Retail Sales & Operations Manager

Apetito; Eastleigh; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading meal supplier is seeking a Retail Sales and Operations Manager in Eastleigh to lead their team and enhance local relationships. This role involves delivering exceptional customer service, managing sales performance, and engaging with the community. The ideal candidate will have strong leadership skills, experience in retail or hospitality, and a valid UK manual driving licence. This full-time position offers a competitive salary, benefits, and a commitment to making a positive impact.

Benefits

33 days holiday including bank holidays

Pension scheme with employer contribution

Life assurance scheme

Discretionary annual bonus

Qualifications

• Experience in retail, hospitality, or managing own business.
• Experience leading a team and creating a culture of engagement.
• Ability to achieve sales targets and provide exceptional service.

Responsibilities

• Empower the frontline team to deliver exceptional customer service.
• Focus on local marketing costs and depot performance.
• Engage with local community organizations to drive sales growth.

Skills

Exceptional relationship management

Sales and profitability focus

Team leadership

Data interpretation

Education

UK manual driving licence

Job description

Overview

We are looking for an exceptional Retail Sales and Operations Manager who will be responsible for the leadership of our team in Southampton located in Eastleigh.

The successful candidate will be a self‑starter with a can‑do attitude and a proactive positive outlook.

They will have an exceptional passion for delivering customer service and will be able to demonstrate this passion for delivering WFF’s unique good‑fashioned service ethic. They will want to make a real difference to our customers’ lives.

Competitive Salary Bonus Benefits

Who we are

Wiltshire Farm Foods, part of the Apetito group, is the UK’s largest ready‑meal supplier, cooking and delivering over 330 different delicious frozen ready meals across the UK, primarily to the elderly, their family members and healthcare professionals.

We are dedicated to making a real difference to our customers’ lives by bringing sunshine to their doors through our commitment to provide good old‑fashioned service.

Our intense pride drives us to continuously innovate and improve, ensuring our products and service exceed our customers’ needs.

This is all whilst being an ethical and sustainable organisation that believes in doing the right thing.

Responsibilities

The Retail Sales and Operations Manager will take ownership of their territory and view it as their own business. They will strive to produce outstanding results through embracing national support provided whilst owning and enhancing local relationships with customers and within the local community in which they operate.

The successful candidate will have four clear responsibilities they will be expected to deliver exceptional results against. These are depicted within the Wiltshire Farm Foods Triangle of Success:

Happy Teams – Good Old‑Fashioned Service

• Empower and enable the frontline team to do whatever it takes to delight the customer and deliver brilliant good old‑fashioned service.
• Develop and support the team to talk about our food passionately and knowledgeably.
• Create an environment where the team respects and supports each other, providing them with an opportunity to always strive to do their best – for our customers and for their colleagues.
• Establish a culture that prioritises the health and safety of team members above all else.

Costs of Local Distribution (COLD)

• Relentlessly focus on labour, vehicle, depot and local marketing costs as principal levers.
• Review performance each month with the Regional Manager.
• Ensure all necessary actions agreed are executed to keep the depot on target.

Growing Sales

• Implement all national campaign activities for new and existing customers.
• Ensure all CRM activities are executed.
• Implement local growth initiatives – e.g. sheltered housing, CSA training – to deliver agreed targets.

Community Engagement

• Engage with local community organisations, hospitals and healthcare professionals – individuals and groups.
• Use community involvement to drive further local sales growth.

Qualifications / Personal Qualities

Essential Experience, Skills and Abilities

• Establish exceptional relationships with customers.
• Demonstrable experience of delivering sales and profitability targets; a natural affinity for setting high standards with a relentless focus on providing the best service.
• Experience leading a team, creating a culture of engagement, and developing the team to achieve their true potential with a willingness to be hands‑on in supporting day‑to‑day operations.
• Ability to interpret data to determine the key levers required for success.

Desirable Experience, Skills and Abilities

• Retail care, hospitality or own‑business experience.
• Experience implementing and complying with Health & Safety processes.
• Experience managing employee consultation and implementing change initiatives.

Additional Qualifications

• Must have held a UK manual driving licence for at least 2 years.
• All offers of employment are subject to a Driving Assessment, Driving Licence checks and basic DBS checks.

Company Benefits

• Competitive salary; accredited Living Wage employer.
• 33 days holiday per year, including bank holidays (considered a normal working day).
• Option to purchase up to 5 additional days holiday per year.
• Discretionary annual bonus scheme.
• Pension scheme – employer matched contributions up to 4%.
• Life assurance scheme worth at least 1x annual salary.
• Free turkey or voucher at Christmas.
• Access to employee benefits, including Perkbox with salary sacrifice options and retail discounts.

Our Values

As a family‑owned business we take great pride in being a company that makes a real difference and is dedicated to creating outstanding meals to be proud of.

We develop a range of products designed to enhance health and well‑being for all our customers.

We are driven by a passion for service and dedicated to feeding some of the UK’s most vulnerable people.

We proudly support British food and farming, focusing on using the best ethical and sustainable produce in alignment with our goal to reach Net Zero by 2040.

Our ethical standards are recognised by the ETI and we are an accredited Living Wage employer.

Learn more about Apetito’s commitment to a more sustainable future.

We embrace inclusion, empowering individuals from diverse backgrounds. Our commitment to making a real difference extends to customers, communities and staff, and we’re on a mission to build an inclusive workplace where everyone reaches their full potential.

Employment Type

Full‑time