At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead a passionate team of volunteers and manage daily store operations.
- Company: Join Save the Children UK, making a real difference in children's lives.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive pay, generous holidays, and amazing employee discounts.
- Why this job: Be part of a unique retail experience that supports a great cause.
- Qualifications: Retail leadership experience and a flair for fashion are essential.
- Other info: Flexible working options available in a supportive, inclusive environment.
The predicted salary is between 30000 - 42000 £ per year.
Save the Children UK has an exciting opportunity for a collaborative and fashion-savvy retail leader with strong volunteer management experience to join us as our Store Manager for our Mary’s Living & Giving (MLG) Store in Chiswick, London, where you’ll inspire a longstanding and dedicated volunteer team to deliver an exceptional retail experience and maximise income that helps transform children’s lives.
About Us
Save the Children UK believes every child deserves a future. In the UK and around the world, we work every day to give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. When crisis strikes, and children are most vulnerable, we are always among the first to respond and the last to leave. We ensure children’s unique needs are met and their voices are heard. We deliver lasting results for millions of children, including those hardest to reach.
About the role
As Store Manager, you will lead one of our flagship Mary’s Living & Giving stores – a premium, fashion-forward charity retail concept created in partnership with Mary Portas. You’ll be responsible for the day-to-day management of the Chiswick store, ensuring that it not only meets its commercial goals but continues to offer a unique, community-focused shopping experience that reflects the MLG brand. You’ll lead and support a passionate team of around 40 volunteers, maintaining their engagement while evolving the store’s offer to reflect local trends and align operationally with other Mary’s Living & Giving stores across the network.
In this role, you will:
- Lead, motivate, and develop a diverse volunteer team, creating an inclusive, supportive and empowering culture that celebrates each individual’s contribution.
- Manage all aspects of store operations, ensuring excellence in visual merchandising, stock management, and customer service standards.
- Analyse sales performance and local trends to maximise income and profit, while maintaining the premium and distinctive MLG brand identity.
- Build strong links with the local community to grow the store’s supporter base and reputation as a destination for high-quality womenswear and new goods.
- Diversify the product offer in line with community insight and MLG strategy, ensuring the store remains relevant, inspiring, and competitive.
- Ensure compliance with Save the Children’s policies, safeguarding, and operational standards.
About you
- Proven leadership experience in retail or charity retail, with a track record of managing and motivating teams (paid or volunteer).
- A strong sense of fashion retailing, with the ability to curate, present and sell products to a fashion-conscious, label-driven customer base.
- Commercial awareness and experience of working to sales targets, with the ability to interpret data and identify growth opportunities.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, able to engage confidently with volunteers, customers, and the wider community.
- A flexible, positive, and resilient approach, with the ability to adapt and problem-solve in a fast-moving retail environment.
- Commitment to Save the Children’s vision, mission and values.
This role will be based on-site in the Chiswick, London shop. We’re looking for someone able to work 5 days (35 hours) per week to include weekend working.
What we offer you:
- Competitive Pay – Our transparent pay policy ensures fair and equitable compensation.
- Generous Holidays – Start with 27 days off per year (pro rata for part-timers) and enjoy up to 32 days after 10 years.
- Pension & Life Assurance – Secure your future with excellent contributions.
- Employee Discounts – Save on groceries, high-street brands, home, tech, gyms, holidays, and more! Over 6,000 deals are available through our benefits platform.
- Maternity/Adoption Benefits – Get 21 weeks of full pay after just six months of employment.
- Paternity/Adoption Leave – Enjoy 10 weeks of full pay (plus statutory 2 weeks) after six months with us.
- Additional benefits: include cycle to work scheme, employee assistance programme, eye care, flu jabs, season ticket loan.
Please note: To avoid disappointment, you are advised to submit your application as soon as possible as we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications are received. This is to ensure that we can manage application levels whilst maintaining a positive candidate experience. Unfortunately once a vacancy has closed, we are unable to consider further applications.
Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion: Save the Children UK believes in a world that is fair, inclusive and equitable where all children have the opportunity to change their world. We apply this to our workforce and we are committed to developing and supporting a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organisation where all employees have a sense of belonging and feel that they can be "Free to Be Me". We are not looking for just one type of person - we want to recruit people who can add fresh perspectives, innovative ideas or challenge that disrupts the risk of group think. We are especially interested in people whose childhood experiences - of life on a low income, of migration, of being in a racialised community, of the care system, of being LGBT+ or in an LGBT+ family or living with (or with someone with) a disability - help us to see things we might otherwise miss. Whatever your story is we want to hear it because we know that different voices, ideas, perspectives and knowledge, working together will enable us to better the lives of children around the world. This is the reason why we are all here.
Save the Children is committed to paying staff in a fair and equitable way and will benchmark all salary offers in line with the pay of existing staff.
Interview Expenses: Candidates should note that unfortunately it is not our policy to reimburse expenses accrued when attending interviews at Save the Children UK unless you are requested to attend an interview in an alternative location to where the role is based.
Pre-employment Checks: Any Employment with Save the Children UK will be subject to the following checks prior to your start date: a satisfactory police record check to include a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and/or an International Criminal Record Check (If applicable), receipt of satisfactory references, proof of eligibility to work in the national location for this role.
Store Manager, Chiswick (7335) in London employer: Save the Children
Contact Detail:
Save the Children Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Store Manager, Chiswick (7335) in London
✨Tip Number 1
Get to know the company! Before your interview, do a bit of research on Save the Children and their mission. This will not only help you answer questions better but also show your genuine interest in the role.
✨Tip Number 2
Practice makes perfect! Run through common interview questions with a friend or in front of the mirror. Focus on how your experience aligns with leading a volunteer team and managing store operations.
✨Tip Number 3
Show off your fashion sense! Since this role is all about retail and style, be prepared to discuss your favourite trends and how you would curate the store's offerings to attract customers.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to follow up! After your interview, send a quick thank-you email to express your appreciation for the opportunity. It’s a nice touch that can set you apart from other candidates.
We think you need these skills to ace Store Manager, Chiswick (7335) in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for Retail: When you're writing your application, let your love for retail shine through! Talk about your experiences and how they align with our mission at Save the Children. We want to see that you’re not just looking for a job, but that you genuinely care about making a difference.
Highlight Your Leadership Skills: As a Store Manager, you'll be leading a team of volunteers, so make sure to showcase your leadership experience. Share specific examples of how you've motivated and developed teams in the past. We love seeing how you can inspire others!
Be Data-Savvy: We’re all about maximising income and understanding local trends. In your application, mention any experience you have with analysing sales data or identifying growth opportunities. Show us that you can think commercially while keeping our brand identity intact!
Connect with Our Values: Make sure to express your commitment to our vision and values in your application. We’re looking for someone who resonates with our mission to transform children’s lives. A personal touch about why this matters to you can really make your application stand out!
How to prepare for a job interview at Save the Children
✨Know Your Store Inside Out
Before the interview, make sure you’re familiar with the Mary’s Living & Giving brand and its mission. Understand the unique selling points of the Chiswick store and be ready to discuss how you can enhance its community-focused shopping experience.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
Prepare examples that highlight your experience in managing and motivating teams, especially volunteers. Think about specific situations where you’ve inspired others or resolved conflicts, as this will demonstrate your ability to lead a diverse team effectively.
✨Be Fashion-Savvy
Since the role requires a strong sense of fashion retailing, come prepared to discuss current trends and how they could influence the store's product offerings. You might even want to bring along some ideas for potential merchandise that aligns with local tastes.
✨Engage with the Community
Think about ways you can build strong links with the local community. Be ready to share your ideas on how to grow the store’s supporter base and reputation, as well as any previous experiences you have in community engagement.