Head Of Retail

Restaurant Associates UK; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Restaurant Associates UK is seeking a highly energetic Head of Retail to lead a high-volume workplace restaurant, bar and vending operation at a prime Canary Wharf site. You will own the operation, drive sales, guest experience and profitability, and partner with Culinary to shape a compelling workplace dining proposition.

The role requires strong leadership, commercial acumen and a passion for retail excellence in a dynamic, client-facing environment.

Qualifications

• Significant leadership experience in high-volume food & beverage operations.
• Commercial awareness with budgets, sales, gross profit and costs.
• Experience developing managers and frontline teams.

Responsibilities

• Provide hands-on leadership across restaurant, bar and vending services.
• Develop and execute a commercially successful food and beverage offer.
• Oversee stock, purchasing, pricing, labour and waste reduction.
• Engage with client stakeholders to shape workplace dining strategy.
• Ensure food safety, health and safety compliances are met.

Skills

Leadership experience

Commercial awareness

Budget management

Team development

Vending/retail operations knowledge

Job description

Head of Retail

We are looking for an energetic, commercially minded and hands-on Head of Retail to lead a diverse, high-volume workplace retail operation at a prestigious law firm in Canary Wharf. This is an exciting opportunity to take ownership of the restaurant and bar plus the vending operation in a building that serves more than 3,000 people. With mobilisation in 2027, this is also a fantastic opportunity to help shape and deliver an exciting new workplace dining and retail proposition.

As Head Of Retail, You Will

• Provide visible, hands-on leadership, ensuring a consistent approach and clear direction.
• Lead, motivate and develop your management team, creating a positive, accountable and high-performing culture.
• Work in close partnership with the Head of Culinary to develop an exciting, relevant and commercially successful food and beverage offer.
• Oversee vending and pantry services, ensuring excellent product availability, presentation, range and reliability across the building.
• Drive participation, sales and average spend by understanding customer needs, responding to changing workplace patterns and continually refreshing the offer.
• Take commercial ownership of the operation, focusing on sales, gross profit, pricing, purchasing, labour, stock management and waste reduction.
• Use sales information, customer feedback and operational insight to identify opportunities, improve performance and make informed decisions.
• Build strong relationships with client stakeholders and wider workplace partners.
• Maintain exceptionally high standards of food safety, health and safety, compliance and operational control.
• Bring fresh ideas, energy and innovation to the operation, developing activations, promotions and experiences that encourage customers to engage with the offer.
• Play a key role in shaping the future retail operation, helping to create a progressive and market-leading workplace dining experience.

As Head Of Retail, You Will Bring

• Significant leadership experience within a high-volume restaurant, brasserie, food hall, bar, contract catering or comparable food and beverage operation.
• A strong understanding of busy restaurant operations, ideally within a counter-service or self-service environment.
• Commercial awareness and experience managing budgets, sales, gross profit, labour, purchasing, stock and operational costs.
• Experience leading and developing supervisors, managers and frontline teams, creating a strong sense of ownership and shared purpose.
• A genuine passion for food, drink and retail, with an instinct for understanding what customers want and creating an offer they will return for.
• The ability to work collaboratively with culinary teams, constructively challenging and supporting chefs to achieve the best possible results.
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to balance day-to-day trading requirements with commercial priorities and longer-term development.
• Experience within a premium workplace, high-street restaurant, hotel or comparable customer-led environment would be beneficial.
• Knowledge of vending, unattended retail or cashless convenience operations would also be an advantage.

Ready to take the lead? Bring your passion, commercial drive and vision to Restaurant Associates and help shape an exciting new era of workplace retail.

About Us

Restaurant Associates provides brilliant hospitality through our food, drink and services. We work with our partners and collaborate with our clients to achieve great things together. Every day, our teams of passionate hospitality professionals strive for excellence in delivering employee dining and hospitality to some of the UK's leading workplace as well as inspiring exceptional experiences in iconic cultural and heritage destinations.

Job Reference: com/0411/K64701/52844144/SU #RAGroup

Compass Group UK&I is committed to fostering an environment where every individual can truly be themselves at work and has equal opportunities to advance in their careers. We strive to build a culture that respects and celebrates the unique talents, beliefs, backgrounds, and abilities of all our team members. We want our colleagues to feel valued, empowered to reach their full potential, and to thrive - because diversity is our strength!