Area Manager - On the Bench Ipswich/Colchester Area

As a Store Manager at Booker, you’ll be free to use your skills to help our business grow. It’s an exciting opportunity to really let your talent shine. A big part of your role will be making sure we’re meeting customers’ needs, by building a rapport with local business owners, seeking them out and listening to what they want. From cafes, pubs, restaurants and caterers to retailers like corner shops and newsagents, you’ll help all kinds of businesses to thrive.

Booker is no ordinary retailer. Our stores, or Business Centres as we refer to them, work mostly with local B2C customers, which means they have a positive impact in the towns and communities where they’re based. We offer much more than just the right products at the right price. We also take our customer relationships to the next level, for example recycling fat for a local fish and chip shop or providing support to a fledgling business.

As Store Manager, your passion for the business will help you inspire your team to perform at their very best, while supporting managers, driving sales and taking total responsibility for when things go right… and wrong. You may have worked in Retail before; maybe a wholesale business. Or perhaps you’ve run your own establishment such as a restaurant or pub. Whatever your background, you’ll be commercially-minded and as determined as we are to offer the best choice, price and service.

Your first priority will be ‘health-safe-legal’, as we like to say here at Booker. In other words, running a secure, legal store that meets health and safety regulations. With these essentials in place, you’ll be encouraged to use your expertise to raise customer satisfaction. We believe the secret to growing profits is total customer focus. That means being proactive and using your initiative to improve the customer experience. Get it right, and it won’t just be their business that goes from strength to strength but your store too.

To excel, you need some experience in the food sector plus the ability to build a rapport with customers. You must also be a great manager who can shape and develop teams. Driven and disciplined with a keen eye for detail, you’ll be a natural multi-tasker who’s at home on the shop floor and in a broader fast-paced business that includes online and delivery services. Above all, you’ll feel passionately about your store and responsible for its success.

Booker is the UK's leading food & drink wholesaler. We are privileged to serve independent retailers, caterers and small businesses, from locations across the country. We operate over 190 cash and carry branches, 8 distribution centres, 5 Best Food Logistics sites, as well as 6 support centre locations across the UK.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) at Booker means that whoever you are and whatever your background, we always want you to feel represented and that you can be yourself at work. In short, we’re a place where Everyone’s Welcome. We know life looks a little different for each of us. That’s why at Booker and Best, we always welcome conversations about flexible working. Some people are at the start of their careers; some want the freedom to do the things they love. Others are going through life-changing moments like becoming a carer, nearing retirement, adapting to parenthood, or something else. So, talk to us throughout your application about how we may be able to support you.

We’re proud that Booker is a Disability Confident Committed Leader and we’re committed to providing a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process. For further information on the accessibility support you can expect, please contact recruitment@bookergroup.com.

Important Information: We can only accept candidates over the age of 18 if the role requires working before 6:15 am or after 9:45 pm or involves working in areas such as the warehouse, beers, wines & spirits, and driving roles.