Sainsbury's
General Merchandise Manager
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General Merchandise Manager – Leading in Our Stores
Our management teams don’t just run stores—they’re the driving force behind our business. With bold leadership, a passion for service, and an eye for opportunity, they empower teams to raise the bar every single day for our customers. Whether it's product availability, safety standards, or seamless daily operations, they’re hands-on, change-makers. The impact? Work becomes more rewarding for our colleagues, and shopping becomes a next-level experience for every customer who walks through our doors. This is how we bring our purpose to life, one powerful action at a time.
What You’ll Be Doing
- managing all non-food products to ensure they’re presented beautifully and delight our customers
- overseeing the smooth running of your area from the shop floor to the warehouse
- handling people management, including:
- managing performance and capability
- conducting disciplinaries
- ensuring accurate scheduling and pay
- at select times, temporary store leadership, where you provide direction and support to ensure high standards for customers
What Makes a Great General Merchandise Manager
Required expertise includes:
- Previous line management experience in a fast-paced, operational environment
- A passion for service—coaching teams to deliver exceptional customer experiences
- Ability to deliver KPIs consistently
- Experience managing disciplinaries, performance issues, or HR matters
- Comfortable operating independently when more senior leadership is unavailable
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Essential Criteria
To excel in this role, you’ll need:
- A track record of delivering exceptional customer experiences—with evidence of training others to exceed standards
- Team leadership experience in a dynamic, customer-facing environment, where you’ve:
- Inspired colleagues
- Driven high performance
- Built cultures where teams thrive
- Operational leadership in a high-volume, fast-paced retail/food-service/hospitality setting, where you’ve:
- Managed daily operations
- Solved business challenges
- Kept teams customer-focused
- Proven success in delivering across range of KPIs, such as:
- Sales performance
- Stock availability
- Customer satisfaction
- Colleague engagement
- Overseen multiple people-related matters, including:
- Performance issues
- Absence concerns
- Formal employee relations cases – With confidence and fairness
Why Work for Us?
Competitive Compensation & Benefits
Salary structure is based on experience, store size, location and complexity. Alongside this, enjoy our added benefits:
- Discount card:
- 10% discount at Sainsbury’s, Argos, Tu & Habitat after four weeks
- Increases to 15% off Sainsbury’s on Fridays & Saturdays
- Annual bonus scheme tied to team and store performance
- Free food & hot drinks available in all stores
- Generous holiday package, including maternity & paternity leave
- Pension match: We contribute 4-7.5% of your pension contributions
- Sainsbury’s Share Scheme – invest in company shares at discounted rates
- Wellbeing support, including:
- Emotional support & counselling
- Legal & financial advice
- Colleague networks to connect with peers and mentor others
- Cycle to Work Scheme: Tax-efficient bike hiring & equipment
- Exclusive deals, covering:
- Gym memberships
- Restaurant offers
- Holidays
- Retail vouchers
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A Place Where Everyone Belongs
We’re committed to being an inclusive retailer where every colleague can achieve their full potential and every customer feels welcome.
To reflect this dedication, we offer:
- Enhanced discretionary leave for families
- Carer support
- Training & resources for effective role performance
- Internal networks ensuring true representation and addressing barriers
- Development opportunities, including:
- Mentorship
- Training programs
- Career progression plans
Diversity & inclusion are celebrated through events and initiatives, fostering respect and collaboration. If you’d like to learn more, we’d love to share how we create this environment.
Accommodating Your Needs
If you require reasonable adjustments during application or interview, please let us know—we’re here to support you.
Join a team where leadership, purpose and people matter.
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