Store Manager
The Co-operative Group (The Co-op)

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Chris G

00:00:03 Chris G, store manager, the Co-op in Tweedmouth. It’s mainly the day to day running of the supermarket, like, I’ll come in in the morning, I’ll walk the floor, check everything’s ready for the customers to come through the doors and then it’s just about managing all the staff within the store.

00:00:26 Well when I left school I’d done my GCSEs and like CSEs and I’d done, like, a YTS scheme which was for the Duke of Northumberland. I’d done that for a year, it was to do with fencing and doing outdoors, like, work for farming and agricultural and then after that there wasn’t, like, a placement for us so, like, I spent probably about three-six months which I was on the…claiming benefits and then my Mum actually got us a job working part time within a supermarket chain. So, I’d done, like, part time work for, like, about a year and then progressed from there really and just moved up the ladder and I found there was loads of opportunities within the stores.

00:01:23 I have had numerous managers who have helped us develop and, like, they’ve identified weaknesses in me work role and I’ve, like, built on it to develop. I was quite quick at being a butcher and my butchery manager would say I was quicker than, like, some of the other ones. He would, like, come across and, like, ask us if I wanted to go and help in different stores and then he would, like, put us on a training package which would help us to develop into a supervisor.

00:002:05 The communication side of it is key to my role. Being able to talk to people and listen to them is a lot to do with it as well. I think just getting results and that from my work related prizes and setting standards and, like, keeping it at the standard that I would set and not lowering my standard to somebody else’s. So, it’s more about developing people to bring them to a higher standard. There was one deputy manager I had when I was a department manager and he sort of ruled by, like, fear sort of thing, because it was, like, 10 years ago. I think the main thing was he was trying to knock your confidence, he wouldn’t help people develop so it kind of brought me on to believe that the staff below you are the ones that you need to develop to make your job easier. So, it kind of backfired on him but it helped me in the long run.

00:03:22 One of my store managers asked us that when I was working for a different company and I said, at the time I said, “I want to be store manager,” and he actually laughed at us so that kind of brought us on to prove him right but he’ll not know now because he works for a different company. But I would say probably the next level, so, like, an operations manager.

ENDS

Chris G is Store Manager at The Co-op in Tweedmouth. He originally trained to work in agriculture, but couldn’t find a job. “My Mum actually got us a job working part time within a supermarket chain. So, I’d done, like, part time work for about a year and then progressed from there really and just moved up the ladder and I found there was loads of opportunities within the stores.”

More information about Managers and directors in retail and wholesale

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ÂŁ38,480
average salary

The UK average salary is ÂŁ29,813

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38
average weekly hours

There are 37.5 hours in the average working week

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59%  male 
41%  female 

The UK workforce is 47% female and 53% male

Future employment

Future employment?

Description
? Retail and wholesale managers and directors plan, organise, direct and co-ordinate the operations of major retail and wholesale establishments in order to maximise business performance and meet financial goals.
Qualifications
Entry requirements vary from company to company. Entrants may possess GCSEs/S grades, A levels/H grades, GNVQs/GSVQs, a BTEC/SQA award, a degree or equivalent qualification. Entry is also possible through promotion after gaining sufficient experience. NVQs/SVQs in Retail Operations are available at Level 4.
Tasks
  • Appoints staff, assigns tasks and monitors and reviews staff performance;
  • Liaises with other staff to provide information about merchandise, special promotions etc. to customers;
  • Ensures that adequate reserves of merchandise are held and that stock keeping is carried out efficiently;
  • Ensures customer complaints and queries regarding sales and service are appropriately handled;
  • Oversees the maintenance of financial and other records and controls security arrangements for the premises;
  • Authorises payment for supplies received and decides on vending price, discount rates and credit terms;
  • Examines quality of merchandise and ensures that effective use is made of advertising and display facilities.
Employment by region
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Top 10 industries for this job
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Retail trade 239682
Wholesale trade 88684
Sale of motor vehicles 26159
Food & beverage services 19681
Head offices, etc 10973
Rental & leasing 4193
Sport & recreation 3775
Social work 3501
Food products 3450
Warehousing, etc 3299
Employment status
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