Store Renewal Manager - Food - East Division

Store Renewal Manager – Food – East Division

Store Renewal Manager is a mobile support function requiring flexibility to travel across the UK as part of executing the Renewal programme. The role requires careful planning and diary management, and involves working away from home on a frequent basis.

Summary

This role is a mobile support function, requiring flexibility to travel across the UK as part of executing the Renewal programme. It also demands meticulous planning, diary management and the ability to work away from home for extended periods.

All the details

The Store Rotation and Renewal Program is key to Driving Profitable Sales, one of our Strategic Priorities. As a member of the Store Launch team, you will play a critical role in this program, preparing and coaching store teams from initial engagement to launch and through to their 6‑month review – setting them up for sustained success and delivering a brilliant experience for both customers and colleagues.

Collaborating with key stakeholders across Stores and the Support Centre, you will ensure stores have the optimum range, excellent merchandising and standards and best availability for launch. After opening, you will continue to monitor store performance and ensure contribution is delivered to expectations.

You’ll be responsible for keeping yourself informed of enhancements to all M&S Way processes, and coach store teams to ensure they have the best adherence to M&S Way for launch and beyond.

You’ll deliver to a critical path for launch, including completion of a rigorous pre‑ and post‑implementation review after which you will have the responsibility to build‑on and enhance, shaping future renewal plans by feeding back and influencing opportunities for improvement to the wider Renewal Team and cross‑functional stakeholders.

Key Accountabilities

• Launch new stores and renewals, ensuring smooth phasing with minimal customer disruption and coaching teams to maintain “Best in Class” standards through to launch and beyond.
• Plan and execute projects in alignment with the People, Process, Product & Place plan, collaborating with retail and support teams for right‑first‑time implementation of the Critical Path.
• Engage and guide Regional and Store Managers throughout the renewal process, from ‘Fit for Renewal’ through to the Post Implementation Review (PIR).
• Coordinate internal and external stakeholders, representing the Store Format & Renewal function and fostering collaboration across teams to ensure Critical Path timelines are met.
• Deliver exceptional standards for Store Launches both on the sales floor and backstage, and ensure stores meet renewal expectations through effective communication and coaching.
• Provide leadership on all renewal activities, including Store Enhancements and M&S Way processes, ensuring the customer voice is represented at every stage.
• Surface challenges and risks throughout the programme and raise escalation where required for timely response and resolution.
• Manage multiple live projects with varying timelines, addressing issues and adjusting plans to meet objectives.
• Coach and support Store Liaison Managers to ensure each store receives the appropriate level of support.
• Exploit MI to inform and improve strategic and tactical decision making.
• Create and maintain critical tools such as Activity Planners, Critical Paths, and Retail Engagement Materials.
• Collaborate with contractors, programme managers, and construction teams to plan phasing that minimises impact on customers, colleagues, and sales during the live project.
• Stay informed on BU strategic priorities and ensure that knowledge is current and relevant to enable informed decision making.
• Lead post‑launch visits with stakeholders to identify areas for continuous improvement and manage post‑launch activities; participate and contribute to pre‑launch site visits as required.
• Oversee the post‑opening review and after‑care process, mobilising support functions and contributing to PIRs.
• Collaborate with other Store Renewal Managers to optimise team efficiency and share best practice.
• Highlight and elevate site issues, articulating risks and providing solutions.
• Maintain a cost‑conscious approach to ensure decisions are commercially viable and justified.

Key Leadership Capabilities

• Consistently role‑model the M&S behaviours.
• Remain calm under pressure, demonstrating resilience through ambiguous and challenging situations.
• Inspire and lead with confidence, engaging across all levels from senior stakeholders to large store teams and RMs.
• Tackle tough conversations with confidence, addressing risks and finding solutions that prioritise doing the right thing.
• Support colleagues through change while remaining focused on delivering results on time.
• Cultivate strong, collaborative relationships with customers, suppliers, and colleagues both internally and externally.
• Actively seek feedback, listen to different perspectives, and ask insightful questions to drive optimal solutions.
• Communicate clearly and effectively, ensuring that actions and outcomes are understood and actionable.

Technical Skills/Experience

• Established leadership and store experience.
• Technical knowledge of Foods and the M&S Way.
• Confident communicator with the ability to influence and challenge senior stakeholders with clear cut through.
• Ability to meet project deadlines, managing ambiguity and changing priorities remotely.
• Robust commercial acumen, decision‑making and judgement skills to interpret and create commercial actions using business insight to solve problems under pressure.
• A natural coach, able to work alongside colleagues of all reward levels.
• Strong planning and organisational skills, with the ability to adapt to business change.
• Strong tenacity, agility and resilience, with the ability to manage and lead change at pace, prioritising renewal critical activity.
• Passionate about customers and their shopping behaviours to ensure customer voice is always represented.
• Ability to work flexibly, away from home and in ever‑evolving environments.
• Able to deliver high‑quality work that is clear, concise and pays attention to detail.
• Competent IT skills across Microsoft Office programmes, with the ability to run relevant data to support the role.

Key Relationships and Stakeholders

• Property/Store Format and Renewal
• Central Store Operations, incl. Labour Planning, Activity & Comm, C&H/Foods Trading and Customer Experience
• Retail incl. Stores Director’s, Regional Managers, Store Management Teams and Customer Assistants
• C&H Group/Food Group
• Supply Chain & Logistics
• Human Resources
• Communications/PR
• VM & Marketing

What’s in it for you?

• 20% colleague discount on all M&S products and many third‑party brands for you and someone in your household, available once you’ve completed your probation.
• Competitive holiday allowance with the option to buy more.
• Discretionary bonus schemes linked to your performance and ours.
• Strong pension and life assurance to help plan for the future.
• Tailored induction and training to support your development from day one.
• Exclusive perks and savings through our M&S Choices portal.
• Market‑leading family policies, including parental, adoption and neonatal leave.
• 24/7 wellbeing support, including virtual GP access and mental health services.
• One paid volunteer day a year to support a cause that matters to you.

Everyone’s welcome

We are ambitious about the future of retail. We’re disrupting, innovating and leading the industry into a more conscientious, inspiring digital era. We’re transforming how we work together and offering our most exciting opportunities yet. Marks & Spenser strives to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers and suppliers. Join us and make change happen.

We are committed to building diverse and representative teams, where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and be at their best. We support each other and work together to win together.

If you feel you would benefit from any support or reasonable adjustments during any stage of the recruitment process, please don’t hesitate to let us know when completing your application. This information will be picked up by our team, so we can try and put steps in place to help you be at your best through this process.

Job details

• Seniority level: Mid‑Senior level
• Employment type: Full‑time
• Job function: Business Development and Sales