_{30th January, 2026}

About the Role 
We are seeking a highly commercial, retail-first General Manager to lead the Chemist Discount Centre (CDC) pharmacy franchise network. This is a senior executive role for a leader who has run retail businesses, owned complex P&Ls, and understands how to win in high-volume, price-competitive, customer-driven retail environments. 

CDC operates in a fast-moving, value-led retail category where pricing, discount strategy, merchandising execution, and brand clarity directly determine success. This role is accountable for translating strategy into store-level retail performance, ensuring the brand is competitive, relevant, and executed consistently across the network. 
You will act as the chief retail operator and brand custodian for CDC — shaping the offer, setting the commercial guardrails, and driving profitable growth across a national multi-site footprint. 
  
Success in this role depends on exceptional stakeholder leadership. You will operate with influence across franchise members, suppliers, shared services teams, and senior executives — aligning diverse interests around clear retail priorities and driving disciplined execution at scale. 
  
Key Accountabilities 
Retail Trading & Commercial Ownership (Core to the Role) 

• Hold end-to-end P&L accountability, with direct responsibility for sales growth, gross margin, cost control, and overall trading performance. 
• Define and continuously optimise retail pricing and discount strategies, ensuring CDC remains highly competitive while protecting margin and brand equity. 
• Lead promotional planning, campaign effectiveness, and value messaging in partnership with merchandising and marketing teams. 
• Drive a strong retail trading rhythm, using data, insights, and performance reporting to identify opportunities and address underperformance. 

Brand, Offer & Customer Proposition 

• Own the CDC retail brand strategy, ensuring the proposition is clear, compelling, and differentiated in a crowded discount retail landscape. 
• Lead brand refresh and evolution initiatives, grounded in customer insight and retail performance outcomes. 
• Ensure consistency of the retail offer across the network — from price perception and promotional execution to in-store experience. 
• Act as the public-facing retail leader of the brand, confidently presenting to members, suppliers, partners, and industry audiences. 

Network Growth & Retail Expansion 

• Lead the retail expansion strategy, including site selection, feasibility, demographic analysis, and commercial modelling. 
• Own the franchise recruitment and conversion process, clearly articulating the retail value proposition through high-impact pitch decks and presentations. 
• Work closely with network development and operations teams on store builds, refurbishments, relocations, and format compliance. 

Franchise, Member & Retail Leadership 

• Build high-trust relationships with CDC members, positioning yourself as a commercial retail partner, not just a network leader. 
• Navigate competing stakeholder priorities while maintaining clear commercial guardrails and a consistent retail strategy across the network. 
• Establish strong member communication rhythms, translating retail strategy into clear, actionable guidance. 
• Manage performance, compliance, and escalations with a clear focus on retail outcomes and customer impact. 

Cross-Functional Retail Execution 

• Work in deep partnership with shared services (merchandising, marketing, consumer marketing) to ensure strategies are executable at store level. 
• Ensure retail initiatives are practical, scalable, and commercially sound across a diverse network. 
• Champion a disciplined, performance-led retail culture across CDC. 

What We’re Looking For 

• Proven senior leadership experience in multi-site retail (essential). 
• A demonstrated track record of owning and growing retail P&Ls in competitive, price-sensitive environments. 
• Demonstrated ability to interpret retail trends and translate insight into scalable growth strategies across pricing, format, proposition, and network expansion. 
• Deep understanding of retail pricing, discount mechanics, promotional effectiveness, and margin management. 
• Strong brand and proposition leadership experience, ideally involving brand repositioning or refresh. 
• Highly confident and credible retail communicator and presenter, comfortable being the public face of a brand. 
• Experience working within shared service retail models while maintaining strong executional discipline. 
• Commercially sharp, data-driven, and comfortable making high-impact retail decisions.

Why This Role is Different 
This is not a passive franchise leadership role. It is a hands-on retail GM position for a leader who understands where the market is heading and that retail success is won or lost on price perception, offer clarity, and execution at store level. 

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