Trade Counter Role Overview
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Click on the names below and read what our employees say!
Service Assistant
The main responsibility of the Service Assistant is to deliver excellent customer service, advising customers of great offers and delivery options to maximise sales. Serving customers on the till, processing customer details and orders, dealing with customer queries, and picking orders in the warehouse make up the bulk of the role. Working as part of a team and contributing to the overall success of the store are important, as is ensuring that store standards and product displays are maintained to the highest possible level.
To successfully secure a Service Assistant position, you will need experience in a customer facing role within a high paced, high volume environment. You will need to be a team player with excellent communication skills and a flexible attitude towards working hours and tasks. We prefer to recruit people who have gained these skills within a retail environment, but are often flexible for people with the right qualities coming from other sectors.
A Service Assistant is paid an hourly rate of £6.25 (£5.10 per hour for under 18s), with staff in certain locations earning an extra payment to cover the higher costs of living in those areas. The maximum amount a Service Assistant can earn per hour is £7.40 (£6.25 per hour for under 18s), in our London stores. Our job adverts always contain details of which pay band the store you are applying to sits within. Benefits include the opportunity to earn overtime, contributory pension after a year, health cash plan, sharesave scheme, 20% staff discount after 3 months, a childcare vouchers scheme, and an employee assistance programme.
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The main responsibility of the Customer Service Supervisor (generally known in-store as a CSS) is to maximise sales by delivering great customer service standards, and encouraging Service Assistants to do the same. Working as part of a team, the CSS is tasked working on the till and picking orders in the warehouse, serving customers and driving add-on sales. In addition, the CSS has responsibility for opening and closing the store, allocating tasks to Service Assistants, conducting cash reconciliations, processing refunds, dealing with escalated customer queries, and maintaining excellent store standards.
To successfully secure a CSS position, you will generally need a successful track record of delivering excellent customer service in a customer facing role within the retail industry. You’ll need the confidence to deal with a variety of customer situations, a flexible attitude and experience of working under pressure. You will be a real team player with excellent communication skills and the ability to interact well with customers.
A CSS is paid an hourly rate of £7.09, with staff in certain locations earning an extra payment to cover the higher costs of living in those areas. The maximum amount a CSS can earn per hour is £8.24, in our London stores. Our job adverts always contain details of which pay band the store you are applying to sits within. Benefits include the opportunity to earn overtime, contributory pension after a year, health cash plan, sharesave scheme, 20% staff discount after 3 months, a childcare vouchers scheme, and an employee assistance programme.
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The Assistant Manager takes day-to-day responsibility for the successful delivery of our service strategy in their Trade Counter. Leading from the front, they demonstrate to other staff how to achieve and exceed customer service targets, show the importance of understanding the customer’s needs and responding to them effectively. They are also responsible for driving add-on sales to increase store performance, and execute the store marketing plan to a high standard.
People management is an important aspect of the role. The Assistant Manager supports the Branch Manager by leading the day-to-day management of the team of Service Assistants, playing a major part in their recruitment, training, development and performance management. The Assistant Manager also plays a vital supporting role with regard to operational processes, getting heavily involved in stock management and availability, cash management and health and safety compliance.
To successfully secure an Assistant Manager position, you will need to have experience of all the aspects of this type of role, including customer service and sales, cash management, stock management and operational compliance. You will also need experience of people management including recruitment, training, performance management and development. We generally find that people who have managed or supervised a team of people in a retail environment are the most successful applicants, though we are flexible and open to considering candidates from alternative backgrounds.
An Assistant Manager will typically earn a salary between £15,500 and £21,000 depending on experience and location. Benefits include a discretionary bonus based on company performance, the opportunity to earn overtime, contributory pension after a year, health cash plan, sharesave scheme, 20% staff discount after 3 months, a childcare vouchers scheme, and an employee assistance programme.
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The Branch Manager takes overall accountability for managing the Trade Counter on a day-to-day basis, achieving and exceeding targets and ensuring that the store remains successful and profitable. A big part of the role is people management, and the Branch Manager needs to successfully engage, motivate, train and develop their team of Assistant Managers, Customer Service Supervisors and Service Assistants. They are involved in the recruitment and selection of staff members, and ensure that staff performance and succession planning are properly managed.
Another key part of the role is looking after sales and service. This involves driving the consistent delivery of excellent service standards, delivering the customer proposition to the highest possible standard, and ensuring that customers are brought through the door and kept happy and motivated to spend. Sourcing new customers by understanding and responding to local trends and competition is a crucial part of this aspect of the role.
Operational management is another of the Branch Manager’s main responsibilities. This ranges from ensuring the proper management of stock and product availability, to checking that store standards are maintained and store processes are followed. Making sure that the store complies with all relevant health and safety legislation is also extremely important.
To successfully secure a Branch Manager position, you will need to have experience of all the major aspects of this type of role, including the management of profit and loss statements and budgets, stock management systems, and cash handling and financial transaction management. Experience of delivering customer service to a high standard, driving sales, and successfully achieving targets is important, as is a background in people management, recruitment, training and the development of others. We generally find that people who have managed a team of at least 15 people in a retail environment are the most successful applicants, though we are flexible and open to considering candidates from alternative backgrounds.
A Branch Manager will typically earn a salary between £21,000 and £33,000 depending on experience and location. Benefits include a discretionary bonus based on company performance, mobile phone, contributory pension after a year, health cash plan, sharesave scheme, 20% staff discount after 3 months, a childcare vouchers scheme, and an employee assistance programme.
Back to top of page.Area Manager
The Area Manager has overall management and operational responsibility for up to 25 Trade Counters, often spread across several counties. Directly line managing all Branch Managers in their area, they ensure consistent successful delivery of all targets including sales, customer service, store operations, stock management, marketing and promotions, people issues, and health and safety. They drive high performance by developing and motivating their team, achieving success through others.
Delivering sales and revenue targets is one of the most important aspects of the role. The Area Manager will achieve this by ensuring that all staff in their Trade Counters follow best practice with regard to sales and service techniques, by ensuring proper implementation of the company marketing and promotional plans in-store, and by devising innovative and strategic methods to increase customer footfall and spend. They know their local markets, their competitors, and the latest trends in the retail sector. They also maintain a keen overview of the profit and loss figures for their area.
The Area Manager is also responsible for all people matters on their area. They are heavily involved in the recruitment, selection and training of all management staff within their Trade Counters, and for developing and motivating their teams to achieve high performance. They act as an inspirational leader to their staff, engaging with them and encouraging them to be the best they can be.
Finally, they are usually involved in some high-level project work that will have a positive effect on the company as a whole, and will extend beyond the boundaries of their area. This will involve liaison with other Area Managers and senior figures within Trade Counters and the Screwfix Head Office in Yeovil.
To successfully secure an Area Manager position, you will need to have experience of multi-site area or regional management within the retail industry, ideally having moved into this role from a store management background. You will have demonstrable experience of delivering results in a retail environment, and will understand how to manage profit and loss, stock management systems and all aspects of store operations. You will have extensive experience of managing, motivating, developing and inspiring large numbers of retail staff and will have achieved success through your teams.
An Area Manager will typically earn a salary between £33,000 and £45,000 depending on experience and location. Benefits include a discretionary bonus based on company performance, company car or car allowance, mobile phone, laptop, contributory pension from day one, BUPA medical cover, health cash plan, sharesave scheme, 20% staff discount after 3 months, a childcare vouchers scheme, and an employee assistance programme.
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