General Merchandise Manager

Sainsbury’s Group; Leeds; On-site; GBP 48,000 - 64,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discount card

Annual bonus scheme

Free food and hot drinks

Generous holiday entitlement

Pension - employer matching

Sainsbury's share scheme

Wellbeing support

Colleague networks

Cycle to Work

Gym membership offers

Job summary

Sainsbury’s Group in Leeds is seeking a capable General Merchandise Manager to lead non-food product areas and ensure excellent presentation and customer service. You will drive store operations from shop floor to warehouse, manage performance and discipline, and schedule accurately, with ownership of store outcomes in absence of senior management.

The role requires proven line management of high-performing teams, a relentless focus on customer service, and a track record of delivering KPI

Qualifications

• Previous line management responsibilities in a fast-paced, operational environment.
• Obsessed with customers and service; able to coach a team to do the same.
• Delivers KPI targets and performance indicators.
• Can manage disciplinaries, performance issues or other employee relations matters.
• Leads operations and can run the store in the absence of more senior management.
• Has a track record of delivering exceptional customer experiences and coaching others.
• Experience leading teams in a dynamic, customer-facing environment in retail, food service, or hospitality.
• Proven success across KPIs such as sales, stock availability, customer satisfaction, and colleague engagement.

Responsibilities

• Take responsibility for the management of all non-food products, presenting them to delight customers.
• Ensure the area runs smoothly from shop floor to warehouse.
• Manage performance and capability, conduct disciplinaries, and ensure scheduling and pay accuracy.
• Occasionally assume overall responsibility for running the store, providing direction and support to colleagues.

Skills

Line management

Customer service mindset

KPIs delivery

Disciplinaries handling

Operational leadership

Coaching teams

High-volume retail experience

People leadership

Job description

• Taking responsibility for the management of all our non - food products ensuring they are presented fantastically to delight our customers.
• Ensure your area runs smoothly every day from the shop floor to the warehouse.
• People management is a big part of the role, managing performance and capability, conducting disciplinaries and ensuring scheduling and pay are accurate.
• At times you may assume overall responsibility for running the store, making sure that all colleagues are given direction and support to deliver for the customer.

What makes a great general merchandise manager:

• Previous line management responsibilities in a fast-paced, operational environment.
• Someone who is truly obsessed with customers and service, and coaches a team to do the same.
• Delivers KPI's or other performance indicators.
• Can manage disciplinaries, performance issues or other similar employee relations issues.
• Leads operations and comfortable doing this alone in the absence of more senior management.
• A track record of delivering exceptional customer experiences, with evidence of coaching others to consistently raise the bar.
• Experience leading teams in a dynamic, customer-facing environment - you've inspired others, driven high performance, and created a culture where colleagues thrive.
• Leadership experience in a high-volume, fast-paced operational setting - whether in retail, food service, or hospitality - where you've overseen daily operations, solved business problems, and kept teams focused on what matters most: delivering for customers.
• Proven success in delivering against a wide range of KPIs - from sales and stock availability to customer satisfaction and colleague engagement, you've made a measurable difference.
• Experience managing complex people matters, including performance, absence, and formal employee relations cases, with confidence and fairness.

Working for us has great rewards

Salary will be dependent upon your experience as well as the store size, complexity and location. Alongside this, we also offer a great range of benefits for our managers, including:

• Discount card - 10% discount off on your shopping at Sainsbury's, Argos, Tu and Habitat after four weeks. This increases to 15% discount off at Sainsbury's every Friday and Saturday.
• An annual bonus scheme based on our, and your, performance.
• Free food and hot drinks provided for Colleagues in all our stores.
• Generous holiday entitlement, maternity and paternity leave.
• Pension - we'll match 4-7.5% of your pension contributions.
• Sainsbury's share scheme - build up an investment at discounted rates.
• Wellbeing support - access to emotional support, counselling, legal and financial advice.
• Colleague networks - link with like-minded people to help fulfil your potential.
• Our Cycle to Work scheme gives you the opportunity to hire a new bike and cycling equipment, whilst saving on tax and NI.
• Special offers on gym memberships, restaurants, holidays, retail vouchers and more.

An inclusive place to work and shop: We are dedicated to being a truly inclusive retailer, where every colleague can achieve their full potential and every customer feels welcome when they shop with us. To support this commitment, our colleagues may be entitled to a range of enhanced discretionary leave for families, as well as support for carers. We provide our colleagues resources to help them understand and support their role and their team effectively. Our internal colleague networks seek to ensure true representation for everyone, helping us identify and remove barriers that our colleagues may face. We are proud to offer a range of development opportunities, including mentorship, training, and career progression pathways, to help our colleagues grow and succeed. We also celebrate diversity through various initiatives and events, fostering a culture of inclusion and respect. If you would like to learn more about our commitment to inclusivity, please take a look here.