Lead General Merchandise Manager

Responsibilities

• Direct a small team of managers to showcase all our non‑food products from homeware to beauty, including our fantastic TU and Habitat brands.
• Plan for upcoming key trading activity by working closely with the rest of the store leadership team.
• Regularly take full accountability for the store in the absence of a store manager, role‑modeling and coaching for high standards and efficiency across the store.
• Ensure correct management of stock in our in‑store warehouse.

• People management: manage performance, capability, conduct disciplinaries, and ensure scheduling and pay are accurate.

  A passionate leader who is consistently ambitious for their customers and colleagues, every day, growing their team to do the same.

• Experience managing managers in a fast‑paced, customer‑facing environment—retail merchandising is a plus.
• Comfortable managing alone in the absence of senior management.
• Driven to deliver high performance with a focus on efficiency and engagement.
• Confident in the use of data, understanding/ interpreting KPIs or other performance indicators, and experience improving these.
• Put inclusivity at the heart of what you do and use it to build an inclusive team and working environment.
• Can manage disciplinaries, performance issues or other similar employee relations issues (up to dismissal).
• Experience leading large teams in a fast‑paced, customer‑focused environment, developing leaders, building high‑performing teams, and creating a culture of ownership and accountability.
• A track record of delivering exceptional customer experiences across complex operations, evidenced through your team.
• Proven success in delivering and improving KPIs—sales, stock availability, customer satisfaction, colleague engagement.
• Experience managing sensitive and complex people matters, including performance, absence, and formal employee relations cases, with confidence, fairness, and sound judgement.
• Leadership experience in an operational environment—retail, hospitality, or food service—owning departmental performance and confidently leading the store in the absence of senior leadership.
• Evidence of leading change—rolling out new ways of working, embedding new systems, or shifting team mindsets, and making change stick.

• Salary will be dependent upon your experience as well as the store size, complexity, and location.
• Discount card – 10% discount on shopping at Sainsbury's, Argos, Tu, and Habitat after four weeks. Increases to 15% off at Sainsbury's every Friday and Saturday, and 15% off at Argos on every payday.
• An annual bonus scheme based on our and your performance.
• Free food and hot drinks provided for colleagues in all our stores.
• Generous holiday entitlement, maternity and paternity leave.
• Pension – we’ll match 4‑7.5% of your pension contributions.
• Sainsbury's share scheme – build up an investment at discounted rates.
• Wellbeing support – access to emotional support, counselling, legal and financial advice.
• Colleague networks – link with like‑minded people to help fulfil your potential.
• Our Cycle to Work scheme – opportunity to hire a new bike and cycling equipment, whilst saving on tax and NI.
• Special offers on gym memberships, restaurants, holidays, retail vouchers and more.

An inclusive place to work and shop:
We are dedicated to being a truly inclusive retailer, where every colleague can achieve their full potential and every customer feels welcome when they shop with us. To support this commitment, our colleagues may be entitled to a range of enhanced discretionary leave for families, as well as support for carers. We provide our colleagues resources to help them understand and support their role and their team effectively.

Our internal colleague networks seek to ensure true representation for everyone, helping us identify and remove barriers that our colleagues may face. We are proud to offer a range of development opportunities, including mentorship, training, and career progression pathways, to help our colleagues grow and succeed. We also celebrate diversity through various initiatives and events, fostering a culture of inclusion and respect.

If you would like to learn more about our commitment to inclusivity, please take a look here.