Find your place in the field of good food

Business Development & Store Manager

Chettle Estate
DT11 8DB

Posted: 09/02/2021

Deadline: 05/03/2021

Compensation: £24,000 - £34,000 per annum

Paid Full-time Permanent

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Job description

Chettle Village Store – Overview:

Chettle Village Store is a unique shop in a tiny village in North Dorset. It is just over 1km from the main Salisbury to Blandford road. There are 8 very large signs along the road that direct people to the shop, advertising our popular ‘award winning’ pies, health foods, playground and toilet, amongst other things. We are the only visible shop on the 23 mile stretch between the 2 towns so it can be busy, especially during the summer.

The owner, Alice Favre, is a keen environmentalist, always trying to find ways to reduce humanity’s impact on nature and the planet. However she also wants to be a shop which isn’t elitist and only sells food that is out of reach on a living wage budget. This is difficult in a time when the supermarkets control the food and drink prices and we are threatened by cheap food imports.

We strive to be a shop that sells everything, rather than being solely zero waste or a farm shop (which tends to specialise in meat and veg). We have customers who do almost all of their shopping with us. We are also an important meeting point for local people and play a pivotal role in keeping the community lines flowing.

Turnover has almost tripled in the last 5 years and if we continue to improve the service and offering then it has the potential to do the same again. The only thing holding us back is space… so there are plans to design and build a bigger premises, with an integrated café.

The shop is in Chettle, it might look like a typical small village but it is no ordinary village. We are challenging the status quo and creating a thriving village and abundant landscape that is fit for the environmental and social challenges that are increasingly facing us. It is becoming a beacon for people who can see that our current way of life is harming the natural world and who want to live and work differently. We like to collaborate with friendly, innovative and respectful people who are committed to finding brave ways to create a better future. This will also be no ordinary job, you will need to be ready to challenge yourself and the future.

Store Manager - Overview:

We are looking for a full-time manager to help implement some big, new changes. As mentioned above, we think the shop is worth expanding; with the world finally turning its attention to the environment and local, ethical food we feel that smaller, independent shops are about to become a more important part of the future. People need to have more of a connection with their food again and to be able to buy local and seasonal products whilst still being able to get their whole weekly shop under one roof.

To do this we need someone at the helm who is capable and excited about taking on the challenge of developing and implementing this vision. A wide breadth of skills will be needed whilst also having a solid background in retail or a similar trade.

There are three parts to the job:

1. Helping the duty manager (who works 21 hours a week over 3 days) with the current day-to-day shop management.

2. To continue improving the current shop stock by improving the ‘zero waste’ offerings and researching new products and suppliers that fit within the local, ethical and (where possible) affordable remit.

3. Supporting the owner in the planning for the new shop premises including budgeting/forecasting, layout design, increasing of stock/suppliers and applying for relevant funding/loans.

You will oversee the operational and organisational standards of the store as well as implement a suitable marketing, advertising and financial strategy. You will regularly review the daily, weekly and quarterly financial data of the store and you are in charge of the profit, sales and costs, whilst maintaining an environment focused on the customer. You are required to work autonomously, with your team, reporting to the owner when in need of direction and guidance.

Current Situation:

We have a team of 6 working in the shop, they currently work either 8.00-14.00 or 13.00-6.30 (shop is open 8.30-18.00 every day, 9.00-13.00 on Sunday) with 1 server on at a time. We had a pair of co-managers who had worked up from serving staff to management but one had to leave due to a long term illness, the remaining manager will stay on as ‘duty manager’ but needs someone to take on the majority of the management tasks. Your hours are flexible but you will be required to work 40+ hour week. You will need to work some weekend shifts.

Skills You Will Need:

• Competent use of a computer and other technology (sales till etc)
• A firm grasp of the main software packages (word & excel) and an ability to create neat documents with them
• An eye for detail and a good understanding of visual merchandising
• A passion for local and seasonal produce
• A commitment to work in ways that cause the least harm to the environment
• Exceptional customer service skills
• Patience and the ability to remain calm in a busy environment
• The ability to work well with others
• Leadership skills and ambition
• Sensitivity and understanding
• A certain level of fitness as there can be a lot of lifting and carrying
• The ability to sell products and services
• The ability to accept criticism
• Bookkeeping and budgeting skills (preferable)
• Competency and understanding of various business structures (preferable)

Shop Manager - Job Duties:

Business:

• Developing plans to continue moving the shop forward, in these changing times where packaging, provenance and sustainability are becoming more important to many customers, whilst others are concerned only with price, you need to make sure you cater for all where possible.
• Reporting and analysing sales and profit back to the owner.
• Maintaining awareness of market trends and monitoring competitors.
• Creating systems for the staff to adhere to, for example stock-taking, restocking, ordering and more.
• Ensuring compliance with health and safety and food hygiene laws.
• Ensuring there is an up-to-date to-do list that you and the staff are following.
• Stay on top of the building maintenance and the equipment that is in it, request maintenance and see that through to completion.

Staff & Serving:

• Serving customers, restocking shelves, cleaning, cooking pies, stock rotation, other general shop duties. 
• Recruiting, hiring, contracting, training, staff reviews and staff discipline (alongside the duty manager, and with the help of an HR specialist where needed).
• Ensuring the staff work as a team where possible.
• Communicating company / village vision and ethos and business goals clearly with the staff.
• Organise and host regular staff meetings and owner / manager meetings (with the duty manager)

Products:

• Passing on product knowledge to staff.
• Keeping costs minimal whilst ensuring the shop is correctly stocked (with food and equipment).
• Making sure customers have access to enough visible promotional information on new and interesting products.
• Seeing and costing up market opportunities for changing products or current practices to increase speed of service or profit.
• Researching more environmentally friendly and / or local produce to swap current products for.
• Ensure that visual marketing and merchandising of the shop is up to standard including cleaning, tidying, product displays and the shop exterior.

Salary Package:

• £24,000-£28,000 a year, depending on current skills and qualifications, plus the possibility of renting a house in the village at an affordable rent.

Application information

Email alice@chettleestate.com with a CV and some info about why you would like the job and why you think you would be suitable for the position. 

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