Retail Director

Drayton are thrilled to be partnering with one of the UK's largest independent retailers in its category, for a Head of Retail. This role will be crucial in driving the transformation and continued growth of the business.

• Partner closely with the executive team to execute on the company’s retail performance and long-term strategy.
• Have an autonomous role in building a scalable retail estate and operating model to support rapid expansion, unifying store proposition and embedding best in class customer experience across the organisation.
• Improve store to store profitability through sales, margin, service revenue, and operational efficiency.
• Develop and deliver initiatives around pricing, commission schemes, staffing levels, and store investments.
• Build and execute hyper‑local opportunities to drive local activity on a store‑by‑store basis.
• Support the openings and acquisitions of future stores into the business.
• Work closely with digital teams on trading calendars and promotional alignment.
• Play a pivotal role in leading and developing high‑performing teams, building and managing strong relationships across store and field teams.

• Experience driving lead generation and selling products in a high customer touch point, consultative environment, supported by a highly empathetic and emotionally intelligent approach to customer service.
• Run retail operations in excess of 30+ stores.
• Track record of success in building nuanced and scalable lead generation into retail store environments.
• Experienced managing longer customer journeys, managing CRM platforms and engaging customers through nuanced approaches including localised events.
• Strong vertical retail expertise, this individual must be a high‑energy operator with the ambition to scale rapidly and the ability to recognise and drive the significant opportunity ahead at pace.
• A strong commercial mindset, be comfortable operating in a PE‑backed growth context and possess the resilience and agility required to deliver results through change.

• An inspirational leader with low ego, high integrity and the ability to build trust and motivate teams. The right candidate will be respected for their commitment, curiosity, and ability to manage relationships with empathy and professionalism.
• A dynamic individual who thrives in fast‑paced, entrepreneurial environments.
• Highly commercial and numerical mindset, capable of analysing data effectively to build compelling, ROI‑driven proposals and make sound commercial decisions with confidence.
• Highly effective communicator with excellent teamwork and interpersonal abilities. This individual will be able to manage store staff on a local level and report upwards to board‑level stakeholders, adjusting tone and style naturally.
• Someone who works cross‑functionally, brings people with them, and influences through relationship‑building.
• Collaborative problem‑solver, focused on delivering results and practical solutions.
• Proactive self‑starter, who spots commercial opportunities and takes ownership of turning ideas into action.
• Goal‑oriented and organised, consistently driving execution with high standards.

This person will be ideally based in the North West of the UK, with the ability to access stores across the UK.