Jobs

Location: Blair Drummond Safari Park
Days: 5 days out of 7 a week (including weekend days in the open season)
Report To: Head of Marketing
Salary: From £35,000 p.a.

Background:
Blair Drummond Safari and Adventure Park was opened to the public in 1970 and was, at the time, one of Britain’s first safari parks. We are proud to be a family run business that provides a world-class visitor experience. Recognised as one of the top 10% of visitor attractions in the World by TripAdvisor last year, we welcome 500,000 visitors a year, between March and December. Set in 160 acres of parkland our animals and attractions provide educational and fun experiences for families, schools, and groups. We have on-site gift shops that cater to the needs of our differing customer groups, focusing on selling toys and branded souvenirs.

We are looking for an experienced Retail Manager who can assume overall responsibility for the commercial performance of the retail function within the Safari Park, under the supervision of the Head of Marketing. This will require the management of all aspects of range planning, purchasing, pricing, stock management, merchandising, operations, customer service, people management and compliance. You will build and maintain strong supplier relationships and make robust purchasing decisions based on reliable sales and stock management data and in line with the Safari Parks sustainability and education goals. Ensure the retail units are well presented, commercial and appealing to the Safari Parks customers. Recruit, train and manage a team of seasonal employees to deliver excellent customer within hourly budgets and oversee the daily operation of the function with support from your retail supervisor. Seek opportunities to develop the function in the future through brand development, additional ‘pop-up’ outlets or on-line sales.

Duties:
• Analyse sales data to manage trends and stock management.
• Work with the Head of Marketing to develop range planning and a buying strategy.
• Develop and maintain a good relationship with suppliers.
• Place all orders for stock replenishment based on sales data.
• Negotiate commercial prices based on profit margins.
• Manage stock levels and maintain stock control systems.
• Merchandise the retail units to appeal to our customer profile and maximise sales.
• Recruit and train a seasonal team to provide excellent customer service in all units.
• Plan the rota for the retail team to ensure all units are fully operational and within budget.
• Act on visitor feedback to make improvements to the function when required.
• Develop the retail offering in the Park to maximise sales.

In return you will be part of a lovely team of people working in amazing surroundings. We also end our season on the 23rd of December and re-open in mind-March, meaning no Christmas or New Year working, a real benefit in the Retail environment. We operate a 7 day a week operation during our season during the Park’s opening hours, with no requirement for night shifts or earlies.

We offer an excellent benefits package including a competitive salary and generous defined contribution pension scheme. Staff passes and ‘Behind the Scenes’ Experience vouchers for friends and family, 24/7 access to our Employee Assistance program and free access to Scotland’s top visitor attractions with Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions (ASVA) Membership.

Application Deadline: Monday 22/07/2024