Horticulture Assistant

Plant Area Assistant (Outdoor), Full-time

Time and a half for weekends and bank holidays

About Perrywood Garden Centre & Nurseries Ltd

Perrywood is an independent, family-owned garden centre and nursery run by the Bourne Family. Both our Tiptree and Sudbury centres are surrounded by beautiful countryside. Our mission is to offer a memorable garden centre experience; delivering wow customer service and giving our employees and customers, a reason to smile.

Rewards and Benefits

IIn addition to the hourly wage, you will receive the following benefits:

• Discount – From the start of your employment you will receive 10% discount on specific items. Following a successful probation period the discount increases up to 20% discount on specific items and after one years service up to 40% discount on specific items. (some exceptions apply)
• Paid holiday – holiday entitlement is 22 days per year, plus bank holidays. Restrictions apply (part-time pro rata)
• Annual Christmas bonus
• Part-uniform provided
• Employee Assistant Programme - a confidential personal and professional support service available to all employees and their immediate families 24/7, 365 days a year.
• Training & development, as required. We have an e-learning scheme called GROW, and also take part in other training with product suppliers and external trainers
• Company sick pay – following a successful probation period employees are entitled to 10 days paid sickness (part-time pro rata)
• Access to our Retail Discount Scheme – savings on retailers including Tesco, Pizza Express, M&S, Waitrose, Argos, Apple, Currys PC World, Thomas Cook and 100’s more
• Workplace pension
• Free parking

Key duties

• You will undertake daily watering, maintenance and stocking up of the indoor and bedding plant areas
• You will confidently answer customer queries, and be knowledgeable about looking after plants
• Basic plant merchandising and assist in creating commercial displays, which inform and inspire customers and encourage linked sales
• When needed you will assist in other areas of the business, especially other plant area departments

Your capabilities

• You’ll have a passion for plants. You must be able to thrive in a fast paced environment, be commercially aware and understand how to care for plants in a retail environment
• You understand what makes a high quality shopping experience for your customers
• You are creative, and know effective planting combinations
• Ability to bend and lift plants, and to pull/push trolleys and barrows

Requirements

• Good customer service & communication skills – essential
• Good plant knowledge - preferred
• Horticultural experience - preferred
• You’ll need to work five days a week, including one day at the weekend
• You’ll need to work some bank holidays, but will be given a day’s holiday in lieu and paid time and a half
• As part of this role when assisting in bedding plant department you will be required to wear gloves (Personal Protective Equipment, or PPE) when handling certain crops which may be for large parts of the day

If this Plant Area Assistant position sounds like the ideal opportunity for you then apply to us directly, we’d love to hear from you!

For further information and a full job description please visit the Perrywood website https://www.perrywood.co.uk/careers/

Job Type: Full-time

Salary: £10.59 per hour

Benefits:

• Company events
• Employee discount
• Free parking
• Health & wellbeing programme
• On-site parking
• Referral programme
• Store discount

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Day shift

Application question(s):

• Tell us about your interest in plants?
• Tell us how you can develop your knowledge of plants?
• Due to our rural location and limited access to public transport, how will you travel to and from work?

Experience:

• horticulture: 1 year (preferred)

Work Location: In person

Reference ID: Plant Area Assistant - Tiptree