Sr. Store Manager - Food | Retail | M&S Food | UAE

Job Requisition ID: 179887 Established in the 1930s as a trading business, Al-Futtaim Group today is one of the most diversified and progressive, privately held regional businesses headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Structured into five operating divisions; automotive, financial services, real estate, retail and healthcare; employing more than 35,000 employees across more than 20 countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, Al-Futtaim Group partners with over 200 of the world's most admired and innovative brands. Al-Futtaim Group’s entrepreneurship and relentless customer focus enables the organization to continue to grow and expand; responding to the changing needs of our customers within the societies in which we operate. By upholding our values of respect, excellence, collaboration and integrity; Al-Futtaim Group continues to enrich the lives and aspirations of our customers each and every day Overview of the Role The Senior Store Manager – Food is responsible for leading the overall commercial, operational, and people performance of a high-volume Marks & Spencer Food store. The role provides strategic leadership to ensure the delivery of exceptional customer experiences while driving sustainable sales growth, profitability, operational excellence, and compliance with M&S Food standards. Leading a large, cross-functional team, the Senior Store Manager is accountable for delivering best-in-class retail operations across all Food departments, fostering a high-performance culture, and ensuring the highest standards of food safety, product availability, and customer service. Working closely with Regional Operations, Supply Chain, Planning, and Commercial teams, the role plays a key part in delivering business objectives and supporting future growth. Success in this role is measured through commercial performance, operational excellence, customer satisfaction, team engagement, food safety compliance, and overall business profitability. What You Will Do Drive Commercial Performance & Business Growth - Develop and execute the store's commercial strategy to achieve sales, profitability, and operational targets. - Analyse trading performance and implement action plans to maximise revenue, customer conversion, and profitability. - Drive commercial initiatives, promotional activities, and seasonal campaigns to improve business performance. - Monitor key business KPIs, including sales, gross margin, inventory, waste, shrinkage, labour productivity, and customer satisfaction. - Identify opportunities for continuous improvement and implement best practices to optimise store performance. - Ensure effective inventory investment while maintaining high product availability and reducing waste. Lead & Inspire High-Performing Teams - Provide inspirational leadership to department managers and store colleagues, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and customer excellence. - Develop leadership capability through coaching, mentoring, succession planning, and performance management. - Recruit, develop, and retain top talent to build a high-performing leadership team. - Drive colleague engagement initiatives that promote inclusion, wellbeing, and continuous learning. - Ensure effective workforce planning to support operational and commercial priorities. Deliver Exceptional Customer Experience - Champion a customer-first culture that consistently delivers the premium M&S shopping experience. - Ensure customer service standards exceed expectations across every department. - Actively review customer feedback and implement service improvement initiatives. - Lead the resolution of escalated customer concerns professionally and effectively. - Drive customer loyalty through service excellence and operational consistency. Operational Excellence - Provide strategic oversight of all daily store operations, ensuring efficient execution across all Food departments. - Ensure operational standards, policies, and procedures are consistently implemented. - Drive productivity improvements across replenishment, inventory management, merchandising, and store operations. - Ensure the store is fully prepared for trading through effective operational planning. - Lead continuous improvement initiatives to enhance operational efficiency. Food Safety, Compliance & Risk Management - Ensure full compliance with M&S Food Safety standards, HACCP requirements, Municipality regulations, and Health & Safety legislation. - Maintain the highest standards of food quality, freshness, hygiene, and operational compliance. - Lead food safety audits and implement corrective actions where required. - Promote a proactive safety culture across the store. - Ensure all operational risks are effectively managed. Inventory & Supply Chain Management - Drive inventory optimisation to maximise availability while controlling waste and shrinkage. - Collaborate with Pl