Find your place in the field of good food

Our goal is to connect good people with good food. We advertise sustainable food jobs and training opportunities to help jobseekers and employers find each other.

Roots to Work is a project of Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming.

Job description

Salary from £33,280 per year | Full-time | Permanent

Are you a passionate retail leader who believes that food can make a real difference to people, communities and the planet?

We’re looking for an enthusiastic, experienced and people-focused Store Manager to lead our newest store on vibrant Gloucester Road, Bristol.

Better Food is an independent chain of four shops across Bristol, bringing our customers the very best in local, organic and ethically sourced food. We’re proud to be a values-led business with a genuine commitment to sustainability, our community and the people who make our stores special.

This is a fantastic opportunity to take ownership of a store, inspire a knowledgeable and engaged team, and create a shopping experience that keeps our customers coming back.

You’ll combine strong commercial awareness with a hands-on, people-first approach, ensuring the store performs brilliantly while staying true to what makes Better Food special.

If you love great food, enjoy developing people and want your work to have a positive impact, we’d love to hear from you.

What you’ll be doing

Leading and inspiring your team

• Lead by example, bringing energy, enthusiasm and a positive, can-do attitude to the store every day.
• Build a supportive, inclusive team culture where people feel valued, motivated and proud of what they do.
• Coach and develop your team, sharing knowledge and identifying future leaders.
• Communicate clearly, manage performance fairly and confidently, and encourage continuous improvement.
• Oversee rotas, holidays, recruitment and staffing cover to keep the store running smoothly.

Driving store performance

• Take full ownership of your store’s commercial performance and profit and loss.
• Deliver key targets across sales, gross margin, payroll and waste.
• Monitor performance, identify opportunities and turn insights into practical action.
• Manage ordering, pricing, promotions and events to maximise sales and protect margins.
• Work closely with stock control to maintain accurate systems, excellent availability and effective stock management.

Creating an exceptional customer experience

• Bring our customer promise to life in every interaction.
• Lead by example in delivering friendly, knowledgeable and helpful service.
• Listen to customer feedback and use it to continually improve the shopping experience.
• Ensure the store is always fresh, well-stocked, clean, tidy and beautifully presented.
• Encourage loyalty scheme sign-ups and help build lasting relationships with our customers.

Taking pride in standards and operations

• Maintain high standards of food hygiene, health and safety, fire safety and Soil Association compliance.
• Oversee daily operations, including opening, closing and cashing up.
• Work proactively to reduce waste and maintain excellent stock availability.
• Use company systems effectively to manage payroll costs, holidays and absence.
• Take responsibility for ensuring the store operates safely, efficiently and in line with Better Food’s standards and values.

What we’re looking for

We’re looking for someone who can balance commercial success with a genuine passion for people and good food.

Ideally, you’ll bring:

• At least two years’ retail management experience.
• At least three years’ customer service experience.
• Proven leadership skills and the ability to motivate, support and develop a team.
• Strong commercial awareness and confidence working with sales, margins, payroll and waste targets.
• Excellent communication and customer service skills.
• A proactive, organised approach and the confidence to take ownership and make decisions.
• A genuine interest in local, organic and ethical food, sustainability and our role in the community.

You’ll be comfortable working flexibly to meet the needs of the business, including supporting other departments and occasionally providing cover in our other stores. You’ll also need to be available to work across our seven-day trading week, maintain a professional appearance in line with Better Food standards, and lead your team by example.

Most importantly, you’ll understand and champion our purpose, vision and values, helping us make a positive difference through the food we sell and the way we do business.

What we offer

We want our people to feel valued, supported and able to grow with us. In return, you’ll receive:

• Salary from £33,280 per year
• Manager bonus scheme
• Subsidised lunch
• 20% Staff discount on our range of local, organic and ethically sourced food
• Sick pay
• A supportive, values-led workplace that genuinely cares about people, community and sustainability
• Opportunities for personal development and career progression
• The chance to make a meaningful difference in an independent Bristol business with a clear purpose

How we measure success

As Store Manager, you’ll take ownership of key performance indicators, including:

• Sales performance across the store and individual departments
• Gross margin, in both value and percentage
• Payroll costs and payroll as a percentage of sales
• Waste reduction
• Stock availability and accuracy
• Team engagement, training and product knowledge
• Loyalty scheme sign-ups and Net Promoter Score (NPS)
• Operational and regulatory compliance

Ready to make a difference?

At Better Food, we believe that the choices we make about food matter. We’re passionate about bringing people closer to good food and creating a more sustainable future for our community.

If you’re an inspiring retail manager who wants to lead a great team, run a successful store and be part of something meaningful, we’d love to hear from you.

Job type: Full-time, permanent

Location: Gloucester Road, Bristol – in person

Salary: From £33,280 per year

Required experience: Retail management – 2 years; customer service – 3 years

Application information

Please send a cover letter and you CV to recruitment@betterfood.co.uk 

And fill out an application form here

Please mention Roots to Work when applying for these jobs