Deputy Store Manager

Jollyes Pets; Thurrock; On-site; GBP 29,000 - 31,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Annual bonus up to £2k

Financial wellbeing package

Retail Trust membership

Colleague discounts

Health and wellbeing

Extra time off

Enhanced family leave

Recognition and rewards

Lifestyle benefits

Learning and development

Job summary

Jollyes Pets in Thurrock is seeking a Deputy Store Manager to lead the team on the shop floor, support the Store Manager and drive daily operations.

You'll coach colleagues, manage KPIs, customer service and pet care standards, and help the store deliver a great shopping experience.

This hands-on, full-time role offers a salary of £29,000–£30,500 per year with a bonus up to £2,000, plus a rewards package and development opportunities.

Qualifications

• Genuine passion for pets and people.
• Retail supervisory or management experience.
• Hands-on leadership on the shop floor.
• Clear communication and team motivation.
• Track record of affecting KPIs and business performance.
• Commercial awareness including basic P&L understanding.
• Own transport with a UK driving licence.
• Full-time, permanent role: 40 hours/week, 5 days.

Responsibilities

• Support the Store Manager on day-to-day operations and coach the team.
• Help run the store to maximise turnover and gross margin while controlling costs.
• Build a strong sales culture through upselling and value-added conversations.
• Ensure high standards of pet care and customer service with product knowledge.
• Support recruitment, training and development of the team.
• Communicate key business updates and objectives to the team.
• Be hands-on on the shop floor and with deliveries, not desk-based.
• Be physically active; the role involves standing and lifting.
• Raise any reasonable adjustment needs in the application.

Skills

Pet passion

Retail supervision

Shop floor leadership

Clear communication

KPIs & performance

Commercial awareness

UK driving licence

Job description

Deputy Manager - Jollyes Pets - Thurrock

Salary £29,000 - £30,500 p.a. + bonus potential of up to £2k p.a*. This is a hands-on leadership role. You'll be on the shop floor every day - supporting your Store Manager and coaching the team through live customer interactions, helping with deliveries, and setting the standard through what you do, not just what you say. If you want to build your leadership experience and see the impact of it in real time, read on.

Following exciting recent and continued growth, Jollyes is looking for a talented individual to be the Deputy Manager in our Thurrock store. This is a fantastic opportunity to join a company voted Best Retailer 2024 in the Retail Week awards, and included in the Sunday Times 'Best Places to Work' list and accredited by the Pet Sustainability Coalition.

The Benefits:

At Jollyes, we are as passionate about our people as we are about our pets! We think our tail-wagging benefits package reflects our appreciation for all that our colleagues do and provides support where it’s needed most.

• Competitive salary of £29,000 - £30,500 p.a., plus annual bonus potential of up to £2k p.a., *subject to reaching pre-agreed measures.
• Financial Wellbeing Package (Stream): Access earnings early, plus savings tools and discounts.
• Retail Trust Membership: Counselling, wellbeing, and financial support.
• Colleague Discounts: Treats at 800+ retailers, plus 30% off Jollyes products and pet services.
• Health & Wellbeing Support: Online GP, mental health services, fitness programs, dental care, and cancer support.
• Extra Time Off: Birthday, wedding, new pet days, plus buy/sell holiday options.
• Enhanced Family Leave: Maternity and paternity packages above statutory levels.
• Recognition & Rewards: Top Dog Award with extra day off and perks.
• Lifestyle Benefits: Cycle2Work scheme and discounted David Lloyd membership.
• Learning & Development: Ongoing training for career growth.

The Role - Deputy Store Manager:

• Supporting your Store Manager in leading the team day-to-day, deputising fully in their absence and helping create an excellent culture and working environment, demonstrating our values of being: Genuine, Wise, Eager, Focused, Together.
• Running a successful store - helping to manage KPIs around people, store standards, customer service, and financial performance, and playing a key role in maximising turnover, and gross margin while controlling costs.
• Helping build a strong sales culture in-store: coaching your team to spot every opportunity to add value for the customer - confidently suggesting complementary products, seasonal offers, or additional services that genuinely improve the experience for pets and their owners. This isn't about hard-selling - it's about helping your team have great conversations that naturally lead to a bigger basket and a better-served customer.
• Ensuring you and your team deliver the highest standards of pet care, with pet welfare always the top priority, and promoting responsible pet ownership.
• Delivering exceptional customer service and a great shopping experience, with strong pet* and product* knowledge across the team. (*Training given)
• Supporting the recruitment, motivation, training and development of your team, and helping to promote Jollyes as an employer of choice locally.
• Sharing clear communication of key business updates and individual/team objectives.
• Genuinely hands-on, not office-based. You’ll be out front with your team and customers — helping with deliveries, walking the floor, and helping drive performance through what you see and do in-store, not from behind a screen.
• Physically active by nature. Our products can be heavy and retail keeps you on your feet most of the day — if the idea of a desk job doesn't appeal, this could be exactly what you’re looking for.
• If you’d need any reasonable adjustments to succeed in this role, just let us know in your application.

The Skills:

To be successful in this role, joining as a Deputy Manager you’ll need the following skills and experience:

• A genuine passion for pets and people - delighting customers with an unrivalled shopping experience. Expect to meet customers with paws, claws or feathers when customers bring their pets into our store, so comfort around animals is a must.
• Some previous retail supervisory or management experience, with a hands-on approach and a readiness to step up and lead when needed.
• Commercially confident on the shop floor - comfortable modelling and encouraging upselling and add-on sales conversations with customers.
• A clear communicator who can motivate a team and support succession planning for future leaders.
• Has contributed to strong business performance and KPIs in a previous role, while helping maintain high store standards, health & safety, and legal compliance.
• Commercially aware, with an interest in developing your understanding of P&L management.
• Own transport with a UK driving licence, as occasional out-of-hours store visits or regional cover may be needed.
• Full time, permanent - 40 hours/week, 5 days out of 7. This includes evenings and weekend cover when our stores can be busiest.

About Jollyes Pets

Jollyes are an award-winning UK pet retailer with over 125 stores and over 50 years of pet expertise between our paws. Winners of the Retail Week award for 'Best Retailer' (under £250m t/o) and Pet Retailer of the Year at the Pet Industry Federation Awards, listed in the Sunday Times 'Best Place to Work' and shortlisted for 'Happiest Place to Work', you really can be sure you're joining a great brand and employer, trusted by our customers and our colleagues. Accredited by 'Rest Less' as an age-inclusive employer we welcome applications of all ages (16+), and with our accreditation to the Pet Sustainability Coalition, we're friendly to pets, people and the planet too!