Senior Store Manager - Food Retail

AlFuttaim; Dubai; On-site; AED 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

Al‑Futtaim's Marks & Spencer Food division in Dubai invites an experienced Senior Store Manager to lead a high‑volume store, directing commercial, operational, financial, and people performance.

The role requires a strategic leader to safeguard food safety standards, maximise sales and profitability, and deliver a premium customer experience while managing large cross‑functional teams.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years in food retail, including 5 years leading large-format stores.
• Bachelor's degree in Business Management, Retail Management, Hospitality, Supply Chain, or related discipline.
• Proven ability to manage large cross-functional teams in a demanding retail environment.
• Strong commercial judgment and store financial management experience.
• Experience delivering sales growth, profitability, and customer satisfaction.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a commercial plan aligned with store sales, margin, profitability, and productivity targets.
• Review trading results and introduce corrective actions to improve revenue, customer conversion, basket value, and gross margin.
• Lead seasonal campaigns, promotional launches, product initiatives, and local commercial activities.
• Track performance indicators covering sales, margin, stock, waste, shrinkage, labour costs, service standards, and customer satisfaction.
• Identify underperforming categories and work with commercial teams to improve product mix, pricing execution, availability, and presentation.
• Balance inventory investment with customer demand while reducing excess stock and food waste.
• Use financial and operational data to identify sustainable opportunities for business growth.

Skills

Food retail operations

Large-format store management

Commercial strategy

P and L ownership

Financial performance analysis

Sales and margin improvement

Labour budget management

Inventory optimisation

Visual merchandising

Customer experience management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business Management, Retail Management, Hospitality, Supply Chain, or related discipline

Tools

SAP

Retail management platforms

Microsoft Office

Business reporting systems

Job description

Job Snapshot

• Title: Senior Store Manager - Food Retail
• Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Industry: Retail
• Function: Store-Branch Management
• Experience: Minimum 10 years in food retail, including 5 years leading large-format stores
• Job Type: Full-time
• Salary: 25000-35000 (estimated)
• Gender: Any
• Candidate Nationality: Any

Position Overview

Senior Store Manager - Food Retail in Dubai, United Arab Emirates is a senior retail leadership opportunity for an experienced professional capable of managing the commercial, operational, financial, and people performance of a high-volume Marks and Spencer Food store. Al‑Futtaim is hiring a strategic store leader to increase sales, protect profitability, maintain outstanding food safety standards, and deliver a premium customer experience.

Job Details

• Country: United Arab Emirates
• City: Dubai
• Industry: Retail
• Function: Store-Branch Management
• Salary range: 25,000–35,000 (estimated)

Role Context

The Senior Store Manager will direct all business activities within a large Marks and Spencer Food store. The role combines commercial strategy, operational governance, financial accountability, team development, food safety leadership, and customer experience management.

Working with regional operations, commercial, planning, supply chain, finance, and human resources teams, the store manager will convert business objectives into practical store plans.

Success will depend on achieving profitable growth while maintaining product freshness, on-shelf availability, efficient staffing, brand consistency, and full regulatory compliance.

Key Responsibilities

Commercial Performance and Growth

• Develop and execute a commercial plan aligned with store sales, margin, profitability, and productivity targets.
• Review trading results and introduce corrective actions to improve revenue, customer conversion, basket value, and gross margin.
• Lead seasonal campaigns, promotional launches, product initiatives, and local commercial activities.
• Track performance indicators covering sales, margin, stock, waste, shrinkage, labour costs, service standards, and customer satisfaction.
• Identify underperforming categories and work with commercial teams to improve product mix, pricing execution, availability, and presentation.
• Balance inventory investment with customer demand while reducing excess stock and food waste.
• Use financial and operational data to identify sustainable opportunities for business growth.

Leadership and People Development

• Provide visible leadership to department managers, supervisors, and store colleagues.
• Establish clear performance expectations and maintain accountability throughout the management structure.
• Coach managers in commercial decision‑making, team leadership, operational control, and customer service.
• Build succession plans for critical store positions and support the development of future retail leaders.
• Manage recruitment, onboarding, performance reviews, employee development, and retention initiatives.
• Promote an inclusive workplace that supports employee wellbeing, collaboration, and continuous learning.
• Plan workforce deployment according to trading patterns, promotional periods, seasonal demand, and operational requirements.

Customer Experience

• Champion a customer‑first operating culture across every food department.
• Ensure service delivery reflects the premium Marks and Spencer customer experience.
• Review complaints, satisfaction results, and customer feedback to identify service improvement priorities.
• Resolve escalated customer concerns professionally and within appropriate service timelines.
• Improve customer loyalty through product availability, colleague knowledge, store presentation, and consistent service.
• Ensure the store remains clean, accessible, welcoming, and fully prepared throughout trading hours.

Store Operations

• Direct daily operations across replenishment, receiving, merchandising, inventory control, customer service, and checkout activities.
• Ensure operating procedures and control measures are consistently applied across all departments.
• Improve productivity without compromising product quality, customer service, employee safety, or compliance.
• Coordinate store opening, closing, trading readiness, peak‑period planning, and operational recovery activities.
• Conduct structured store walks and commercial reviews to identify risks and improvement opportunities.
• Lead continuous improvement projects that reduce complexity, control costs, and strengthen execution.
• Maintain effective communication between store departments and regional support functions.

Food Safety and Compliance

• Ensure compliance with Marks and Spencer food safety requirements, HACCP standards, Dubai Municipality regulations, and health and safety legislation.
• Maintain strict controls for food storage, temperature monitoring, handling, preparation, freshness, hygiene, and expiry management.
• Lead internal and external audits and ensure corrective actions are completed within required deadlines.
• Monitor food quality and withdraw products that fail to meet approved safety or freshness standards.
• Maintain accurate compliance records, audit documentation, incident reports, and corrective action plans.
• Promote proactive risk reporting and reinforce personal accountability for workplace and food safety.
• Ensure operational risks are identified, assessed, controlled, and escalated appropriately.

Inventory and Supply Chain

• Optimise inventory levels to improve availability while controlling waste, markdowns, and shrinkage.
• Work with planning and supply chain teams to improve demand forecasting, replenishment, and stock flow.
• Monitor inventory accuracy and investigate recurring stock discrepancies.
• Ensure receiving, storage, rotation, replenishment, and stock‑count procedures are completed correctly.
• Review waste and loss reports and implement targeted reduction plans.
• Support supply chain initiatives designed to improve lead times, availability, and operational efficiency.

Visual Merchandising and Brand Standards

• Maintain high visual merchandising and store presentation standards across all food categories.
• Ensure promotional displays, pricing information, signage, and product placement follow approved guidelines.
• Coordinate seasonal floor changes and commercial launches with relevant business teams.
• Review department presentation regularly and address inconsistencies immediately.
• Protect the Marks and Spencer brand through disciplined execution of visual, product, and service standards.

Financial and Business Management

• Own the store P and L and remain accountable for financial performance.
• Manage labour expenditure, operating expenses, controllable costs, waste, and stock loss.
• Analyse financial reports and translate findings into practical profitability plans.
• Evaluate commercial decisions using sales, margin, cost, productivity, and customer data.
• Present store performance, risks, operational challenges, and growth opportunities to senior leadership.
• Contribute to strategic projects that support the long‑term development of Al‑Futtaim Retail.

Ideal Profile

• Bachelor's degree in Business Management, Retail Management, Hospitality, Supply Chain, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 10 years' experience in food retail, supermarket, hypermarket, or grocery operations.
• At least 5 years of experience leading a large‑format, flagship, or high‑volume retail store.
• Demonstrated success in achieving sales growth, profitability, customer satisfaction, and operational targets.
• Proven ability to manage large, cross‑functional teams in a demanding retail environment.
• Strong commercial judgment and practical experience with store financial management.
• Working knowledge of food safety systems, HACCP controls, municipality requirements, and retail compliance.
• Experience managing labour budgets, inventory investment, stock availability, waste, and shrinkage.
• Strong background in coaching, talent development, succession planning, and performance management.
• Ability to analyse retail data and make timely, commercially sound decisions.
• Excellent stakeholder management, communication, influencing, and presentation capabilities.
• Strong planning, organisation, problem‑solving, and decision‑making skills.
• Proficiency in SAP, retail management platforms, Microsoft Office, and business reporting systems.
• Commitment to continuous improvement, operational discipline, and customer service excellence.

Skills Set

• Food retail operations
• Large‑format store management
• Commercial strategy
• P and L ownership
• Financial performance analysis
• Sales and margin improvement
• Labour budget management
• Inventory optimisation
• Replenishment planning
• Demand forecasting
• Waste reduction
• Shrinkage control
• Food safety management
• HACCP compliance
• Dubai Municipality compliance
• Health and safety
• Customer experience management
• Team leadership
• Coaching and mentoring
• Talent development
• Succession planning
• Performance management
• Supply chain collaboration
• Visual merchandising
• SAP
• Microsoft Office
• Retail reporting systems
• Operational risk management
• Continuous improvement

Why Join Us

This position offers an opportunity to lead a significant food retail operation within one of the Middle East's most established diversified business groups. The Senior Store Manager will influence commercial results, customer experience, food safety, employee development, and future store growth while working with a globally recognised retail brand.

The role provides broad exposure to regional operations, supply chain, commercial planning, finance, and senior retail leadership. It is well suited to an accomplished food retail manager seeking greater business ownership, long‑term career development, and stability within Dubai's competitive retail market.

About the Company

Al‑Futtaim Group is a privately held regional organisation headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Its operations span automotive, financial services, real estate, retail, and healthcare across markets in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Al‑Futtaim Retail manages partnerships with internationally recognised brands and is a major regional partner of Marks and Spencer. The business operates an extensive portfolio of fashion and food stores while continuing to develop modern retail concepts for diverse customer markets.