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Job Details: 

Job Title: Assistant Manager
Garden Centre: Dunbar Garden Centre
Location: Spott Road, Dunbar, East Lothian, EH42 1BF
Number of openings: 1
Job Location Type In person
Country: Scotland, United Kingdom
Language: English
Job Type: Full time, including weekends. Permanent
Expected hours per week: 40 and overtime when required
Schedule: 8 hour shifts
Wage: Competitive, depending on experience
Start Date: As soon as available
Reporting to: Garden Centre Manager

About the Role: 

Dunbar Garden Centre is looking for a brilliant new Assistant Manager to join our bustling garden centre. This is a key position that will support our management team with the daily operations, driving sales, managing staff, maintaining high visual standards, and delivering exceptional customer service.
We are keen to hear from experienced, enthusiastic applicants who are willing to contribute to this family business and help build a stronger workforce. We love working with people who are hands-on and have a “get it done” attitude and who thrive when working with people. It’s essential that you enjoy taking on responsibility, leading a team and deliver results. The position is full-time and would require some
weekend work.
Please read on to find out if this job is for you.

Key Responsibilities: 

The Key Responsibilities for this role include, but are not limited to, the following:
– Support the Garden Centre Manager in all daily operations
– Customer Care: Handling customer queries, complaints, and specialist advice
– Put into practice key retail and customer service skills to support our
customers in a professional manner.
– Till and EPOS operations
– HR: Assisting with staff training, onboarding, rotas, and performance reviews
– Lead and motivate staff across all departments
– Manage staff and key responsibilities
– HSE: Ensure health & safety standards are met and adhered to Assistant Manager
– Stock: support stock ordering, receiving, and inventory management
– Oversee merchandising, stock displays, and seasonal layout changes
– Projects: take on assignments from management and follow through to delivery
– Drive sales and support commercial decision-making

Candidate Attributes: 

Professional Skill-Set Required: 

Our preferred applicant will have the following experience:

•  5 years experience in retail, garden centres, horticulture, or similar environment
•  Previous supervisory/management and leadership experience:
  – Commercial Awareness
  – Operational aspects
  – Budgets, targets and costings
  – Staff management
  – Driving sales and performance
•  Great customer service history
• Ability to take on and manage responsibilities
  It would be preferential to us if you also have experience with some or all of the
  following:
•  Horticulture
•  Till operations
•  EPOS management and routines
• Stock handling, ordering and management
• HSE training and routines, including COOSH
• Planning and actioning tasks for seasonal changes
• Training staff members
• Maintenance
• First aid
• Clean drivers licence

Essential Qualities, Skills & Personal Attributes: 

To ensure we are the right fit, we find the following personal qualities to be very important for both your effectiveness in this role and also to fit into our team:

• Excellent communication and people skills
•  Practice great collaboration with colleagues, suppliers and customers
• Teamwork: working with your team to create great and timely results.
• Ability to work confidently alone
• Friendly, customer-focused and professional approach
• Respectful, well-mannered and considerate to others.
•  Good problem-solving and decision making skills
• Positive and hard-working attitude
• Being Adaptable
• Dedicated, reliable and honest
• Creative, energetic and passionate
• Strong organisational skills and ability to meet deadlines
• Physically capable of lifting, moving and handling stock and equipment safely
• Maintain excellent presentation and hygiene
• Confidence and comfortable working hands-on in all weather

About Us: 

About Crabbie’s Family of Garden Centres:

Dunbar Garden Centre is a thriving and customer-focused garden centre and restaurant, dedicated to offering excepƟonal plants, products, and services. We are passionate about what we do and creating a great environment for both customers and staff.
The Crabbie’s Family of Garden Centre is a family run business that began in Berwick back in 1983 and has grown into three multi-department centres spanning both sides of the border, Dunbar being established in 2013. We continuously strive to adapt and improve what we do. As an accredited member of the GCA we are recognised as being among the best garden centres in the UK andalways open to ideas and innovation.

Company Benefits:

•  Competitive salary aligned with experience
• Generous employee discount across the garden centre
• Training and development opportunities to grow your skills and confidence
• A supportive, friendly working environment where teamwork really matters
• A chance to contribute ideas and help shape the future direction of the centre
• Free on-site parking
• Company pension scheme
• Extra annual leave after one year of service
• Daytime working hours — ideal for work–life balance
• Subsidised lunch in our restaurant

To Apply: 

Please send your CV and covering letter to ilmars@dunbargardencentre.co.uk. Within your cover letter please answer the questions below.

• Please detail the aspects of retail that you are familiar with and you consider essential
  to drive growth?
• How do you feel about escalating an issue you are struggling with?

Application deadline is 12th April 2026.

We’re hiring a Garden Centre Assistant based in our plant area ahead of a busy season. This is a part-time, temporary role with potential of being made permanent, 24 hours per week. Requires weekday and weekend work. If you’re interested in applying, please send your CV through to marketing@berwickgardencentre.co.uk 

About us

Our garden centre opened in 1983 and operated as a small nursery selling plants from a single greenhouse. In the last 40 years it has grown into a multi-department store with a licensed restaurant which is popular with regulars and has a strong passing trade due to its proximity to the A1. We have now have three garden centres in the family-owned group, each with their own identity.

We are seeking versatile full time Garden Centre Assistant within our plant area to carry out duties all across our store. The available role is in our Plant Area, covering both week days and weekends. Horticultural knowledge would be advantageous.

Your duties will include:

• Pricing, displaying & merchandising of a variety of products
• Watering Plants
• Heavy lifting
• Maintaining safe environment
• Replenishing stock
• Assisting customers with their purchases
• General housekeeping
• Till operation
• Customer service

The Candidate

You will be a team player who will be comfortable working across all parts of our garden centre if required. Possessing good communication skills, you will help us to retain and grow our loyal customer base by providing first class customer service.

Berwick is a busy garden centre so you must be able to work well under pressure and maintain high standards. You will be professional, reliable and a good time-keeper. The role can be physically demanding at times due to the nature of our business and you therefore must be able to deal with the rigours of this type of retail environment.

Experience working with an EPOS system is preferred but not essential as full training will be given.

We’re looking to hire a plant area assistant ahead of a busy season. This is a permanent, full time role with 40 hours per week. Set days with every second weekend on. To apply please send your CV to ilmars@dunbargardencentre.co.uk

About us

Dunbar Garden Centre first opened its doors in 2013 and in doing so became the second in our group of three family owned garden centres. The first, Berwick Garden Centre, began trading in 1983 and Plantsplus Garden Centre, located just north of Newcastle, was added to the group in 2016.

The large space and open surroundings were perfect for the construction of a large, spacious garden centre with dedicated restaurant, farm shop, plant area, clothing, toy, gift, pet & aquatic departments. Dunbar was purpose built and an integral part of the centre is our large restaurant seating 200 covers. We believe the restaurant has an excellent reputation for its quality food offering and this complements our first class garden centre, which is known for the range of products we sell and its knowledgeable team of staff.

The Role

We are seeking versatile Full time Garden Centre Assistants to carry out duties all across our store. The available role is in our Plant Area, covering both week days and weekends. Horticultural knowledge would be advantageous.

Your duties will include:

• Pricing, displaying & merchandising of a variety of products
• Watering Plants
• Moving heavy plant benches
• Maintaining safe environment
• Replenishing stock
• Assisting customers with their purchases
• General housekeeping
• Customer service

The Candidate

You will be a team player who will be comfortable working across all parts of our garden centre if required. Possessing good communication skills, you will help us to retain and grow our loyal customer base by providing first class customer service.

Dunbar is a busy garden centre so you must be able to work well under pressure and maintain high standards. You will be professional, reliable and a good time-keeper. The role can be physically demanding at times due to the nature of our business and you therefore must be able to deal with the rigours of this type of retail environment.

Experience working with an Epos system is preferred but not essential as full training will be given.

TO APPLY – please email claire@dunbargardencentre.co.uk

Job Description: