At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead a vibrant bookshop, inspire volunteers, and create engaging displays.
- Company: St Richard’s Hospice, making a difference through donated books.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, generous leave, healthcare support, and flexible working options.
- Other info: Join a welcoming team and enjoy opportunities for personal growth.
- Why this job: Combine your love for books with a rewarding purpose that impacts lives.
- Qualifications: Retail management experience, strong communication skills, and a passion for literature.
The predicted salary is between 27297 - 28330 £ per year.
Hours: 37.5 hours per week worked over 5 days across the week to include weekend working.
Salary: £27,297 – £28,330 FTE per annum.
Contract: 12 month fixed term contract.
Location: Stourport High Street.
The role:
Love books? Passionate about people? Ready to make a difference? Imagine a job where your passion for retail, your love of books and your talent for bringing people together can help transform lives. At St Richard’s Hospice, every donated book has the potential to make a real difference. As our Shop Manager at our Stourport Book Shop, you’ll lead a vibrant, welcoming bookshop that brings books back to life while raising vital funds to support people living with an incurable illness and their loved ones across Worcestershire. This is your chance to combine commercial success with a genuinely rewarding purpose.
You won’t just be managing a shop. You’ll be creating a place where book lovers discover hidden gems, customers feel at home, volunteers feel valued, and the local community comes together for a cause that matters. You’ll have the freedom to put your own stamp on the shop, develop creative ideas and make every donation count.
You’ll have the opportunity to:
- Inspire your team: Lead, motivate and develop a dedicated team of volunteers, creating a positive and rewarding environment where everyone can shine.
- Make books irresistible: Create eye-catching displays, exciting themed promotions and seasonal features that encourage customers to browse, discover and buy.
- Drive sales and maximise income: Use your retail expertise and commercial flair to achieve targets, make smart pricing decisions and unlock the value of every donation.
- Become a book expert: Build your knowledge of book genres, authors, editions and pricing to uncover valuable finds and help every book find its next reader.
- Build community connections: Develop lasting relationships with customers, donors, volunteers and local book lovers.
- Make a real difference: Know that every sale helps fund compassionate hospice care for local patients and their families.
About you:
You’ll bring:
- Proven retail management or supervisory experience.
- Strong commercial awareness and a drive to achieve sales targets.
- The ability to lead, motivate and support a team of people.
- Excellent customer service and communication skills.
- A flair for merchandising, presentation and creating an inviting retail space.
- Great organisational skills, initiative and the ability to juggle competing priorities.
- An interest in books, literature or second-hand retail, with a willingness to develop specialist knowledge.
Retail experience is essential. Previous charity retail experience would be an advantage, but a passion for our purpose and a willingness to learn are just as important. Whether you’re already a book enthusiast or excited by the prospect of discovering the stories behind every shelf, we’d love to hear from you.
The positions require an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check. This role may require supervision of volunteers under the age of 18.
What we offer:
- We offer a competitive salary and a wide range of benefits including:
- Fantastic team where everyone is welcomed and empowered to give their best.
- Generous annual leave (seven weeks including bank holidays).
- Benenden Healthcare offering diagnosis, treatment, 24/7 GP and mental health advice lines, discounts etc.
- Opportunities for flexible working.
- Family friendly policies.
- Free Will writing service.
Find out more:
We would encourage visits to our Shops to find out more and speak to the team.
Shop Manager – Stourport Book Shop in Wilden employer: St Richard's
St Richard's Hospice is an exceptional employer, offering a supportive and compassionate work environment where every team member is valued and empowered to contribute to high-quality patient care. Located in Worcester, the hospice provides generous annual leave, flexible working options, and a range of health benefits, ensuring a healthy work-life balance while fostering professional growth and development within the community-focused healthcare sector.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Shop Manager – Stourport Book Shop in Wilden
✨Get Your Retail Game On
Start by getting to know the local retail scene. Make a list of stores that align with your vibe and visit them. You'll be surprised at how many job openings come from chatting with staff or managers in-store. Plus, showing that you have a genuine interest in their brand can make you stand out when applying for that full-time role!
✨Join Retail Networks and Forums
Tap into retail-specific communities and forums, whether online or in-person. Platforms like Retail Week or local retail meetups can provide invaluable insights and connections. You never know who might drop a tip about an upcoming job at companies like St Richard's, so don’t miss out on building those relationships!
✨Be Ready for Busy Season Opportunities
Keep your eyes peeled for seasonal hiring windows, especially in the run-up to major shopping periods. Retailers often look for full-time staff to carry through busy times and may even keep you on after the season. Stay proactive by regularly checking in with your favourite retailers about their hiring plans.
✨Show Off Your Customer Service Skills
Retail’s all about customer interactions, so make sure you showcase any relevant experience in your conversations and interviews. Share specific examples of your customer service skills and how they’ve led to positive outcomes. This is your moment to shine when applying to roles at places like St Richard's!
We think you need these skills to ace Shop Manager – Stourport Book Shop in Wilden
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Customer Service Skills:In retail, customer service is key! Make sure your CV highlights any experience where you've dealt with customers, whether it’s resolving issues or enhancing the shopping experience. Use concrete examples to demonstrate your problem-solving skills and ability to handle difficult situations with ease.
Tailor Your CV for Retail:When applying for a full-time role like this one at St Richard's, customise your CV to reflect retail-specific buzzwords. Include any relevant skills such as inventory management or visual merchandising, and if you have experience with POS systems, shout about it! This will show you’re serious about joining the retail team.
Craft a Genuine Cover Letter:Don’t just repeat your CV in your cover letter! Use it as a chance to explain why you're excited about the opportunity at St Richard's and how your values align with their brand. Mention specific aspects of the company that resonate with you and let your enthusiasm shine through!
Highlight Your Adaptability:In retail, things can get busy and unpredictable, so demonstrate how adaptable and flexible you are. Share examples of times you've had to adjust your approach on the fly or take on new responsibilities. This will show St Richard's that you’re ready to jump in and contribute right away!
How to prepare for a job interview at St Richard's
✨Show Off Your Customer Service Skills
Retail is all about providing an exceptional customer experience, so be ready to discuss your past customer service stories. We should have examples on hand of how we've handled difficult situations or gone above and beyond to meet a customer's needs. These anecdotes will bring your application to life!
✨Familiarity with Point of Sale Systems
Many retail roles require us to work with Point of Sale (POS) systems, so it's a good idea to brush up on any relevant software you’ve used before. If you’re familiar with systems like Shopify or Square, don’t forget to mention this during the interview. Highlighting technical proficiency can set us apart from other candidates!
✨Understand Product Knowledge
Be prepared to discuss the products that the store sells and how we can contribute to their sales. Showing enthusiasm for the products and a willingness to learn can impress interviewers. We should research popular items or trends in the industry before the interview, so we can speak confidently about them.
✨Be Ready for Role-Playing Scenarios
Many retail interviews include role-playing scenarios where we might have to deal with a difficult customer or upsell a product. Practising these scenarios with a friend or family member can help us feel more comfortable. The key here is to showcase our problem-solving skills and ability to remain calm under pressure!
