Gardening Department Manager- Coton Orchard Garden Centre

Position: Gardening Department Manager
Location: Coton Orchard Garden Centre

Hours: Full-time, 42.5 hours per week, including alternate weekends
Salary: Competitive, depending on experience

An exciting management opportunity has arisen at Coton Orchard Garden Centre.

Are you a commercially driven retail leader with a passion for garden living and inspirational merchandising? Do you thrive in a fast-paced retail environment where customer experience, visual excellence, and commercial performance are key? If so, we would love you to lead our Gardening Department.

Why Join Us?

Coton Orchard Garden Centre is proud to be part of the Blue Diamond Group, the UK’s largest garden centre group by turnover, growing from £187 million in 2019 to over £400 million in 2025. With 52 centres across the UK and Channel Islands, we are continually evolving and expanding — and we want you to grow with us.

Our target demographic is AB1 customers, and we attract this calibre of customer by delivering inspirational retailing with a clear point of difference — style, emotion, and innovation for the home and garden — alongside exceptional customer service.

Led by Managing Director Alan Roper since 1999, the Group prides itself on excellent staff retention and empowering colleagues to build rewarding, long-term careers.

The Role

As Gardening Department Manager, you will have full responsibility for the commercial and operational performance of our Gardening (Sundries) Department.

This department focuses on garden sundries and hard goods — including tools, landscaping products, composts, garden care, irrigation, pots, and related accessories — rather than live plants.

You will lead, inspire, and develop your team to deliver outstanding merchandising standards, strong stock control, and exceptional customer service, while driving sales and profitability.

This is a hands-on leadership role requiring strong retail management, commercial awareness, and a keen eye for detail.

Key Responsibilities

• Full accountability for the department’s sales, margin, and performance KPIs

• Leading, motivating, and developing a high-performing retail team

• Managing stock control, ordering, seasonal planning, and supplier liaison

• Ensuring high standards of visual merchandising and inspirational displays

• Driving add-on sales and cross-department opportunities

• Monitoring and reacting to sales performance and commercial reports

• Managing rotas, training, and team development

• Maintaining health & safety and compliance standards

• Executing seasonal launches, promotions, and POS implementation

• Actioning feedback from audits, reports, and floor walks

The Ideal Candidate

• Proven retail management experience (garden centre or similar environment desirable)

• Strong commercial awareness and experience driving sales growth

• Experience managing hard goods or seasonal retail categories

• Confident leadership style with a track record of team development

• Strong stock management and ordering experience

• Excellent organisational and planning skills

• High attention to detail and strong visual merchandising ability

• Proactive, hands-on approach with the ability to work in a fast-paced environment

• Excellent customer service and communication skills

What We Offer

• Competitive salary

• Generous staff discount

• Ongoing training and development opportunities

• A supportive and collaborative management team

• Clear progression opportunities within a growing national group

Join us at Coton Orchard Garden Centre and take ownership of a key department within a thriving and ambitious retail business.