Head of Store Experience

VIAVANTA AG; Zürich; Hybrid; CHF 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

VIAVANTA AG is seeking a visionary Head of Store Experience to shape store concepts, elevate customer journeys and lead a transformation across European markets. You will redefine store design, visual merchandising and experience while aligning with brand identity and commercial goals.

You will guide a team of about 15 managers, drive consistency across formats, and collaborate with Buying, Sales, Marketing, Store Planning, Construction and Digital teams to implement innovative concepts

Qualifications

• Substantial international leadership experience in visual merchandising and store design within the fashion industry.
• Proven track record in developing, implementing and scaling store concepts across markets and formats.
• Strong sense of aesthetics, brand identity and customer experience with awareness of commercial performance.
• Understanding of how layouts, space planning and visual presentation influence sales and profitability.
• Experience leading and developing managers, building cross-functional alignment across markets.

Responsibilities

• You define and drive the overall Store Experience strategy, ensuring a compelling and consistent brand presentation across international retail formats.
• You develop and implement innovative, customer-centric store concepts, combining store design, visual merchandising and space efficiency with commercial effectiveness and scalability.
• You lead, inspire and develop a team of approximately 15 managers, strengthening capabilities, collaboration and accountability.
• You establish clear visual merchandising standards and continuously optimise store environments to enhance the customer journey and business performance.
• You work closely with Buying, Sales, Marketing, Store Planning, Construction and Digital teams to challenge existing approaches and successfully implement new concepts across markets.
• You leverage performance data, customer insights and emerging technologies, including AI and retail analytics, to evaluate concepts, drive innovation and support investment decisions.

Skills

Visual merchandising

Store design

Leadership

Commercial performance

Data-driven decision making

Team development

Stakeholder alignment

English fluency

Job description

Head of Store Experience

Shape store concepts. Elevate customer experiences. Drive retail transformation.

For an established international fashion retail group undergoing transformation, we are looking for a visionary and commercially minded leader to redefine store design, visual merchandising and customer experience across European markets.

The position can be based in Germany or Switzerland.

Your Responsibilities

• You define and drive the overall Store Experience strategy, ensuring a compelling and consistent brand presentation across international retail formats.
• You develop and implement innovative, customer-centric store concepts, combining store design, visual merchandising and space efficiency with commercial effectiveness and scalability.
• You lead, inspire and develop a team of approximately 15 managers, strengthening capabilities, collaboration and accountability.
• You establish clear visual merchandising standards and continuously optimise store environments to enhance the customer journey and business performance.
• You work closely with Buying, Sales, Marketing, Store Planning, Construction and Digital teams to challenge existing approaches and successfully implement new concepts across markets.
• You leverage performance data, customer insights and emerging technologies, including AI and retail analytics, to evaluate concepts, drive innovation and support investment decisions.

Your Profile

• You bring substantial international leadership experience in visual merchandising and store design within the fashion industry.
• You have a proven track record in developing, implementing and scaling store concepts across different markets and retail formats.
• You combine a strong sense of aesthetics, brand identity and customer experience with a clear understanding of commercial performance and operational realities.
• You understand how store layouts, space planning, product presentation and customer journeys influence sales performance and profitability.
• You have successfully led and developed experienced managers, built strong teams and created clear responsibilities across functions and markets.
• You are comfortable working with KPIs and data-driven insights and know how to translate analysis into concrete improvements.
• You bring an entrepreneurial mindset, resilience and the ability to navigate complex structures, align stakeholders and drive change.
• You are fluent in English; German is an advantage.
• You are willing to travel within Europe.