Retail Development Manager

Wells and Co.; Bedford; On-site; GBP 52,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary + bonus

Car allowance

25 days holiday

Pension & healthcare

Life assurance

Discounts on dining/beers

Refer a friend

Job summary

Wells and Co. in Bedfordshire seeks a Retail Development Manager to support a diverse estate of pubs. You will develop area plans, review P&L, meet partners regularly and drive sustainable growth across the network.

Leverage market insights with the Marketing team, coach partners on business plans, and work with Property on asset value and profitability. A results-driven, entrepreneurial mindset is essential.

Qualifications

• Experience managing turnover-based or franchised pub agreements.
• Strong commercial and revenue-growth mindset.
• Creative, proactive approach to business development.
• Personable, engaging and confident external influence.

Responsibilities

• Develop and review Operational Plans for area pubs to grow net contribution.
• Monthly P&L reviews; identify anomalies and actions to grow sales and protect profit.
• Meet partners regularly; follow up on agreed actions.
• Build relationships with partners to understand needs and grow sales profitably.
• Identify top operators and recruit proactively within geography.
• Collaborate with Retail Marketing on market insights and activity.
• Coach partners to evolve their Business Plans with data and feedback.
• Work with Property team to increase asset value and profitability.
• Ensure commercial agreements suit partners and monitor obligations.
• Monitor sales and profitability; highlight areas for improvement.
• Lead New Let, Rent Review and Assignment processes with Commercial Services.

Skills

Commercial acumen

Influencing

Entrepreneurial flair

People skills

Attention to detail

Organisational ability

Education

BIIAB Level 4 Certificate in Multiple Licensed Premises Management

Job description

In 1876, Charles Wells bought a Bedford brewery and 32 pubs. We’ve grown a lot since then and continue to evolve with the opening of our brand-new craft brewery in Bedford, but our passion remains in our 200 welcoming pubs that serve great food and drink across the home counties and France.

As a Retail Development Manager within our Lease and Tenanted business you will be supporting and developing a diverse group of around 35 award winning, urban, destination and local Pubs across the Region. Working with our partners to support and deliver improvements and grow profit across the estate.

Being an expert in the pub industry yourself you will already have the passion, knowledge, and skills to build the businesses – a true advisor and influencer who can build great client relationships to proactively develop the best pubs.

Position

• Develop and review the ‘Operational Plans’ for an area of tenanted and leased pubs, identifying opportunities to grow our net contribution per pub, improving the sustainability & profitability of our partners and pubs YOY.


• Monthly review of P&L ensuring queries & anomalies are identified and understood so the appropriate action can be taken to grow sales and protect profit.


• To meet with partners on a regular basis following up on agreed key action points.


• Build effective working relationships with our partners, understanding their needs, competition, and customers to help them grow sales profitably & sustainably.


• Avoid pub closures or need for ‘temporary pub management’, ensuring our pubs are let to the most talented partners on substantive agreements.


• To identify the best operators in our geography, networking and building contacts within the area to spot talent and proactively recruit.


• To work with the Retail Marketing team, advising partners on key market insight, brands, and other activity to help partners grow sales.


• Coach and influence partners to deliver & evolve their ‘Business Plan’ using the relevant sales & financial information, observation, and customer feedback.


• Work with the Property team to ensure that opportunities to increase the asset value and profitability of the business are realised by driving individual pub investments and disposal activity in the estate.


• Ensure each partner has a commercial agreement that suits them and ensure they meet their obligations and proactively manage all parties when this is not the case.


• Monitor the sales performance and profitability of our partners, highlighting where improvements could be made.


• Lead the New Let, Rent Review and Assignment process with support from Commercial Services.


• To develop positive relationships in line with W&C & BBPA codes of practice, adapting behaviour appropriately with partners to help them grow our businesses.


• To demonstrate continuous improvement by inspiring partners & colleagues to try new things or make changes to help us become the best at what we do.

Requirements

• Reside within easy reach of the Northern Home Counties and Bedford


• Be experienced in managing T/O based agreements or franchised agreements within the pub market


• BIIAB Level 4 ‘Certificate in Multiple Licensed Premises Management’


• Possess exceptional commercial acumen - constantly aware of competitors and how to take advantage across multi revenue streams


• Have a creative and entrepreneurial flair and an appetite for success in driving a business forward


• Have a personable, engaging, and confident approach


• Be highly driven and ambitious with a natural flair for influencing


• Possess high attention to detail with exceptional organisational ability

Other information

In return we will offer you:

• Competitive salary + bonus


• Company car allowance


• 25 days holiday


• Pension & private healthcare


• Life assurance


• Dining, retail and beer discounts


• Refer a friend Bonus


• Employee assistance programme

This year we proudly celebrate our 150th Birthday, so if you’re looking to develop your career within a Company who are led by family values whilst still striving to innovate, invest and progress, this is a great time to join.

We are a people-first business - Our pubs bring people together, and we believe our teams should reflect the communities we serve. We want everyone to feel welcome, valued, and able to be themselves at work. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where people are treated with respect and given equal opportunity to thrive, regardless of their background, experiences, or identity. Whether it's your first role in hospitality or your next career move, if you've got a positive attitude and a passion for looking after people, we'd love to hear from you.

If you need any adjustments or additional support during the recruitment process, please let us know when you apply.