Overview
Plant Nursery Retail Manager role at Bristol City Council based at Blaise Plant Nursery, Blaise Castle Estate, North Bristol. This is a full time, permanent position. Start date – To be agreed subject to notice period.
We are looking for an enthusiastic, people-focused Retail Manager to lead the team at Blaise Plant Nursery, located within the picturesque and historic Blaise Estate in North Bristol. Blaise Plant Nursery is a well-loved part of the local community, offering a wide range of high-quality plants, grown on-site by our dedicated team. The nursery supports Bristol’s parks and green spaces, and provides residents with plants, garden supplies, compost and expert gardening advice. Set within the beautiful surroundings of Blaise Castle Estate, the nursery combines horticultural excellence with a welcoming, community-focused retail experience. This is a brand-new hands-on leadership role that blends day-to-day retail operations with warm, knowledgeable customer service and a genuine passion for plants. You’ll oversee a small, friendly team and play a key role in the continued success and growth of our thriving nursery shop.
What You’ll Be Doing
* Leading the daily operations of the plant shop, ensuring a smooth and welcoming customer experience
* Creating and managing staff rotas, including holiday and weekend cover
* Supporting, motivating, and supervising a close-knit team
* Serving customers with expert product knowledge and friendly, helpful advice
* Managing enquiries for hire and the delivery of workshops for our onsite bookable repurposed glasshouse
* Maintaining plant health, presentation, and stock levels across the shop
* Handling administrative tasks, including performance reporting and stock control
* Contributing ideas for marketing, local partnerships, and initiatives to grow sales and community engagement
What Do I Need To Have
* Experience in retail or customer-facing roles, ideally with team leadership or management experience
* Experience managing stock and retail systems, including the use of EPOS (Electronic Point of Sale) systems for inventory control, sales tracking, and reporting
* Organised, proactive, and confident in running a small team
* Warm, approachable, and committed to delivering excellent customer service
* A genuine love of plants, gardening, and outdoor living – horticultural knowledge is a strong advantage
* Hands-on and willing to lead by example, actively involved in daily operations
* Comfortable working some weekends and bank holidays
Key Responsibilities
* Oversee the horticulture retail operations, whilst creating a unique customer focused environment
* Planning plant & garden product offers
* Identifying new opportunities to drive sales
* Ensuring all health & safety regulations are followed
* Recruitment, training, and development of plant nursery staff
* Record keeping, analysing costs, and management of budgets
* Planning & costing of staff schedules
Why Bristol City Council?
At Bristol City Council, we go that extra mile for our people; we offer a fast-moving and supportive work environment where you can use your skills and develop new ones within a high-profile organisation. You’ll receive an excellent rewards package including membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme and a generous annual leave allowance.
How do I apply?
To be shortlisted for interview you’ll need to demonstrate how you meet each of the essential criteria in the Person Specification within the Further Information section of your application. On occasions we receive high numbers of applications, so shortlisting may consider desirable criteria alongside essential criteria. Please demonstrate how you meet these in your application.
We are a Disability Confident employer. If you consider yourself disabled and meet the essential criteria, you are guaranteed an interview. We will make reasonable adjustments throughout the interview process and provide continued workplace support throughout your career.
Contact for further information
For further information, please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification or contact Rod Pooley, Plant Nursery Manager.
Additional information
We value diversity and welcome applicants from all sections of the community. Appointments will be made on merit.
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