Garden Centres jobs in Woburn Sands

Garden Centre General Manager

As we continue to expand, our successful independent garden centre needs a General Manager who can run the business with commercial focus and protect the personal, hands-on character of a family-owned operation. 

Role Overview

The Garden Centre General Manager leads all daily operations of a thriving garden centre with responsibility for managing and supporting 100+ colleagues. This role requires a hands-on leader who can balance commercial performance with the personal values and service standards that define an independent business. You will oversee team performance, customer experience, buying, marketing, stock, plant care, and financial performance while working closely with the owners to shape the centre’s future.

Key Responsibilities

• Operational Leadership - Manage daily operations across all departments, ensuring smooth running, efficiency, and high presentation standards.
• Team Management - Train, mentor, schedule, and motivate colleagues; develop a highly skilled, agile workforce.
• Customer Experience - Deliver professional, knowledgeable service; resolve issues effectively; maintain a polished, customer-focused environment that reflects the centre’s standards.
• Commercial Performance - Drive sales, margins, and profitability; manage budgets, forecasting, and financial reporting.
• Buying, Stock & Merchandising - Oversee buying, ordering, receiving, stock rotation, pricing, and merchandising; ensure EPOS accuracy and commercially effective ranges.
• Plant Quality & Care - Maintain excellent plant health, presentation, and seasonal relevance.
• Supplier Relationships - Build strong relationships with growers, wholesalers, and key suppliers; negotiate pricing and delivery schedules.
• Marketing & Promotions - Lead marketing strategy, seasonal campaigns, promotional activity, digital and customer communications to support footfall, sales, customer engagement, and brand reputation.
• Health & Safety Compliance - Ensure full compliance with safety legislation, manual handling, and environmental standards.
• Strategic Development - Work with the owners on long-term planning, improvements, and new opportunities.

Skills & Experience

• Retail Management Experience - Proven experience in retail or garden centre management.
• Leadership & People Skills - Ability to inspire, organise, and develop large teams of 100+ colleagues while maintaining a positive, family-oriented culture.
• Commercial Awareness - Strong understanding of budgets, KPIs, and retail profitability.
• Organisational Skills - Excellent planning, time management, and prioritisation.
• Communication Skills - Confident communication with colleagues, customers, suppliers, and owners.
• IT & EPOS Competence - Comfortable with retail systems, scheduling tools, and reporting software.
• Horticultural Knowledge - Understanding of plants, gardening products, and seasonal trends (preferred).

Personal Qualities

• Visible and resilient leader - Able to lead confidently through busy trading periods, seasonal pressure, and changing business priorities.
• Commercially minded - Understands how customer experience, product quality, colleague performance, and operational standards affect sales and profitability.
• Hands-on and accountable - Willing to work alongside colleagues while taking ownership of decisions, standards, and outcomes.
• People-focused developer - Builds confidence, capability, and agility across a large colleague team.
• Customer and standards driven - Maintains a professional, high-quality retail environment with strong service standards.
• Practical and solutions-focused - Takes a calm, organised approach to problem solving and continuous improvement.

This is an opportunity for a commercially focused, hands-on leader to take ownership of a growing garden centre, develop a highly capable colleague team, and help shape the next stage of a successful independent family business.

Pay: £60,000.00-£70,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Company pension
• Employee discount
• Health & wellbeing programme
• On-site parking

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Towcester NN12 6GX: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (preferred)

Work Location: In person