Director of Operations

Holland & Barrett, owned by investment firm L1, is a specialist health and wellness retailer focused on adding quality years to customers’ lives. The new Director of Operations will lead the Retail, Distribution, and Property teams with a clear focus on improving store standards and excellent execution, while designing the long-term strategic supply chain to support future growth.

About Holland & Barrett

The company has been active on the European market for over 150 years, proudly calling itself the largest and oldest health and well-being retailer in Europe. With more than 1,600 stores worldwide and over 230 in Benelux, Holland & Barrett is one of the largest retailers in the field of nutritional supplements, natural care, and healthy food. Holland & Barrett’s strategy is focused on unrivaled customer care. As a result, the company has been recognized at the prestigious Retail Week Awards in the Customer Service Gamechanger category, for leading the way in delivering outstanding customer experience.

Although life expectancy is at an all-time high, the number of healthy years per person – defined as living without chronic illnesses – is decreasing. By focusing on preventative well-being products, Holland & Barrett wants to impact consumers’ lives and turn this trend around. Whether the desire is better sleep, increased muscle mass, stronger bones, optimal brain functioning, or other ways of improving health, Holland & Barrett is consumers’ trusted partner in achieving their personal health goals – using the power of nature, because most of the products are based on natural ingredients. All Holland & Barrett employees are trained extensively on the products and are always up to date with the latest developments in the fields of natural health, care, wellness, and nutrition.

Vacancy: Director of Operations

The Director of Operations will lead the store operations and logistics teams to drive commercial success in stores and optimize the supply chain, focusing relentlessly on store standards and excellent execution, exemplary customer service, and operational efficiency. In short: they will ensure that the right people are in the right place and doing the right thing to deliver Holland & Barrett’s customer offer. In doing so, they will grow the Benelux stores’ annual revenue from approximately two hundred million to three hundred million euros over the next five years. They will determine the network plan to bring up to forty new stores and eighty refitted stores to existing and new customers, thereby making the Holland & Barrett brand an integral part of the Benelux retail landscape.

The key to success is the Director of Operations’ drive to set high standards and ensure they are effectively communicated and executed, so that they are integral to the culture of the organization. This will be delivered through strong leadership, cross-functional working, and setting appropriate KPIs with sound follow-up and review. They will lead by example in championing the voice of their store colleagues and will provide constructive feedback to their colleagues in the Customer Support Center (the Holland & Barrett Head Office in Amsterdam), in particular the Management and Leadership teams. Working closely with the Director of HR, the Director of Operations will create and execute a comprehensive people strategy, raising the bar on the quality of the customer experience in-store and simultaneously improving team member retention and attendance. This will be evidenced in higher engagement scores across the store and field management functions.

“The Director of Operations raises the bar for the entire organization and is also able to motivate and inspire people to follow. This requires a combination of excellent leadership skills, the ability to bring structure to our execution in stores and to identify and implement operational efficiencies.” – Thomas Tassone, Managing Director Benelux

Within the logistics function, the Director of Operations will lead and direct the warehouse and logistics team to maximize in-store and online availability while optimizing the efficiency of the supply chain. Understanding the trade-offs involved, they will carefully balance the sales ambitions with the cost levers. As Holland & Barrett looks to develop its footprint in Europe, the Director of Operations will work with Group and Benelux colleagues to create an ambitious plan and provide the necessary infrastructure to deliver results.

This role is a great growth opportunity for a talented people leader who knows how to lead a large and varied team and implement structured and consistent processes. The ideal candidate is passionate about delivering a great customer experience in the company’s retail estate and distribution network. As a commercially and operationally minded leader, they will have a major impact not only on the success of a well-known wellness retail brand but also on the lives of millions of customers, who are on a journey to improve their health.

Interested?

Holland & Barrett is working with Top of Minds to fill this vacancy.
To express your interest, please contact Janko Klaeijsen at janko.klaeijsen@topofminds.com