Job Introduction
Job Title - Retail Director
Venue - Excel London
Sector - Levy UK&I
Salary - up to £90,000 per annum plus benefits
Overview
Levy is the vibrant and exciting sector of Compass Group, the world’s largest catering company. We work at some of the greatest venues in the world, delivering legendary experiences in food, drink, and hospitality.
In the UK and Ireland, we are proud to have a wealth of long-standing partnerships with venues across sport, entertainment, and events. Our partnerships include venues such as Excel London, The O2, Wimbledon, Twickenham, Aviva Stadium, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Scottish Event Campus (SEC).
As part of our growth strategy, we have expanded into Europe, operating multiple venues in the Netherlands and Germany, including the iconic Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam and the Uber Arena in Berlin. Our ambition is continued growth across the UK and continental Europe.
At the core of what we do is the belief that sustainably sourced great food and drink, coupled with exceptional service is key to creating bespoke legendary experiences at our venues. Beyond the plate, we are valued by our clients as visionary venue partners, providing a range of partnership lead solutions that enhance the experience of fans and guests within the venues that we operate.
With a focus on data and insights, we initiate and deliver change through our design and build teams, whilst providing additional commercial benefits through other channel brands, such as Lyvera, Keith Prowse. KERB, Peppermint and Levy Merchandise.
Focused on ‘doing the right thing’ for our people and the planet. sustainability, wellbeing, diversity, and inclusion are at the heart of what we do.
We have a commitment to significantly reducing our carbon impact, are official partners of Paralympics GB, and are proud to pay all our team members at least the Real Living or London Living Wage.
Role Purpose
Levy UK is the food and drink partner for Excel London, managing and operating all food and beverage activity throughout the venues retail operation.
We are seeking an exceptional Retail Director to shape, lead and deliver the retail food and beverage strategy, driving premium, branded and franchised concepts that elevate the guest experience and maximise commercial performance.
This is a high-profile, senior leadership role requiring a dynamic, innovative and people-focused leader with a strong track record in premium food and beverage operations, large-scale logistics and stakeholder partnership management. The successful candidate will be instrumental in evolving the retail offer, challenging the status quo, and delivering sustainable growth in revenue, margin and reputation across one of the UK’s most important event destinations.
As a member of the Excel London Hospitality (ELH) Senior Leadership Team, you will contribute to the strategic development and effective management of the organisation alongside fellow SLT members and Excel stakeholders.
Excel Retail Services – Scope
The retail operation includes:
- 24 boulevard retail units (branded and unbranded)
- Bridge Restaurant (140 covers)
- Frictionless automated retail store
- In-hall retail operations (coffee shops, street food and bars)
- Immerse London, including:
- High-street coffee brand
- Premium street food and bar
- Small plates & wine bar
- Destination restaurant concept
The operation delivers circa £20m annual turnover, with an ambition to grow revenue and net profit over the next five years. Excel London and Immerse London attract over 5.5 million visitors annually hosting over 400 events per year.
Key Responsibilities
Strategy & Leadership
- Shape and deliver the retail food and beverage strategy, including franchises and premium brand partnerships.
- Lead innovation across food, beverage and technology to maintain Excel’s world-class positioning.
- Build and sustain strong, transparent partnerships with Excel London, Levy leadership and external stakeholders.
- Develop, agree and lead delivery of annual and quarterly Strategic Aims with the Excel Retail Board, providing regular progress updates and impact reporting.
- Champion internal coordination, communication and collaboration across the ELH SLT.
- Lead, inspire and align large fixed and variable teams around clear priorities, performance goals and continuous improvement.
Operations Excellence
- Own day-to-day operational delivery, ensuring consistent, high-quality food, service and guest experience.
- Drive operational performance against agreed Excel Retail KPIs, reporting monthly to ELH Food & Drink Operations.
- Ensure operational readiness for all events, activations and trading periods.
- Maintain brand standards, food quality, presentation and service consistency across all retail areas.
- Lead health & safety culture and compliance across the venue.
- Champion sustainability initiatives in partnership with Levy and Excel stakeholders.
- Actively capture, analyse and respond to guest and client feedback to enhance experience.
People & Culture
- Create a high-performance, values-led culture aligned to Levy and client expectations.
- Develop engaged, energized and collaborative teams proud to deliver legendary hospitality.
- Work closely with the General Manager to ensure operational consistency and leadership capability.
- Mentor and coach the General Manager and senior leaders for succession and progression.
- Embed open communication, accountability and transparency across teams.
Business Performance & Data
- Ensure excellence in data accuracy across venue systems to maximise E15 Insights value.
- Utilise E15 modelling to drive operational efficiency, performance improvement and growth.
- Partner with Business Transformation, Finance, Culinary, People, BUILT and Sales functions to optimise performance.
- Regularly review Growth Performance Scores and implement targeted action plans.
Financial & Commercial Accountability
- Full P&L ownership, working closely with Finance to deliver accurate budgets, forecasts and results.
- Maintain tight control of operating costs while driving revenue growth and margin improvement.
- Build strong commercial understanding and accountability across line managers and teams.
- Use insight-led decision-making to identify growth opportunities and improve profitability.
Person Specification
- A passionate hospitality leader with a relentless focus on guest experience and quality.
- Proven innovator, comfortable challenging convention and leading change at scale.
- Inspirational people leader with strong emotional intelligence and communication skills.
- Strong track record in strategic planning, change management and operational delivery.
- Commercially and financially astute, with a data-driven approach to performance improvement.
- Confident influencer and negotiator with credibility across senior internal and external stakeholders.
- Agile, resilient and adaptable, able to act with pace while maintaining quality.
- Minimum 10 years’ senior leadership experience within a complex, quality-driven food, drink or hospitality environment.