Garden Center Store Manager

Company Description

Sargent’s Landscape Nursery, Inc. has been a trusted nursery and landscape business in the Rochester area since 1971, building on a three-generation family legacy that began in Red Wing, Minnesota in 1928. The company operates two retail garden centers in Rochester, including a floral and gift operation that evolved from Colors Flower Market into Sargent’s Floral and Gift. Sargent’s is organized into retail, landscape design and installation, and production divisions, with production encompassing annuals, perennials, woody plants, and nursery stock.

By focusing on plant materials and related garden products, Sargent’s has grown into a major supplier of green goods and services in the Rochester market area, serving a wide range of residential and commercial customers.

The Garden Center Manager at Sargent’s is responsible for the operations of a store on a daily, weekly, and annual basis. This Store Manager reports to the Retail GM and is fully responsible for implementing the Vision of the store with their retail team. Details are of high importance.

A successful candidate for the Garden Center Store Manager is results-driven, will enhance customer satisfaction, will meet sales and profitability goals, and will manage staff effectively.

Include monitoring sales performance, implementing store policies and procedures, coordinating with other divisions on plant and product availability, and assisting customers with plant selection, care guidance, and problem-solving. The role also involves handling basic administrative tasks such as reporting, cash management oversight, and compliance with company and regulatory requirements.

• The adherence of the store to:
• Company Vision, Mission and Values
• Executing the vision of the Retail GM (in conjunction with the retail team).
• Store performance in growth, gross margin, and Net Profit
• The store’s benefits to the other departments of Sargent’s.
• Maintain and enhance a positive, fun team-oriented culture at your store and company wide.
• Develop a system for handling customer concerns, including being the store voice for complaints that require an upper management response.
• Work with the retail team (store managers, HR, Buyer, Marketing, and Visual Merchandising) cooperatively to implement an unparalleled customer experience.
• Develop employees under management to their maximum potential. Give employees clear direction and responsibilities, then allow them the freedom to succeed on their own.
• Develop a system that does not require minute-to-minute attention to the operation of the store for the majority of the time.
• Work with the retail GM to develop and improve store processes and management to a high level of detail.
• Be the final decision maker on hiring/firing and employee course correction of employees at their location.
• Work with the mindset that Sargent’s is all one company. If it is required for a store to sacrifice your objectives for the greater good of the company, that will be supported.
• Work time on the sales floor of the store to both gauge store performance and provide support to the retail staff. However, at least 50% of work time should be free to work “on” the store vs. “in” the store. Each week a minimum of two 4-hour shifts on the sales floor of your store are required. During this time your foremost commitment is to the operations of the store.
• Work with retail GM and hiring/training manager to staff and schedule the store for both exemplary customer service and minimizing labor costs.
• Track key business performance metrics (KPI’s).
• Make impactful purchasing decisions regarding both inventory and non-inventory Items.

• Positive, team-oriented environment.
• Store cleanliness.
• Impeccable product quality. If you wouldn’t buy it, get it off the sales floor.
• A dramatic display of products.
• Sargent’s is a premium brand. Maintain premium products and work to maintain a high gross margin on these products.
• Ensure that all assistant managers are equipped to succeed in their responsibilities.
• Willingness to try new things and take calculated risks.

• A desire to do our best. We do not…