General Manager

Cambridge Spectacle Co.; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Cambridge Spectacle Co. is seeking a General Manager to lead day-to-day operations across its expanding retail network in London and surrounding sites. You will ensure operational excellence, commercial performance, staff leadership and a premium customer experience aligned with the Cambridge Spectacle Co.

brand. You will connect stores with head office, product development and clinical teams to drive smooth running and growth of the multi-site group, while setting up onboarding and ensuring

Qualifications

• Experience managing multiple stores across a retail network.
• Proven ability to lead teams and drive commercial results.
• Strong focus on delivering premium customer experience.

Responsibilities

• Oversee daily operations across all stores.
• Drive KPI performance: revenue, conversion, AOV, clinical utilisation.
• Lead recruitment, onboarding, rotas and performance reviews.

Skills

Multi-site retail management

Team leadership

Performance improvement

Customer experience focus

Strong communication

Job description

Location: London-based, with travel to Covent Garden, Spitalfields, Clapham, Richmond, Brighton + Birmingham/Cheltenham as required

Reports to: CEO

Role Overview

We are looking for a highly capable General Manager to lead day-to-day operations across our expanding retail network. This role is responsible for ensuring operational excellence, commercial performance, staff leadership and delivery of a premium customer experience consistent with the Cambridge Spectacle Co. brand.

You will be the connecting point between stores, head office, product development, and clinical teams — ensuring the smooth running and growth of a multi-site retail group.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee daily operations across all stores: Covent Garden, Spitalfields, Richmond, Clapham, Brighton, Birmingham, Cheltenham + new openings.
• Ensure stores meet KPIs across revenue, conversion, average order value, and clinical utilisation.
• Maintain operational standards, visual merchandising, and brand consistency.

Team Management & Performance

• Line-manage Store Managers, Supervisors, and support staff.
• Lead recruitment, onboarding, rotas, and performance reviews.
• Build a positive culture that reflects our brand values: design-led, customer-first, and forward-thinking.

Commercial Ownership

• Drive weekly and monthly sales performance across the group.
• Lead promotional planning, local marketing, and community outreach.
• Monitor stock, product mix, and ordering in collaboration with HQ.
• Support pricing optimisation and upsell strategy.

Operational Excellence

• Own store compliance, health & safety, and audit readiness.
• Ensure delivery of exceptional customer service standards across all stores.
• Implement process improvements and efficiencies across the group.
• Liaise with landlords, contractors and suppliers as needed.

New Store Integration

• Support onboarding, integration and rebranding of new stores into the group.
• Lead set-up and launch of new sites including staffing, training, and operational readiness.
• Ensure seamless adoption of new systems, processes and technologies.

Technology & Innovation

• Help integrate new technologies into the retail experience.
• Ensure store teams are trained to sell, demo and support new product categories.
• Champion the modernisation of the customer journey.

What We’re Looking For

• Strong multi-site retail management experience (optical, fashion, premium retail, or consumer tech preferred).
• Proven ability to lead teams, improve performance and deliver commercial results.
• Highly organised, proactive and confident managing multiple priorities.
• Excellent communication and people-management skills.
• Comfortable working in a fast-changing, scale-up environment.