At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead store operations, inspire teams, and enhance customer experiences in a dynamic environment.
- Company: Join WHSmith, a growing brand in airports and hospitals with a rich heritage.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, 33 days holiday, employee discounts, and wellness support.
- Other info: Be part of an inclusive team that values diversity and personal growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by shaping a people-first culture and driving commercial excellence.
- Qualifications: Strong leadership skills and a passion for customer service are essential.
The predicted salary is between 40000 - 50000 £ per year.
As Store Operations Manager, you will hold a pivotal role in driving operational excellence, leading your team's performance and creating an exceptional customer experience. You are responsible for the day-to-day running of the store to support the Multi-Site Store Manager to deliver the business trading plan.
What being a Store Operations Manager is all about:
- People: Shaping and influencing the People Strategy to drive exceptional performance and embed a people-first culture across WHSmith Travel. Setting the cultural and behavioural standards for the Large Air Division, role-modelling company values. Inspiring and leading Store Managers through coaching, challenging and empowering them. Creating an environment that encourages continuous development and showcases the best talent. Owning and delivering a robust talent strategy, collaborating with cross-functional teams to nurture future leaders and ensure succession plans are in place across all stores. Working closely with the People Team to ensure the right tools are in place. Utilising one-to-one meetings and personal development plans to ensure every team member understands their role in the division. Engaging colleagues by creating a psychologically safe environment that fosters openness and idea-sharing. Communication is a priority and your divisional engagement plan is designed to inspire and make a difference in colleagues’ lives. You embrace diversity and promote inclusivity, valuing the wellbeing of your team. Tackling people challenges with agility and resilience, coaching your team to collaborate with support functions and solve problems proactively. Mentoring peers with aspirations, dedicating time to nurturing others. You are recognised as a role model and an inspirational leader across the business.
- Plan: Driving a culture of commercial excellence, leveraging every opportunity to maximise sales, grow spend per passenger and adapt to seasonal and customer trends with energy and agility. You'll collaborate with commercial teams to shape future sales strategies. Harnessing the full potential of the InMotion format, driving a passion for selling, product knowledge and the customer experience. You'll own and shape the customer selling strategy for future growth. Being accountable for safe and legal compliance, ensuring it’s understood and delivered by your team, coaching and empowering them to engage with support functions to achieve everyday compliance. Monitoring operational targets and service level agreements with partners, positioning WHSmith as a trusted and valuable partner. You will build connections with competitors to identify future risks and opportunities. Managing costs efficiently, ensuring expenditures stay within budget, and work with teams to shape annual budgets that maximise profit and productivity. Regularly updating leaders on operational performance, identifying risks with a solution-oriented mindset. Driving consistent performance across all stores, reducing variability and focusing on closing performance gaps through action and results-oriented leadership. Analysing data quickly and accurately to identify actions and communicate plans clearly. You'll mentor other leaders to develop this skill and contribute to shaping future reporting practices. You'll have the agility to switch between formats and complexity easily and with confidence.
- Customer: You are credible and impactful when influencing others to drive a decision or change for the benefit of the customer and profitability. You'll empower your team to adopt this mindset promoting a culture of data-driven decision-making. You'll be obsessed with the customer experience, role modelling the importance of a world-class customer journey. Everyone in your Division knows how to sell, manage queues and delight customers through friendly and helpful interactions. Supporting innovation by being a voice into the support centre, sharing ideas, feedback and collaborating on projects. Building and maintaining strong relationships with landlords, demonstrating confidence and charisma that foster a sense of pride and trust. Landlords see you as a go-to tenant with excellent communication and rapport. Leading your large airport stores in hosting investor visits, showcasing the best of WHSmith Travel and strengthening the company’s reputation as a partner of choice. Cultivating relationships with the communities where your stores operate, supporting local charities and schools to enhance brand awareness and reputation. Gaining a deep understanding of the market where your stores operate, and tailoring your approach to meet the unique needs of each customer. Shaping the commercial team's strategy and actions to expand the product and service range to attract future customers and drive higher conversion rates.
How we reward our teams: We know you’ll work hard to make WH Smith a success and our customers happy, so as well as your salary, pension scheme, holidays (Management - 33 days including bank holidays) (Hourly paid 6.6 weeks including bank holidays) and employee discounts (up to 50%), we’ll reward you with a range of deals from retail partners that will help you save money and make memories, whether a delicious meal, an adventurous day out, or tickets to see the latest blockbuster. Whatever the future brings, our Employee Assistance Programme will support you with help and guidance for your wellbeing whether physical, mental or financial.
About us: WHSmith has a remarkable heritage and we are growing particularly in our airports, hospitals, rail stations and motorway services. Our aim is simple, to offer our products to everyone on any of life’s journeys. Our InMotion brand, a leading digital accessories business, continues to grow and develop, offering an amazing customer experience with all the latest tech. We have created great partnerships with the likes of M&S and Costa Coffee, ‘broaden our offering’ to our customers throughout the UK. That’s why, as we continue our journey, our aim is simple: to make every one of life’s journeys better! WHSmith are proud to be an inclusive employer, we want our colleagues to feel welcome, and free to be themselves with us.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Hospitals - Store Operations Manager in Birmingham
✨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 WH Smith, 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 WH Smith!
We think you need these skills to ace Hospitals - Store Operations Manager in Birmingham
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 WH Smith, 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 WH Smith 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 WH Smith that you’re ready to jump in and contribute right away!
How to prepare for a job interview at WH Smith
✨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!
