Job Description

Location: Abergavenny
Salary: Competitive + Benefits (see below)

Pugh’s is a family business with a proud heritage spanning more than 75 years, built on strong values, trusted relationships and a reputation for doing business the right way.

We are looking for an experienced, commercially minded and people-focused General Manager to lead The Garden Kitchen by Pugh’s in Abergavenny and help shape the next stage of its development.

This is a significant senior leadership role with responsibility for the overall performance of the business and a team of 20+ employees across a varied retail, food and customer experience operation.

We are looking beyond simply maintaining what already exists. The successful candidate will be expected to bring energy, fresh thinking and new ideas, identifying opportunities to increase sales, develop our events offering, strengthen our connection within the Abergavenny community and ensure the business continues to evolve with the changing retail and leisure environment.

The Role

As General Manager, you will take overall responsibility for the leadership, culture, commercial performance and day-to-day operation of The Garden Kitchen.

You will provide clear strategic direction while remaining a visible and approachable leader within the business. You will develop managers and employees, establish clear expectations and create an environment where people are supported but also accountable for delivering results.

The role requires someone capable of looking beyond today’s operation and asking what comes next.

Customer expectations and the retail and hospitality sectors continue to change. We therefore want a General Manager who understands the importance of evolving the customer experience, identifying new revenue opportunities and bringing commercially viable ideas to the business.

Events, Community & Growth

A particular area of opportunity is the continued development of events and experiences at The Garden Kitchen.

You will be expected to identify and develop opportunities that bring people into the business for more than a traditional retail visit, creating reasons for customers to return throughout the year.

This could include developing our calendar of events, seasonal experiences, community activities, collaborations, demonstrations and other commercially attractive initiatives that complement the Pugh’s brand.

The General Manager will:

Develop and grow the events element of the business, creating a strong and commercially focused annual programme.
Identify new opportunities to increase footfall, customer engagement, average spend and repeat visits.
Bring fresh ideas to the business while understanding which opportunities are commercially viable and appropriate for the Pugh’s brand.
Respond positively to changing customer expectations and developments within the retail, leisure and hospitality sectors.
Build meaningful relationships with the Abergavenny community, local organisations, businesses, producers and potential partners.
Explore partnerships and collaborations that strengthen our local presence and create mutually beneficial commercial opportunities.
Ensure The Garden Kitchen remains relevant, distinctive and an important part of the local community.
Use customer insight, commercial data and local knowledge to identify opportunities for sustainable growth.

Leadership & People

People leadership is at the heart of this appointment.

The successful candidate must have proven senior-level management experience and demonstrate the ability to lead, motivate and develop a team of 20+ people.

You will:

Provide clear, confident and respectful leadership across the entire business.
Lead, support and develop departmental managers, supervisors and employees.
Build a positive, professional and accountable culture where people understand what is expected of them.
Coach managers and strengthen leadership capability throughout the business.
Recruit and retain good people and develop talent from within.
Manage employee performance fairly, consistently and professionally.
Establish clear objectives and hold managers accountable for their departments.
Encourage ideas and initiative while maintaining strong operational discipline.
Lead change positively, bringing employees with you as the business develops.
Create a workplace built around respect, teamwork, high standards and personal responsibility.

Commercial & Operational Leadership

You will have overall responsibility for the commercial and operational performance of The Garden Kitchen, including:

Driving sales, profitability and sustainable growth.
Managing budgets, forecasts, P&L performance and financial reporting.
Monitoring labour costs, productivity and resource planning.
Analysing performance and translating information into clear actions.
Identifying underperforming areas and implementing improvements.
Maintaining oversight of stock management, purchasing, merchandising and supplier relationships.
Ensuring consistently high standards of presentation and customer service.
Developing and maintaining productive supplier and commercial relationships.
Ensuring compliance with health and safety, food safety, employment and environmental requirements.
Protecting the reputation, values and long-term interests of the Pugh’s business.
About You

We are looking for an accomplished senior manager rather than someone from one narrowly defined sector. You will ideally demonstrate:

Proven senior management and leadership experience, including responsibility for a sizeable team.
A successful track record of leading and developing 20+ employees.
Experience managing and developing other managers or team leaders.
Strong people-management skills, including coaching, development, performance management and succession planning.
Evidence of delivering commercial growth and improving business performance.
Strong financial and commercial understanding, including budgets, P&L, labour management and forecasting.
An entrepreneurial mindset and the confidence to bring forward new ideas.
Experience developing new revenue streams, events, partnerships or customer experiences would be advantageous.
The ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on operational leadership.
Excellent communication, organisational and decision-making skills.
The confidence to challenge existing ways of working constructively and implement change.
A genuine interest in customers, the local community and building long-term relationships.
An understanding of retail would be preferable.
Experience within hospitality, food service or events would be desirable but is not essential.
Leadership capability, commercial judgement, integrity and a proven ability to manage people successfully are more important.

Integrity & Reputation

For more than 75 years, the Pugh’s name has been associated with established and respected businesses. Protecting that heritage and reputation is extremely important to us.
The General Manager will be a senior representative of Pugh’s within the business and the wider Abergavenny community. We therefore expect the successful candidate to demonstrate high standards of personal and professional integrity, sound judgement and an excellent professional reputation.

You should understand the responsibility that comes with representing a long-established family business and share our determination to protect its reputation while continuing to move it forward.
We want someone who respects the heritage of Pugh’s but is not constrained by the past; a leader with the ambition, ideas and drive to help write its next chapter.
What We Offer

Competitive salary package.
Company benefits.
Career development and progression opportunities.
A supportive and collaborative working environment.
The opportunity to have a genuine influence over the future direction and growth of the business.

Following successful completion of your probation period, permanent Pugh’s employees are also entitled to:

10%–50% staff discounts.
Monthly prize draws worth £100.
Health Assured – Staff Health & Well-Being Support Scheme.
Annual Personal Development Reviews.
£30 uniform allowance.
Annual holiday Give away
Could You Lead Our Next Chapter?

This is an opportunity for an experienced leader who wants more than simply to manage an established operation.

We want someone with the drive to succeed, the credibility to lead people and the imagination to see opportunities others may miss.
Someone who can respect more than 75 years of Pugh’s heritage while bringing fresh thinking to The Garden Kitchen, developing its events and experiences, strengthening its place within Abergavenny and delivering sustainable sales and business growth.

Job Requirements

Could You Lead Our Next Chapter?

We are looking for an experienced General Manager who can combine strong people leadership with commercial thinking and a genuine ambition to grow the business.

We’re looking for someone who can:

Lead, motivate and develop a team of 20+ employees, including managers and supervisors.
Take overall responsibility for the commercial and operational performance of the business.
Demonstrate strong commercial awareness, including experience with budgets, P&L, labour costs, forecasting and profitability.
Identify and deliver opportunities to increase sales, footfall, average spend and repeat visits.
Bring fresh ideas and an entrepreneurial mindset, while ensuring new opportunities are commercially viable.
Develop and grow our events and experiences programme, creating additional reasons for customers to visit throughout the year.
Build strong relationships and partnerships within the Abergavenny community.
Deliver consistently high standards of customer experience, presentation and operational performance.
Coach and develop managers, set clear expectations and create a culture of accountability, teamwork and high standards.
Recruit, retain and develop great people and recognise opportunities for internal progression.
Use commercial information, customer insight and local knowledge to make confident, informed decisions.
Successfully lead and implement change and continuous improvement.
Balance strategic thinking with hands-on leadership, remaining visible and approachable within the business.
Demonstrate excellent communication, organisation and decision-making skills.
Represent Pugh’s with professionalism, integrity and sound judgement.
Respect our 75+ years of heritage while having the confidence and ambition to help shape what comes next.

Previous retail experience would be preferable, and experience within hospitality, food service or events would be advantageous. However, we are primarily looking for proven leadership capability, commercial judgement and an excellent track record of managing and developing people.