Retail Development Assistant

Location: Primarily Brambridge Garden Centre, with occasional travel to other Blue Diamond Garden Centres
Hours: Full-time, onsite, Monday to Friday

The Opportunity

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Retail Development Assistant to join Blue Diamond Garden Centres.

This is a varied and hands-on role supporting our Retail Development function across the business. Working alongside an experienced team, you'll assist with a wide range of projects that help shape and improve our garden centres, while gaining valuable experience in retail operations, administration, merchandising, design and store development.

No two weeks will be the same. As the business continues to grow, you'll have the opportunity to learn new skills, take on increasing responsibility and develop your career within the UK's largest garden centre group.

The Role

This role offers a unique blend of office-based administration, creative design and hands-on retail experience.

Around half of your time will be spent supporting the administrative side of retail development projects, including raising purchase orders, processing invoices, ordering materials and coordinating project activities. The remainder of your time will be spent working within our garden centres, helping to deliver projects, supporting merchandising and gaining a thorough understanding of how our retail operations work.

As you develop within the role, there will be a long-term focus on training you in the design side of retail development, including learning how to design shop fit projects, create and amend store layouts and draw floor plans. You'll gain practical experience on the shop floor alongside the creative and technical skills needed to support future store developments and improvements across the business.

By spending time on the shop floor, you'll build the practical knowledge needed to understand how our stores operate and use this knowledge when developing future layouts, shop fits and retail improvements

Key Responsibilities

• Support the day-to-day delivery of retail development projects across the group.
• Raise purchase orders, process invoices and maintain accurate project records.
• Order materials, equipment and supplies required for projects.
• Assist with project planning, scheduling and administration.
• Support store layout changes, merchandising projects and retail improvements.
• Work alongside centre teams during refits and development projects.
• Spend regular time working on the shop floor to develop a strong understanding of our retail operations.
• Support the design and planning of future retail development projects, including learning to create and amend floor plans and store layouts.
• Develop an understanding of shop fitting, space planning and retail design.
• Build effective relationships with colleagues across our garden centres and support departments.
• Provide administrative support as required and assist with a variety of day-to-day tasks.
• Travel to other Blue Diamond Garden Centres when required.

About You

We're looking for someone who is organised, enthusiastic, creative and eager to learn. You'll enjoy working in a varied role where priorities can change from week to week and be equally comfortable working in an office or on the shop floor.

You'll also have:

• Experience working within a retail environment.
• Excellent organisational and administrative skills.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills.
• Confidence using Microsoft Office.
• A practical, hands-on approach and willingness to get involved wherever needed.
• A creative background or an interest in design, retail development, merchandising or store planning.
• A full UK driving licence and willingness to travel occasionally.

Why Join Blue Diamond?

• Monday to Friday working.
• A varied role where every week is different.
• Hands-on training and mentoring from an experienced member of the Retail Development team.
• The opportunity to gain exposure to projects across multiple garden centres.
• Training and development in retail design, shop fitting and floor planning.
• Career development opportunities within a growing and successful business.
• Be part of the UK's largest garden centre group, helping shape the future of our retail estate.