Heather Webster

• Career progression from Senior Sales to Store Manager, experinced in multi-concept store management.
• In-depth knowledge of Hotel Chocolat culture process and policies
• Successfully managed all aspects of store operations, including people, inventory management, sales performance, and customer experience, for several locations within the business.
• People Management and Team Development: proven ability to manage diverse teams, providing clear direction, fostering a positive culture, and resolving conflicts to improve performance.
• Leading from the front in customer experinece: coaching the team to feel confident and empowered to ensure the delivery of the Phoenix journey consistently.
• KPI- Driven commerical decisions: Analyse sales, inventory, and customer experience KPIs to identify performance gaps and implement strategies that drive improvements. For example, VM decisions, adjusting team priorities from Cafe to Retail reflecting % of sales.
• Problem-Solving & Operational Efficiency: Skilled at identifying challenges, analysing root causes, and implementing effective solutions to enhance store operations, engaged team members, Health and Safety compliance and customer satisfaction.
• District Support & Leadership: Actively contributed to supporting the district through various initiatives, including training Store Managers/ District Managers and Head of Retail for US, led the NSO of Skipton, and supported operationally in several NSO's, point of contact for the district/ holiday cover.
• LEAP into the Field Training Programme: This training programme, enhanced my leadership skills and deepened my understanding of the retail business at a district and company level. Currently part of the Top Talent programme.
• Winner of Employee of the Year 2022 and Manager who Embodies HC's Ethics in 2025
• School of Chocolate: Playing a key role of the re-integration of this programme into Hotel Chocolat, contributing to the creation of engaging and educational content for both Foundation and Diploma level, involved in the collaboration of internal stakeholders to ensure content aligns with company values, co-delivering training sessions, leading from the front in Return of Investment by delivering Chocolate Tasting event.
• 
  
• 
  

Starting as a Sales Advisor, I advanced through roles including Photo-Lab Technician, Perfume Consultant, and Christmas Coordinator, ultimately progressing to Weekend Manager, where I led operations, drove sales, ensured H+S compliance and an engaged and motivated team across a high-volume store.