Weekend Garden Centre Assistant

Hillier Nurseries Ltd; Eastbourne; On-site; GBP 5,000 - 5,500; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Sociable daytime hours

Full training

20% employee discount (after 3 months)

50% restaurant discount (after 3 meses

31 days annual leave (pro rata for PT)

Job summary

Hillier Nurseries Ltd is seeking a friendly Garden Centre Assistant for weekend work at Hillier Garden Centre, Eastbourne. This fixed-term role covers peak trading and offers a guaranteed 7.5 hours per week with flexibility for extra hours during busy periods.

You will deliver great customer service, share plant knowledge, help with stock, pricing and cash handling, and support cafe operations as needed. Applicants must be based in the UK with right to work.

Qualifications

• Excellent customer service skills.
• Interest in plants, gardening or garden centre environment.
• Willingness to work weekends and flexible hours.
• Ability to handle cash and process payments.

Responsibilities

• Provide excellent customer service and help customers with queries.
• Give helpful advice on plants and gardening products.
• Maintain health and appearance of plants through watering, pruning and pest checks.
• Replenish, price, rotate and display stock to company standards.
• Process payments accurately and handle cash/card transactions.
• Support stock control, including deliveries and wastage reductions.
• Promote the Hillier Gardening Club to customers.
• Keep garden centre areas clean, tidy, and safe.
• Report or address health and safety hazards.
• Support cafe/restaurant on ad-hoc basis when required.

Skills

Customer service

Team player

Flexible hours

Plant knowledge

Job description

Hillier Garden Centre at Eastbourne is looking for a friendly and enthusiastic Garden Centre Assistant to join our team at weekends.

Working across the garden centre, you'll help create a welcoming experience for customers by providing excellent service, offering product advice and helping to keep the centre clean, tidy, well-stocked and ready for trade.

This is a fixed-term role to cover business requirements through the peak trading period, expected to end on 3rd January 2027, although this may be reviewed depending on business needs. The role offers guaranteed 7.5 hours per week. Additional hours are regularly available during peak trading periods, so we are looking for candidates who can offer flexibility to increase their working hours when required.

Hourly rate of pay up to £12.71 per hour. Actual pay will be determined in line with National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage requirements.

What You'll Be Doing

• Providing excellent customer service and helping customers with their queries.
• Giving helpful advice on plants, gardening products and other items sold in the garden centre.
• Helping to maintain the health and appearance of plants, including watering, pruning and checking for pests or disease.
• Replenishing, pricing, rotating and displaying stock to company standards.
• Processing payments accurately and handling cash and card transactions.
• Supporting stock control, including deliveries, stock adjustments, wastage and reductions.
• Promoting the Hillier Gardening Club to customers.
• Keeping the garden centre, customer areas and facilities clean, tidy, organised and safe.
• Reporting or dealing with any health and safety hazards.
• Supporting the garden centre restaurant, café or coffee shop on an ad-hoc basis when required by the management team.

What We're Looking For

• A positive, friendly and helpful attitude.
• Excellent customer service skills.
• An interest in plants, gardening or working in a garden centre environment.
• Able to work with energy, pace and a flexible approach.
• A team player who is willing to support different areas of the business when required.
• Able to respond to challenges and demonstrate a can-do approach.
• Previous retail, garden centre or customer service experience is desirable but not essential, as full training will be provided.

Benefits

• Sociable daytime hours.
• Full training and access to our Online Learning Hub.
• 20% employee discount (after 3 months continuous service).
• 50% discount on the restaurant menu whilst on shift (after 3 months continuous service).
• 31 days' annual leave (pro rata for part-time colleagues).
• Free on-site parking.
• Enhanced Employee Assistance Programme for you and your immediate family.
• Company Christmas gifts (eligibility applies).
• Access to exclusive retail discounts, deals and cashback offers.
• Free solo entry to the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens in Romsey, plus discounts at other gardens nationally.

You will be joining a respected family business with over 160 years of horticultural heritage, working in a friendly and supportive environment where every team member is valued.

We can only consider candidates who are already based in the UK and have the right to work. Hillier is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates regardless of race, sex, disability, religion or belief, sexual orientation or age.