Looking For

We're looking for an inspiring and commercially astute leader who knows how to combine strategic vision with operational excellence to create a recipe for success. You'll have a proven ability to bring together people, performance, and customer experience in the right measure, delivering exceptional results while maintaining strong commercial discipline. You’ll be passionate about developing talent, creating high-performing teams, and fostering a culture where colleagues can thrive and grow.

Your Flavour Profile (Behaviours & Traits)

• Customer Obsessed: You put customers at the heart of every decision, creating memorable experiences that build lasting loyalty.
• Inspirational Leader: You bring out the best in others, guiding, coaching, and motivating your team.
• Commercially Astute: You understand how to balance sales, profitability, and business growth.
• Strategic Thinker: You can see the bigger picture while keeping a firm grip on day‑to‑day execution.
• Great Communicator: You know how to build strong relationships and bring people together.
• Adaptable: You stay composed when the heat is on, responding confidently to changing priorities.
• Talent Developer: You're passionate about nurturing potential and helping future leaders develop.
• Detail Focused: You maintain exceptional standards across every aspect of the business.
• Problem Solver: You approach challenges with confidence and curiosity.
• Professional & Accountable: You lead with integrity and represent the Le Creuset brand with pride.

Skills & Qualifications - Essential Ingredients

• Significant senior retail leadership experience, gained in a General Manager, Area Manager, or equivalent role.
• Proven success managing a high‑turnover flagship, destination, or similarly complex retail environment.
• Strong experience leading managers and developing high-performing teams.
• Well-developed financial and commercial acumen.
• Exceptional coaching, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience using retail systems, merchandising principles, inventory management processes, and reporting tools.
• Previous experience within a premium, luxury, or destination retail environment is highly desirable.
• A genuine passion for cooking, food, entertaining, or premium cookware would be the perfect finishing touch.
• The ability to regularly lift and move products weighing 25‑29 lbs (11‑13 kg).

Other Requirements

• 18+ Requirement: Applicants must be aged 18 or over.
• Flexibility: You'll be flexible and able to work across retail trading hours.
• Mobility: A full UK driving licence is essential.
• Brand Ambassador: You'll act as the face of Le Creuset within your local market.

Why Join Our Table?

At Le Creuset, you will find your seat at our table, which is as colourful as our cookware and rich in history. Our table is grounded in our values: Passion, Integrity, Excellence, Innovation and Teamwork. Every talent will add flavour. Every idea brings colour. And every day is a chance to create something that lasts.

Diversity and Inclusion Statement: We welcome applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marital or civil partnership status, race, ethnic or national origin. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to reach their full potential.