Area Manager – Field Based – South London/Surrey Area

Area Manager – Field Based – South London/Surrey Area

This is a fantastic opportunity to come and work for a company voted in the top 10, in the Great Place to Work (Best Large Workplaces) awards 2017 for the second consecutive year, and Number 13 in Europe in 2016! We have over 440 stores and over 290 Groom Rooms and are the UK’s number one pet care retailer. Our business is fast-paced, innovative and fun and it’s our people that make the difference.

Role Purpose

• To build the success of the business by influencing and driving the performance of store and groom room teams using training, coaching and target setting.
• To role model the leadership behaviours ensuring the same from your stores and groom rooms.
• Lead the employee engagement strategy in your area which forms a key part of the regional strategy.
• Deliver your Area KPI’s and achieve targets on store performance, using performance reviews to effectively manage performance across the area.
• To lead the customer revolution and sustain a consistent high level of exceptional customer service from your team of Store managers and Groom Rooms.
• To achieve and maintain excellent standards of presentation, pet welfare and cleanliness in every store and groom room within your Area.
• Ensure clear and concise communication across your area, ensuring that all stores and groom rooms are fully informed.
• To drive, develop and maximise the performance of the store managers, groomers and their teams.
• To drive great succession planning and talent management across your area ensuring development opportunities are utilised appropriately
• To ensure that we maintain the highest possible standards of pet care, always putting pets before profit in stores and salons.
• To champion the Company Values and promote them in all business dealings.

Customer Service

• Actively demonstrate the very best customer service experience through delivering the customer service revolution in all your interactions with customers, visitors and colleagues.
• Train all of your colleagues in delivering the customer service revolution and encourage all colleagues to offer and exceptional level of service and quality product knowledge to all of our customers.
• Take prompt action to resolve all customer comments, complaints and celebrate compliments referred to you for consideration from any of your stores or groom rooms.

Generating sales

• Achieve and exceed all store sales targets by demanding a high standard of merchandise presentation from your stores and groom rooms.
• Ensure stores make the most of promotions and floor stacks to generate maximum interest and variety and are in line with company standard.
• Actively support your managers in the ‘better together’ approach for all services and work with your counterparts in the vets to achieve this.
• Ensure that managers exploit any local markets or opportunities for further sales development in their stores and groom rooms including social media.
• Actively drive your managers to demonstrate working in the community with pet pals workshops, school visits, events and demonstrations.
• Encourage store managers to balance their hours to meet the trade pattern and offer the best coverage at peak times including salons.
• Ensure Groom rooms are following all marketing and event plans.
• Ensure Groom room productivity is fully understood and driven by you, store managers and groomers.
• Share best practice and ideas for areas that have excelled with your peers and line managers for a ‘one team’ approach.

Operational Standards

• Support FPM’s to ensure that the care, welfare, and safety of all pets is given top priority in all stores.
• Ensures that managers support and drive through the salon managers the highest standards of welfare, care and safety for every pet that visits the salon through compliance with the SAI gold standard audit.
• Measure and record the ability of management teams to maintain a clean safe environment in line with Company store standards.
• Ensure that layout, displays, windows and merchandise are presented in line with merchandising plans and current priorities.
• Ensure management holidays and salon holidays are managed in line with company expectations.
• Complete structured reports as required, using every opportunity to set targets in areas that need improvement.
• Store visits are to include a salon visit for those stores with salons.
• Ensure Action plans are left and filed on visits to achieve operational standards.

Stock Control

• Supporting the Regional Profit Protection Business Partner in treating stock file integrity as a key priority for every member of the management team and check performance against Company average.
• Ensure managers understand and comply with all legislation regarding merchandising, ticketing, and sale of goods.
• Ensure clear briefing in to your teams on company stock control initiatives.

People management

• Recruit, train, engage and motivate store and groom room teams through high personal standards and great communication of Values in all behaviour.
• Ensure all recruitment processes are followed to maximise candidate experience and fill all vacancies with amazing colleagues.
• Support the Regional People Business Partner in delivering the regional people strategy across your area and region.
• Ensure all stores and groom rooms have a robust training plan in place and review regularly to ensure compliance with colleague development.
• Manage the IDGA and Performance Management process across your stores and groom rooms and ensure compliance from your teams.
• Review and appraise managers regularly to schedule their development and maintain motivation.
• Actively drive performance in stores and groom rooms and set targets for improvement.
• Educate store management teams on colleague turnover and absence management and the impact on their stores’ performance and actively work to drive these key areas down.
• Manage the Area Succession Plans for stores and groom rooms
• Work closely with the wider People team to drive the people agenda in your area.

Compliance

• Assess if the stores accurately complete and return all administration to the timescales required.
• Handle all queries and randomly check the work of management teams.
• Set targets and deadlines for managers and groomers; work with the Support Office to get the best from data.

Cost Control

• Monitor all cost elements in the business including cash control, colleague-levels and related costs, usage, and wastage ensuring they are within budgetary targets; and ensure that managers have the skills and knowledge to manage their store performance.
• Set clear targets and share best practice.

Health and Safety

• Treat all Health and safety matters with seriousness and communicate this to the team.
• Create or assess the effectiveness of Risk Assessments.
• Ensure the escalation process is followed in your stores and salons for any incidents and pet welfare concerns.
• Ensure the stores comply and have trained colleagues on site.

The Benefits

• Competitive salary
• 36 days paid annual leave (including bank holidays) rising to 38 after two years of employment
• Company Car
• Birthday Leave - 1 day extra leave to celebrate your Birthday!
• The option to buy extra holidays
• An extra days holiday when you become a new pet parent (Dog/Cat/Horse)
• Pension Scheme
• Colleague Discount- 20% discount for you (plus one family member). This can be used in Pets at Home Stores, Groom Rooms, Companion Care Veterinary Services, and Pet Plan Insurance!
• “Treats” benefits- an online range of offers and discounts which are available exclusively to Pets at Home Colleagues
• Life assurance
• Contributory Private Health Care
• Charity Leave- You are entitled to have one paid day’s leave each year to work for your favourite animal related charity.
• Celebrating Special Celebrations? You’ll get 1 extra week off and a gift to celebrate your wedding or civil partnership, and a gift from us if you are expecting or adopting a baby!
• Free Car Parking
• Free Gym
• Colleague of the Month Awards
• Cycle to Work Scheme

*If you haven't heard back from us within 2 weeks, please assume that unfortunately on this occasion your application has been unsuccessful*