Head of Retail

Role Purpose

The Head of Retail will provide strategic leadership and overall accountability for the success, profitability, and operational excellence of all showroom stores nationwide. This role will set the vision and deliver the strategy for the retail estate, ensuring that showroom sales, service quality, and brand standards drive business growth.

The post holder will have:

• Full P&L accountability for the retail estate.
• Strategic responsibility for retail sales performance, market growth, and operational transformation.
• Direct leadership of the overall management structure rather than individual stores.
• Influence at board level, contributing to the overall company commercial strategy.

Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Define and deliver the retail growth strategy aligned with business objectives and market trends.
• Own the retail P&L, setting and achieving sales and profit targets across all regions.
• Oversee retail budgeting, forecasting, and capital expenditure plans (e.g. new store openings, refurbishments).
• Provide market insight and competitor analysis to inform commercial decisions including new site identification and acquisition.

Performance and Commercial

• Set clear commercial KPIs for Store Managers, holding them accountable for delivery.
• Monitor  performance, identifying underperformance and implementing corrective plans.
• Maximise showroom revenue through data-driven initiatives on pricing, promotions, stock, and customer conversion.
• Drive margin growth and cost control measures while safeguarding customer experience.
  

 Retail Operations

• Oversee operational standards, ensuring consistency, compliance, and operational best practice across all showrooms.
• Approve and oversee major store development, relocations, or closures.
• Champion brand and visual merchandising standards to deliver an inspiring, consistent customer journey.
• Experience in identification and opening up of new stores, recruitment and fit-out
  

 People Leadership

• Lead, develop, and inspire the retail team, building a strong succession pipeline.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and high performance at all levels.
• Oversee talent acquisition, development, and performance management for all retail roles.
• Act as a visible senior leader, embedding company values and leading cultural change initiatives.
  

Customer Experience

• Drive a customer-centric culture, ensuring every showroom delivers exceptional service standards.
• Embed customer feedback mechanisms to inform improvement plans.
• Act as a senior brand ambassador internally and externally.

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

• Extensive senior-level retail leadership experience, ideally as Head of Retail / Retail Director.
• Proven track record of delivering multi-site sales growth and operational transformation.
• Full P&L ownership and experience driving profitability across a large retail estate.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen with experience managing large budgets.
• Experience influencing and presenting at board level.
• Deep understanding of retail operations, customer experience, merchandising, and compliance.

Desirable

• Experience in mattress, bed and/or furniture retail.
• Exposure to digital transformation and omnichannel strategies.
• Professionally trained in advanced leadership and commercial strategy.

Skills, Attributes and Behaviours

Essential

• Strategic thinker able to translate vision into actionable plans.
• Commercially astute and highly results-driven.
• Inspiring and credible leader with the ability to influence at senior levels.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Strong analytical, planning, and decision-making capability.
• Able to balance long-term strategic delivery with short-term commercial targets.
• Resilient, adaptable, and comfortable leading change at pace.
• Embodies company core values:
  ○    Become Better Together
  ○    Have the Drive to Thrive
  ○    Positivity Rocks