General Manager - Food Retail

RPG Recruitment; Waterford; On-site; EUR 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Ardkeen Quality Food Store in Waterford is seeking an experienced General Manager to lead the store as part of the Senior Management Team. The role focuses on achieving sales and profit targets, maintaining exceptional customer service, and driving strategic growth aligned with the Directors’ vision.

The successful candidate will oversee retail operations, staffing, merchandising, and cost control, while championing the Ardkeen brand and its commitment to provenance and quality.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years relevant FMCG retail management experience.
• Strong understanding of fresh food retailing.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead, motivate and develop a high-performing retail team.
• Coach and develop the management team and build succession.
• Ensure an engaging and memorable customer experience.
• Drive store sales and profitability while managing costs.
• Utilise commercial data to identify opportunities and drive results.
• Maintain high standards of visual merchandising and store presentation.
• Oversee stock management, payroll, and operational costs.

Skills

Leadership

People development

Customer experience

Commercial awareness

Education

Third level degree in retail or business

Job description

General Manager - Our client, Ardkeen Quality Food Store is an award-winning, independent, family-run food retailer based on the Dunmore Road in Waterford City, Ireland. Founded in 1967, the store has evolved into one of Ireland's premier destinations for artisan and locally produced Irish foods. When international supermarket chains surrounded their location in the early 2000s, the family pivoted to focus more on food provenance, quality, and strong relations with small-batch makers. The store is at the heart of the community. As well as the store, they now have a very active e-commerce business, shipping local product worldwide and an additional coffee shop in Waterford

There is now a unique and rare opportunity for a General Manager to join the Senior Management Team at Ardkeen Quality Food Store. While the values and overall strategy of the business are set by the Directors, this senior role seeks a candidate with exceptional ability to lead and contribute positively to all aspects of managing the store whilst developing the store further into the future. A genuine appreciation of the Ardkeen Quality Food Stores people and culture is very important in this role.

The overall Purpose of the role

Leading from the front, you will be responsible for all aspects of managing the store, principally the achievement of sales and profit targets and personnel costs, while also maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction and compliance with all relevant regulation.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, motivate and develop and support a high-performing retail team.
• Coach and develop the management team further, building capability and succession within the business.
• Ensuring the store delivers an engaging and memorable customer experience.
• Use existing strengths of the business to create innovative and profitable trading opportunities.
• Drive store sales across all departments and grow store profitability performance, adapting merchandising and commercial activity to maximise seasonal and other trading opportunities.
• Using commercial data, KPIs and customer insights to identify opportunities and drive results.
• Ongoing delivery of exceptional standards of visual merchandising and store presentation.
• Managing all costs including payroll, stock, operational costs and other key commercial measures.
• Maintain excellent standards across stock management, compliance and store operations.
• Bring energy, creativity and strong retail standards to the day-to-day running of the store.

Role will suit

• Seeking an accomplished FMCG retail manager with proven experience managing a successful, fast-paced retail food store. Minimum of 5 years relevant experience required.
• A comprehensive understanding of fresh food retailing.
• 3Rd level degree in retail, business or other relevant discipline preferred.
• A proven track record of leading, coaching and developing teams
• Strong commercial acumen with the ability to understand and influence sales, margin and profitability.
• Experience managing KPIs, payroll, stock, HR input and overall operational performance.
• A strong understanding of visual merchandising for product presentation.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, an ability to collaborate effectively with colleagues and customers essential for this role
• Excellent attention to detail, planning and organisation skills.