Reporting to: Retail Director
Search: Confidential
The Opportunity
We are conducting a confidential search for a senior retail leader to take ownership of a large multi-site store estate and drive the next stage of profit, growth and customer performance.
This is not a traditional operational Head of Retail role. We are looking for someone who can operate at scale, but who also brings strong commercial judgement, retail IQ and strategic thinking.
You will have significant autonomy to influence performance beyond the stores, working with wider business functions to identify opportunities, unlock investment and increase profit.
What We Are Looking For
Large-scale, multi-site retail experience is essential, with a proven track record of leading sizeable field teams and delivering sales and profit performance.
However, we are not just looking for an out-and-out operator.
We want someone who can look at the market and ask:
- What is changing?
- Where are the opportunities?
- How do we react quickly?
- Where should we invest?
- What can the wider business do to help stores and customers perform better?
You will be commercially curious, data-led and comfortable thinking both short and long term.
Customer & Commercial Focus
The role has a clear focus on profit growth, rather than simply cost control or loss prevention.
A strong understanding of the customer will be critical, particularly how customer relationships and personalised experiences can drive footfall, conversion and sales.
You will challenge how the stores operate and how the wider business supports them, bringing together customer insight, commercial opportunities and investment to improve performance.
The Person
We are looking for someone with:
- Significant senior leadership experience across a complex, multi-site retail estate
- Experience leading sizeable field leadership teams
- A strong track record of delivering sales, profit and growth
- Genuine commercial and strategic thinking alongside operational capability
- Strong understanding of customer behaviour and clientelling
- The ability to identify market opportunities and turn insight into action
- Experience influencing Marketing, Buying, Merchandising, Finance and other central functions
- High energy, pace and accountability
- The confidence to challenge established thinking and bring new ideas
Ultimately, we are looking for a senior retail operator who has evolved beyond operations.
Someone who understands stores, customers and profit, but who can also look at the wider business and ask: what could we do differently to create more growth?
This is a confidential search at the outset, with further detail available through the process.