Plants - Assistant Plant Area Manager

Squire's Garden Centres; Chertsey; On-site; GBP 23,000 - 30,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee Discount

Holiday (including bank holidays)

Bonus

Pension

Attendance

MAD scheme

Learning & Development

Birthday

Cycle2work scheme

Child's first day at school

RHS Membership or a Tree / Shrub

Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

Retirement

Free Parking

Job summary

Squire’s Garden Centres is seeking a capable manager to support the Horticultural team, placing customer service at the forefront of every achievement. You will work closely with the Plant Manager to help the Garden Centre succeed and drive stock control, training, and merchandising across the department.

The role involves a 40-hour week with alternating weekend work, and requires a passion for customer service, flexibility, and a commercially minded approach to displays and sales.

Qualifications

• Extensive knowledge and experience of working in a retail bedding department and/or a horticultural qualification.
• A passion for customer service and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment.
• Flexible, enthusiastic and highly motivated, commercially aware and capable of creating dynamic displays.

Responsibilities

• Provide management support to the Horticultural team with customer service at the forefront.
• Work closely with the Plant Manager to help the Garden Centre succeed.
• Maintain stock levels and ensure accurate ordering and stock clearance when necessary.
• Train and monitor your team to ensure stock is cared for appropriately.
• Take responsibility for the whole department in the absence of the manager.
• Handle queries and complaints courteously and refer to the manager or product manager as needed.
• Generate sales opportunities through customer interactions.

Skills

Retail bedding dept experience

Customer service

Team supervision

Education

Horticultural qualification

Tools

Point of sale systems

Job description

Job Description

Posted Wednesday 8 July 2026 at 00:00

Your primary responsibility will be to provide management support to the Horticultural team, with customer service at the forefront of everything you achieve.

Working closely with the Plant Manager to help the Garden Centre to succeed.

Rota: Full time, 40 hours including alternate weekend working

Main duties and responsibilities

• Maintain good control over stock levels, including accurate ordering and stock clearance where necessary
• Train and monitor your team to ensure that stock is cared for appropriately
• Co-operate fully with line management and product managers
• Take responsibility for the whole department in the absence of the manager
• Ensure all queries and complaints are handled with courtesy and referred where necessary to the manager and product manager
• Customer Service expectations are exceeded
• Sales opportunities are generated through interaction with customers

To be successful in this role, we are looking for people

• Extensive knowledge and experience of working in a retail bedding department and/or a horticultural qualification.
• A passion for customer service and the ability to thrive in a fast‑paced environment are essential.
• Flexible, enthusiastic and highly motivated, commercially aware and capable of creating dynamic displays.

Squire’s is a family‑owned group of 17 garden centres based in Surrey, Sussex, Middlesex and Berkshire, committed to the highest standards in horticulture, catering and retail.

Rewards & Benefits

We wish our employees to be known for their friendliness, helpfulness and good customer service, with a whole ethos of ‘nothing is too much trouble for our customers.’ In turn we provide an extensive benefit package.

• Employee Discount – 50% in Restaurants and 20% in Garden Centre on joining, increasing to 25% after 2 years’ service and 30% after 5 years’ service.
• Holiday (including bank holidays) – 5.6 weeks on joining increasing to 6.2 weeks after 2 years’ service and 6.6 weeks after 5 years’ service.
• Bonus – We reward our employees with a non‑contractual bonus at Christmas, based on the profit of the company in any financial year (first year is dependent on start date).
• Pension – We offer a Defined Contribution Pension Plan to new employees. If you pay into the plan and meet the government criteria, the company will too, and these contributions will be invested.
• Attendance – After one year’s service, if you have worked a full financial year and have 100% attendance, one day holiday (pro‑rata) will be added to your holiday grant as a 'Thank you'.
• Made A Difference Scheme (M.A.D) – A reward scheme for team members who make a difference to our business through outstanding customer service, over and above normal duties or initiatives that have grown or inspired the business. There is a monthly winner; all winners select a gift to receive.
• Learning & Development – A wealth of learning opportunities that will enhance and develop you with the skills and confidence you need.
• Birthday – After 6 months’ service if your birthday falls on your contracted day to work, you can leave work early (holiday policy rules apply). If you have 2 years’ service on your birthday, you will receive a £25 Squires gift voucher (pro‑rata for less than 40 hours).
• Cycle2work scheme – After 1 year’s service, a government initiative offering 25% to 39% saving on new cycling equipment. This cost is deducted from your pay over 12 or 19 months.
• Child's first day at school – After 1 year’s service, you can come in late and go home early on your child’s first day of school, so that you can be there to take them and pick them up from school on that day.
• RHS Membership or a Tree / Shrub – After 1 year’s service, employees can choose either one tree or shrub to plant each year up to the value of £50 retail on the anniversary of your engagement or £50 towards RHS annual membership.
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) – After 2 years’ service, employees can join an EAP, providing access to a range of wellbeing resources.
• Retirement – After 15 years’ service, if you are retiring and have over 15 years’ service, your contracted hours will be reduced by a fifth but your pay will remain the same for your final 3 months.
• Free Parking – Available to all employees in the designated parking areas on our site.