Head of Retail - Specialty Food/FMCG Retailer

About the company

Apt Resources has been retained by its client, a specialty food and FMCG retailer with a long-standing passion for healthy living. Built over two decades, the business has built its reputation around offering fresh and biodynamic food alongside groceries, supplements, skincare, baby items, and household products.

This is an opportunity to join a purpose-led business that combines retail excellence with a genuine dedication to quality, wellness, and customer trust.

Role overview

As head of retail, you will play a central leadership role in shaping commercial performance and the customer experience across a growing retail operation. This role is suited to a commercially minded retail leader who can bring together operational excellence, team leadership, and a strong understanding of specialty food retail to help the business continue to grow.

Responsibilities

Lead day-to-day retail operations across all the multiple store locations

Drive sales growth, margin performance, and store profitability targets

Oversee store standards, merchandising, and customer experience excellence

Manage and develop store managers and frontline retail teams

Coordinate stock planning and supplier alignment for fresh and specialty products

Manage the e-commerce platform and ensure efficient order execution and a seamless customer experience

Requirements

10+ years of progressive experience in retail operations, e-commerce, omnichannel, or other consumer-facing businesses

Senior retail leadership experience across multi-site store operations

Strong track record of driving sales growth and margin performance in a retail or consumer-facing business

Experience leading store managers and retail teams

Hands-on experience overseeing e-commerce operations and customer order fulfillment

Experience with retail POS systems, inventory and stock management platforms, e-commerce platforms, and sales reporting tools

Knowledge of fresh food, specialty retail, or organic product environments

Experience partnering with supply chain, procurement, merchandising, and warehouse teams

Fluent English communication skills

Must currently be in the UAE and able to attend an on-site interview

A BA, BSc, or MBA is a plus

Benefits

AED 50,000 a month plus company benefits