Area Manager, Retail, Leisure and Hospitality

Location: North London, Essex and Herts.

The opportunity

Our client is a well-established and highly respected international business operating across the retail, leisure and hospitality sectors, with a significant presence throughout Europe. As part of their continued commitment to operational excellence, they are seeking an experienced Area Manager to lead a portfolio of approximately six sites.

This is a high-impact role focused on improving customer experience, increasing profitability, strengthening team engagement and developing future leaders within the business. Reporting to the Regional Director, you will be responsible for ensuring each site delivers outstanding commercial performance while maintaining exceptional service standards and a positive team culture.

Leadership and people development

• Lead, coach and develop Site Managers and their teams to achieve operational excellence.
• Create a high-performance culture focused on accountability, engagement and continuous improvement.
• Support succession planning and talent development across the region.
• Drive improvements in employee engagement, retention and team morale.
• Ensure managers have the skills and support required to lead successful teams.

Commercial performance

• Take full responsibility for the commercial performance of your region.
• Analyse financial and operational data to identify opportunities for growth and efficiency.
• Develop and implement action plans to improve sales, profitability, labour productivity and cost control.
• Ensure sites consistently achieve or exceed budget and KPI targets.

Customer experience

• Champion exceptional customer service standards across all locations.
• Identify opportunities to improve customer satisfaction, loyalty and repeat business.
• Ensure consistent delivery of brand standards and operational procedures.
• Regularly visit sites to assess customer experience and implement improvements where required.

Operational excellence

• Ensure all sites operate in accordance with company policies, procedures and compliance requirements.
• Monitor operational performance and implement best practices across the region.
• Support new initiatives, business projects and operational change programmes.
• Work closely with Head Office functions including HR, Operations, Finance, Marketing, and Learning and Development.

Candidate profile

We are seeking a commercially focused operational leader with a proven track record of managing multiple sites within a retail, leisure or hospitality environment.

Essential experience

• Experience as an Area Manager, Regional Manager, Multi-Site Manager or equivalent leadership role.
• Proven success managing multiple locations simultaneously.
• Strong commercial acumen with responsibility for budgets, P&L and KPI delivery.
• Experience improving customer service metrics and operational standards.
• Track record of increasing employee engagement and reducing staff turnover.
• Strong coaching and leadership skills with experience developing managers.

Skills and attributes

• Results-driven with a hands-on management style.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to influence and motivate teams at all levels.
• Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, customer-focused environment.
• Flexible and willing to travel regularly across the region.

What's on offer

• Opportunity to join a successful and growing international business.
• Significant autonomy and influence within your region.
• Competitive salary and performance-related bonus.
• Comprehensive benefits package.
• Long-term career development opportunities within a European-wide organisation.

If you are an experienced multi-site leader who is passionate about developing people, delivering exceptional customer experiences and driving commercial success, we would love to hear from you.

Benefits

• Company car
• Employee discount
• Work from home