UK Retail Ops Manager
Head Office - Wonderfield Group
Contract: Full Time
Salary: 60,000
Contracted Hours: 40
The Wonderfield Group has recently been purchased by Zensho Holdings, the leading food service company in Japan with a market cap of $5.5b and whose aim is to become the worlds largest food company, a position from which we can eradicate hunger and poverty from around the globe. We operate restaurants, factories, and thousands of sushi kiosks and have recently built a successful cut fruit business, Snowfruit. Combining this with the three businesses previously owned by Zensho, AFC, Sushi Circle and Sushi Take, results in annual sales of $2.5b and Ebitda in excess of $140m a year with an ambitious growth trajectory.
What You’ll Need
• 3–5+ years in multi-site food retail or food service operations
• Proven experience in business transitions, turnarounds, or interim site leadership
• Strong commercial skills, including full P&L ownership
• Experience with TUPE processes and employment transitions
• Hands-on leadership style with a passion for team development
• Understanding of concession-based or supermarket operations preferred
• Flexibility to travel across the UK regularly
The Role
We are creating an exciting new UK Retail Operations Manager role to oversee a portfolio of corporate-operated kiosks within major UK supermarkets. These sites will have transitioned from former franchise partners and will be operated by Wonderfield on an interim basis until they are commercially ready for resale.
In your team you will also have direct line management for three Corporate Skill Trainers who will help support the transition process of the kiosks back to franchised.
This field-based position is ideal for a commercially-minded operator who thrives in dynamic, fast-paced environments. You'll lead site performance, build engaged teams, stabilise operations post-transition, and ensure these locations are fully aligned with our brand and commercial expectations before re-entering the franchise estate.
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Key Responsibilities
• Operational Leadership: Drive daily operational standards, food quality, safety, and customer experience across your estate of corporate-operated kiosks.
• Transition & Turnaround: Take responsibility for kiosks transitioning from franchise to corporate ownership. Stabilise operations and lead recovery efforts post-transition.
• Commercial Readiness: Ensure each site is commercially optimised, brand-aligned, and positioned for successful resale back into the franchise network.
• Team Leadership: Recruit, train, and support kiosk teams, embedding performance culture and brand behaviours. Line-manage three field-based Skills Trainers.
• Financial Delivery: Own performance KPIs including sales, labour, cost of goods, profit, and compliance. Drive efficiencies and improvements to maximise EBIT.
• Food Safety & Standards: Enforce brand SOPs on food safety, hygiene, allergen control, and presentation. Maintain consistent audit readiness and legal compliance.
• Retail Partner Management: Build strong working relationships with supermarket partners at site and regional level. Address issues swiftly and collaboratively.
• Customer Experience: Ensure every kiosk delivers an exceptional guest experience. Coach teams on service behaviours and resp