Store Manager, Bicester Village at Manolo Blahnik in GB

Department: Retail

Reports to: Head of Retail Operations & Business Development

Direct Reports: Assistant Store Manager, Senior Sales, Sales Associate

Location: Bicester Village

Our Values:

• Every day the energy, creativity and passion of Manolo permeates through our business.

• We believe in the artist and the artisan; we are innovative while still protecting our heritage.

• We strive for timeless beauty and quality craftmanship.

• We celebrate curiosity and believe in working proactively and being solution focused.

• We believe in upholding family values; we treat everyone with honesty, respect and kindness while nurturing our teams to deliver excellence.

• We believe in making people smile.

Purpose:

As the Store Manager, you will be responsible for achieving sales and profitability targets by leading and developing the store team, maintaining high operational standards, managing stock and resources effectively, ensuring the highest standards of customer service and brand representation. Your strategic vision and leadership skills will drive sales growth and enhance the overall customer experience.

Key Responsibilities:

Leadership and Mentoring

• Coach and mentor team members by setting daily and weekly commercial objectives to excel in their role.

• Display high levels of personal motivation and implement effective incentives to inspire and drive the team.

• Display a dedicated approach to self-awareness and self-development.

• Work with integrity and respect for others; create excellent team participation and ensure the team and boutique are presented to the highest standards.

• Work alongside Learning and Development to manage the delivery of product training and client service training.

• Responsible for store recruitment, evaluation, and development of the store team. Demonstrate effective succession planning and networking.

• Ensure all People and Culture policies and procedures are implemented, resolving all staff issues effectively, working with the People and Culture Team to manage performance where required.

• Maintain high store standards and conditions whilst fostering a positive work environment.

Commercial and Sales

• Take ownership of achieving and exceeding sales targets and commercial KPI’s.

• Develop clear daily, weekly and monthly sales strategies aligned with business objectives.

• Drive individual sales performance through regular target setting, monitoring and coaching.

• Maximise conversion through effective management of the client journey and proactive engagement with visitors.

• Develop strong product awareness throughout the team, ensuring the team understand product features, craftmanship, pricing and key selling points.

• Monitor stock availability and work proactively with Merchandising team to address gaps.

• Drive effective stock replenishment and ensure best-performing items are available on the shop-floor.

• Manage promotional and outlet pricing activity with the Merchandising team ensuring the team can confidently communicate product value.

Strategy and Analysis

• Analyse daily, weekly and monthly trading performance, including KPI’s such as sales, conversion, ATV, UPT, ASP, footfall and sales per square metre, identifying trends, opportunities and areas of underperformance.

• Review KPI’s including sales, conversion, ATV, UPT, ASP, footfall and sales per square metre.

• Analyse sales performance by product category, collection, style and price point to identify opportunities and gaps.

• Monitor best-sellers, slow-moving lines making recommendations to maximise sell-through.

• Develop and implement weekly and monthly action plans to address commercial opportunities and achieve targets.

• Record and update sales performance, such as Sell Throughs, product feedback, trade feedback.

• Understand seasonal trading patterns, peak trading periods, promotional activity and the Bicester Village Trading Calendar.

• Analyse competitor activity and market trends within the Village, identifying opportunities to strengthen the boutiques positioning.

• Build and maintain strong, proactive relationships with the landlord and Bicester Village management team, acting as the primary point of contact and always representing the brand professionally.

• Attend Village meetings and training sessions when required.

• Adopt a proactive approach to customer acquisition, development, and retention.

• Provide analysis and feedback on clientele and product line performances, in weekly/monthly reports.

• Work collaboratively with the Head of Retail Operations, Communications and Events teams to plan and deliver regular events both in the boutique and externally.

Client Experience

• Provide exceptional client experience and service; provide personalised and timely after-sales service to clients, dealing effectively with client complaints.

• Demonstrate high level of product knowledge (storytelling, features and benefits etc) and coach other team members.

• Develop strong, long-lasting, commercial relationships with clients, establishing a regular client base and providing support to team members to ensure all sales opportunities are optimized.

• Develop relationships with surrounding brands in the Village to help grow and develop the MB business and assist in the management of special client events.

Operational Excellence

• Champion retail excellence, ensuring the store consistently meets Manolo Blahnik’s standards for presentation, service, visual merchandising, store maintenance and housekeeping.

• Be accountable for, and educate team members on, the effective implementation of merchandising guidelines and replenishment methods, so the store is always represented at the highest level.

• Ownership of all store operations including Payroll, cash management, invoices, sundries, and mandatory compliance trainings.

• Work with the Stock Control Manager to ensure effective management of stock, recalls, Omni-channel fulfilment and stock take/audit preparation and execution.

• Work alongside Head of Retail Operations and Internal Control to create and implement store policies.

• Work with Facilities team to ensure Health and Safety standards are met within store.

Any other tasks as requested.

Skills and Experience Required:

• +5 years’ experience in a retail management role, preferably in the luxury industry.

• Proven Commercial awareness and business acumen within the luxury retail sector.

• Leadership: High level of accountability required with the ability to direct, motivate, and inspire people internally and externally. Experience of motivating and leading successful teams; coaching and mentoring. Strong and motivational team-building skillset to drive excellence in results and all aspects of client experience.

• Demonstrate evidence of planning successful events.

• Excellent analytical, report-writing skills, accuracy and attention to detail. Strong problem-solving skills with a strong, solution-based mindset. Ability to prioritise tasks, and ensure delivery of results within tight deadlines.

• Proficient in Microsoft Office.

• Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication, with strong and effective presentation skills and the ability to converse with a diverse range of people at all levels. You will be effective at managing relationships at both a store and head office level.

• Excellence: High level of finesse and excellence required in delivery of all tasks.

• Ambassador: Representing Manolo Blahnik products and values with passion, always acting as an ambassador of the house.

Our Benefits:

• 4 pairs of Ambassador Shoes per year.
• 50% Friends and Family Discount.
• 33 days holiday with an additional day off for your birthday
• Pension Contribution.
• Private Medical Insurance.
• 2 Executive Coaching Sessions per year.
• Enhanced Family Friendly Policy.
• Workplace Nursery – salary sacrifice based childcare scheme.
• Cycle to work scheme.