Head of Retail

Job Introduction

Sodexo live! has an amazing opportunity for an exceptionally talented hospitality professional to join our team at Ascot Racecourse as Head of Retail.

We are committed to providing our guests with an outstanding experience hosting one of the world's most prestigious race meetings, Royal Ascot, as well as 21 race days and numerous non-racing events each year.

As Head of Retail you will be responsible for managing all aspects of the retail food and beverage department, including creating and managing the annual budget. You will also be tasked with maximizing the account's sales opportunities through product innovation. 

As a customer centric hospitality expert, you will be driven to deliver the ultimate guest experience. Ascot Racecourse is one the world’s most prestigious venues, and during the Royal Ascot week, the most prolific. We expect you to deliver a service that and exceeds the expectations of a client who understands the true meaning of exceptional hospitality and expects nothing less.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manage the retail team to ensure that they meet their business and personal objectives through regular one to one meetings, and performance reviews, ensuring that targets are monitored and met.
• Build and present on an annual basis, the retail budget.
• Provide exceptional levels of customer service throughout all retail areas of the venue.
• Lead on bar and beverage innovation across all retail areas.
• Work with Ascot’s partnership team ensure that all sponsor activations and activities are delivered successfully.
• To work with the commercial department to provide and act upon analytical data on sales trends, average spends, labour productivity hours and other KPI data.
• To propose, manage and implement retail capital projects within the required timescales, and in conjunction with ARL’s overall CAPEX plan
• Drive the revenue opportunity of all retail hospitality restaurants across all racedays including Royal Ascot. This includes the marketing and communications and the measuring and reporting of their performance. 
• Work with the culinary team to develop appropriate seasonal retail menus. This includes hosting tasting sessions for new concepts with the client.
• Work with the staffing team to develop a strong team of casual staff to work with in the retail department on racedays. This includes developing retail training programmes with the staff team
• Work with the clients marketing and PR team to deliver the marketing & promotional calendar for each Raceday. Provide regular news on retail activity and new innovations to the marketing team
• Work with the ARL team and Head of Operations on temporary structures, power requirements, networking requirements and build up and break down for all racedays including Royal Ascot
• Create an annual beverage and food concession plan to support the onsite retail operation. 

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

You will already have experience of working in a large sports or entertainment venue setting, in a comparable role and be recognised as a specialist in the hospitality industry.   You will demonstrate a high level of thought leadership with a track record of delivering successful F&B retail operations. You will also be accustomed to managing multiple million-pound P&L accounts and budgets and a solid background in leading a large team diverse teams to deliver a service of excellence. 

You will also have:

• The ability to interpret and utilize financial and commercial information.
• Experience in the implementation of SOP’s to achieve the desired retail delivery
• Good awareness of marketing tools and up-to-date industry initiatives to drive additional sales to the Retail account
• Operational knowledge, skills and experience in bar and restaurant management at a sporting or entertainment venue
• Excellent communication skills both upwards and downwards, internally and externally
• Resilience to manage multiple tasks and prioritise importance

WHAT WE OFFER

You will be rewarded with a competitive salary plus access to a range of excellent benefits, including:

• Performance-related bonus
• Contributory pension scheme 
• Life assurance 
• A flexible benefits fund of £1,300 to utilise a range of benefits, including Private Medical Insurance (PMI), dental, gym memberships, retail / hospitality discounts, etc. 

For more information on all the great benefits Sodexo offer to support you and your loved ones, check out the attached Benefits Guide at the bottom of this advert!

By joining Sodexo Live!, you will be part of something greater, working in an environment that fosters innovation and supports your professional growth.

We’re a Disability Confident Leader employer. We’re committed to changing attitudes towards disability, and making sure disabled people have the chance to fulfil their aspirations. We run a Disability Confident interview scheme for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria for the job.