Head of Retail Operations

Job Description

The Company:

Korea Foods Company is the leader in the supply of Korean food in the UK. A family-run business, established in 1999, Korea Foods Company has approximately 500 employees working within its Head Office, Logistics Centres, and Retail Stores.

We import from key brands in Korea, and distribute to the Asian community, focusing on East Asian consumers. We have also seen substantial growth within the supermarket multiples, securing significant listings with Tesco, Morrisons, Asda, and Costco.

We also operate our own retail store network, Seoul Plaza, currently with 19 stores within the estate, with more opening in 2025.

Growth has been consistently double-digit, with a sales turnover in excess of £85 million.

The company is an incredibly dynamic and fast-paced place to work, with ambiguity and transparency that is often associated with family-run businesses. It is, also, whilst not for the faint-hearted, a rewarding workplace where personal achievements are recognised due to the relatively flat management structure.

Contract: Full-time, permanent, 42.5 hours per week, subject to probation period
Hours: 0830 – 1800 (Monday – Friday)

Main Purpose & Scope of the Job

Our company’s retail arm, Seoul Plaza, has been evolving for over 20 years, under the stewardship of the founder of the company. With a strategic focus on retail growth, we’re looking for an experienced Retail Operations Director to develop the required systems and processes for our company to expand. The ROD would require to be hands-on, supportive of the founder of the company, and possess a deep understanding of food retail operations. The ROD would need to adapt to a family-run company that has a deep-rooted Korean and Asian culture embedded within the company, and be able to present and implement a realistic change programme that aligns with the founder’s vision. You will report directly to the Chairman and founder of the company.

Objectives and Key Responsibilities

· Assess and identify areas of operational improvement across all retail store operations, from inception to delivery.

· Assess the key capabilities of all store managers, identifying training needs and clarifying procedures for store managers to develop their own skills, create KPI’s and objectives to assess individual stores and managers’ performance.

· Assess the key capabilities of the retail management team, identifying clear responsibilities within the team, who mainly act as support for the store network, such as promotional activities, facilities management, and inventory support. It will be important to realign some of their tasks, reassigning them to store managers. It will also be important to assess how we utilise data within the company.

· Drive initiatives to improve sales performance, and reduce costs to enhance operational efficiency.

· Conduct regular visits to stores, assessing impact of initiatives, provide feedback, identify further areas for improvement, and help stores grow to their potential.

· Provide the necessary support for the senior management to achieve their strategic goals, and contribute to the overall business strategy.

· Collaborate with other departments to assess the inventory management, purchasing requirements, and address operational issues relating to other departments.

Skills and Qualifications

· Significant management and leadership experience within a senior retail management role

· Complete familiarity with retail operations, inventory management, store management. Experience with food supermarket chains is essential.

· Cultural understanding and sensitivity, with ability to adapt to existing company culture

· Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills

· Strong multitasking capabilities under pressure

· Ability to work on their own without supervision

· Clear, confident, and concise communication abilities

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: £60,000.00-£80,000.00 per year

Additional pay:

• Yearly bonus

Benefits:

• Additional leave
• Casual dress
• Company pension
• Employee discount
• Free parking
• On-site parking
• Store discount

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Work Location: In person