The Warehouse
The Red Shed. Big stores, big teams, and a promotion ladder people actually climb.
The Warehouse opened its first store in Takapuna in 1982 and is now one of the biggest employers of young New Zealanders anywhere in the country. Around 90 Red Sheds sell everything from school shoes to garden hoses.
Because the stores are large, the teams are large — which means structure. There are team leaders, department managers and store managers, and a clear expectation that you can move between them. Plenty of people in the support office and distribution centres started on a checkout.
90+
Red Sheds
1982
First store opened
3
Distribution centres
Career pathways
Progression is not automatic, but these are the paths people actually follow at The Warehouse. The colour deepens as the roles get more senior.
In store
- Team member6–12 monthsStart here
Checkouts, replenishment, click and collect, helping customers find things.
- Team leader1–2 years
Running a shift and a small team, opening and closing the store.
- Department manager2–3 years
Owning a category: sales, stock, promotions and your team’s development.
- Store manager
Running a multi-million dollar store and a team of a hundred or more.
- Area or regional manager
Supporting a group of stores and the managers who run them.
Distribution and support office
Not every retail career happens on a shop floor.
- Distribution centre team memberStart here
Picking, packing and despatching stock for stores and online orders.
- DC team leader
Running a shift, hitting despatch targets, keeping people safe.
- Operations or inventory analyst
Moving into planning, buying support or supply chain in the support office.
- Category or operations manager
Deciding what the stores sell, or how the network runs.
See it for yourself
Clip coming soon
The Warehouse on the floor, filmed for 7 Jobs 7 Days.
7 Jobs 7 Days spent a shift with the The Warehouse team. No script, no stock footage — just what the job actually looks like before you apply.