About us
We are a well-established, family-run business based in Bicester, Oxfordshire. With a reputation for quality products and exceptional customer service, we take pride in delivering the perfect solutions to our customers for their homes and businesses. We specialise in the acquisition and supply of carpets, flooring, window coverings, beds and mattresses from the leading manufacturers in the UK and around the world. As well as offering a dedicated installation service for all of our products, carried out by our team of in-house, employed installation specialists.
We are a forward thinking company who are continuously looking to improve our customer service and efficiency in an ever-evolving marketplace.
Ready to Lead, Sell & Make a Difference?
Carpet Trader (Bicester) Limited is looking for an experienced, driven and commercially minded Sales Manager to lead our showroom, develop our team and drive sales across our growing family business.
This is not a desk-based management role.
We want someone who can lead from the front – someone who loves selling, knows how to motivate a team, delivers exceptional customer service and takes ownership of the day-to-day running of a busy retail business.
You'll work across our three specialist brands:
Carpet Trader – Carpets, Amtico, Karndean, wood, laminate, vinyl and flooring solutions.
Blind Trader – Blinds, shutters, curtains, awnings and outdoor living.
Bed Trader – Beds, mattresses, headboards and bedroom products.
If you're a strong salesperson who knows how to get the best from people and wants the opportunity to genuinely influence the performance of a business, we'd like to hear from you.
What You'll Be Doing
You'll take responsibility for the sales performance, customer experience and day-to-day operation of the showroom and team, including:
- Leading, motivating and managing the sales and wider showroom team
- Driving sales, margin and conversion
- Setting and monitoring sales targets and KPIs
- Personally selling and leading by example
- Ensuring quotations and enquiries are followed up
- Coaching the team to improve sales performance
- Managing key customer and commercial accounts
- Developing repeat business and new sales opportunities
- Maximising cross-selling between Carpet Trader, Blind Trader and Bed Trader
- Maintaining exceptional customer service standards
- Taking ownership of customer complaints and escalations
- Running daily team meetings and setting priorities
- Managing workloads, standards, attendance and performance
- Ensuring the showroom is professional, organised and commercially focused
- Working closely with administration, warehouse and installation teams
- Identifying problems and taking action before they affect the customer
- Reporting sales performance, opportunities and challenges to the Directors
Ultimately, when you're running the showroom, you'll take ownership of making sure the business performs.
We're Looking for Someone who is a salesperson and a manager in equal measure.
You'll ideally have:
- Proven sales experience
- Sales, retail, showroom or branch management experience
- Strong leadership and people-management skills
- A track record of achieving sales targets
- Excellent closing and negotiation skills
- Strong commercial awareness
- Exceptional customer service skills
- Experience managing KPIs and team performance
- Confidence dealing with difficult conversations and customer complaints
- Strong organisation and attention to detail
- The ability to coach, motivate and hold people accountable
- A proactive, hands-on approach
Experience within flooring, furniture, beds, kitchens, bathrooms, blinds, interiors, home improvement or another consultative retail environment would be a major advantage, but isn't essential.
What Matters to Us
We're not looking for someone who simply waits for instructions.
We want someone who takes ownership.
Someone who notices when a quotation hasn't been followed up.
Someone who sees a customer waiting and steps in.
Someone who spots an opportunity and acts on it.
Someone who knows when a team member needs encouragement and when they need challenging.
Someone who understands that great sales performance comes from great people, great processes and exceptional customer service.
Why Join Us?
Carpet Trader is an established, independent family business with an extensive product and service offering across Carpet Trader, Blind Trader and Bed Trader.
This is an opportunity to take on a genuinely influential management position where you can help shape the performance of the showroom and the development of the team.
You'll receive:
- Competitive salary - £34,000 per/annum basic (circa. £45K-£50K O.T.E)
- Performance-related bonus and individual product sales bonus opportunity
- Ongoing product and technical training
- A varied and responsible management position
- The opportunity to work across three established brands
- Genuine responsibility and autonomy
- The opportunity to directly influence sales growth
- Career development for the right person
Think You Could Lead Our Team?
If you're commercially driven, great with customers, confident managing people and still enjoy the buzz of closing a sale, we want to hear from you.
Send us your CV and tell us why you think you're the right person to lead our sales team.
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Pay: £34,000.00-£50,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Employee discount
- Free parking
- On-site parking
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Bicester OX26 4JT: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Application question(s):
- Will you commute to Bicester, OX26 4JT?
Experience:
- Sales management: 1 year (preferred)
- Retail sales: 1 year (preferred)
- customer service: 1 year (preferred)
Licence/Certification:
- Driving Licence (preferred)
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: In person
