Retail Services Manager

YORK MUSEUM & GALLERY TRUST

York and North Yorkshire

On-site

GBP 45,000 - 65,000

Full time

14 days+

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Job summary

York Museums Trust seeks a Retail Services Manager to lead and grow its on-site and online retail operations, delivering income and profit while reflecting its values. You will manage stock, budgets, and a team, work with the Retail Buyer and Product Developer, and drive an ecommerce strategy across three York sites with occasional remote work.

You will collaborate with curatorial and marketing teams, implement reporting for SLT and Trustees, and ensure excellent customer service and stock

Qualifications

Numeracy and analytical skills essential for comparing performance and forecasting demand.
Proven negotiation and merchandising skills for heritage retail environments.
Experience with forecasting trends and driving profitable stock decisions.
Ability to build positive internal and external relationships to maximise sales and supplier value.
Experience managing multi-site operations and budgets in a retail setting.

Responsibilities

Lead and manage multi-site retail operations across York sites to deliver income and profit targets.
Develop stock ranges, merchandising plans and supplier relationships to maximise turnover and margins.
Oversee budgets (£400k expenditure, £250k stock purchases) and financial reporting to SLT and Trustees.
Develop an ecommerce platform and long-term online selling strategy to extend retail offering.
Provide training, performance reviews and development plans for the Retail Buyer team and site staff.

Skills

Numeracy and analytics

Negotiation

Merchandising

Forecasting trends

Relationship building

Work under pressure

Team motivation

Decision making

Tools

EPOS system

Job description

Job title: Retail Services Manager

Department: Retail

Contract: Permanent

Reporting To: Chief Financial Officer

Hours per week: 30 (0.8FTE)

1. Job purpose

Lead and grow our retail operations — to manage and grow a successful and sustainable retail offering which reflects the values and creative vision of York Museums Trust (YMT) and delivers income and profit to York Museums & Enterprises Ltd (“YME”).

Work collaboratively across teams, ensuring our retail strategy aligns with the wider ambitions of York Museums Trust (YMT).

Drive profitability through effective stock management, financial planning, and strategic decision-making; to develop new products and new stock lines with the Retail Buyer and wider team

Develop processes, key systems and hardware that are functionally operational and can deliver accurate reporting

Provide accurate and engaging reports and interpretation for SLT and Trustees as required

Manage and develop a talented team, including managing our Retail Buyer Team and working with Site Operational Teams delivering the day-to-day retail operations on site to ensure excellent customer service in YMT’s retail outlets

2. Dimensions

Responsible for outlets on three sites with different retail offerings
Current annual turnover of £500k income
Placing orders for and overseeing the purchasing of goods for sale currently at a value of £250k
Manage total expenditure budget of £400k
Managing with the Retail Buyer and Product Developer relationships with 100+ suppliers
Manage the Retail buyer and Buying Assistant
Work closely with the three Site General Managers and their Site Operational Management teams to maintain and develop efficient and effective retail operations at each outlet
Provide relevant knowledge and training to Operational Team Members within Site Teams with responsibility for day-to-day operation of the retail outlets
Oversee purchasing and management of several thousand stock lines

3. Principal accountabilities

Team Management

To Line Manage Retail Buyer and Buying Assistant, ensuring each is carrying out their general duties and duties specific to each site, through regular meetings and the PDR process

Work closely with Site Operational Team managers in respect of Retail Specific Operations, Systems and Processes relevant to their role

Involvement in recruitment of Operational Team Members, where appropriate, and devising work plans, organising relevant training in co-ordination with Site Operational Management Teams

Setting and monitoring retail targets and appraising performance with Site Operational Management Teams.

To develop teams to take a proactive and interactive sales approach

Operate within organisation budgets and seasonal programme requirements.

Work with the Volunteers Manager to actively involve retail volunteers into the operation using subject specialist knowledge regarding stock and merchandising

Stock

To create commercial and venue appropriate ranges and themes which maximise sales and proactively meets customer requirements/ expectations, acknowledging the different audiences at each site.

Manage relationship with suppliers and source new suppliers when appropriate

Manage stock levels to ensure cash flow, changing seasonality and storage space

Ensure stock systems and processes are up to date and functional

Merchandising

To set the direction for the merchandising of stock to create attractive and commercially viable retail spaces.
To be aware of current retail trends for merchandising and the retail experience

Sales

To achieve forecast sales targets and work to stretch targets thorough correct stock and merchandising
To ensure cost margins are maintained
Work with the YMT Marketing and Comms team to promote retail

To influence sales performance by increasing conversion rate of visitors to buyers, spend per head and spend per transaction

To review sales performance regularly and take appropriate actions

Utilise or implement Financial Schemes to assist with high value purchases – such as the Own Art scheme

To lead the project to develop and implement an ecommerce platform including a long term online selling strategy that will extend our future retail offer, increase our profit return to the council and support our reputation as a world class visitor attraction.

Product Development

To ensure that stock reflects current audience profile, will attract new customers, reflects exhibitions and trends
To work with the curatorial team and other stakeholders in the creation of relevant stock ranges

Administration

To provide information to finance for the purposes of forecasting
To ensure EPOS system is up to date and providing accurate information
To run reports to provide information and interpretation for decision taking, finance and audit
To coordinate bi-annual stock count and resolution
To ensure systems and processes are appropriate to the needs of York Museums Trust, visitors and suppliers, noting that the current EPOS system also currently incorporates visitor ticket sales

Other duties

Ensure compliance with Health and Safety regulations so that YMT retail areas are safe for visitors and staff.

To develop a network of museum/ heritage retail professionals
Promote and develop equality and diversity in line with YMT Equality Statement
Actively engage with own continuous professional development and to promote CPD within the team
Other duties may be required from time to time which are consistent with the grading of this post

This role will be based across our sites in York. Occasionally there may be the opportunity for remote working.

4. Key performance measures

Achieve continuous growth (within realistic expectations and inflationary forecasts) across retail sales and associated net profit contributions appropriate to the needs of YME budgets

To keep stock loss at minimal levels and ensure quality control over product offer.

Maintain a robust and accurate system of retail hardware and software, including tills, epos, online platforms.

To devise and implement procedures and policies for the Retail department, to ensure security of stock and cash held, as well as other areas of the department

Ensure Teams involved with Retail in YMT have clear and attainable targets and that these are monitored, with any necessary training delivered

5. Knowledge, skills, experience and behaviours

Knowledge

Substantial knowledge of current retail practice and relevant heritage retail suppliers
Commerciality in heritage retail environment
Understanding of and ability to apply sales techniques
Excellent knowledge of merchandising principles
Stock management using Epos system
Good understanding of history and art
Producing publications

Skills

Numeracy and analytical skills for comparing performance

Proven negotiation skills
Merchandising and display skills
Forecasting trends and demand
Ability to forge positive relationships internally and externally
Ability to work under pressure to meet deadlines
Ability to motivate team
Sound judgement and decision-making skills

Experience

Managing multi-site operations

Recognising and responding to retail and social trends

Stock management and shrinkage control

Bespoke product development

Achieving sales and profit targets

Buying for heritage market

Budget management

Behaviours

Demonstrates the appropriate company values

Motivated and sales driven

Looks for solutions

Communicator

Team Player
Trustworthy
Fair

Consistent

Confident decision maker

Good Listener

Commitment to and advocacy of equality, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism and understanding how these apply to the role.

YMT Behaviours

In addition we expect all of our colleagues to live by and demonstrate our organisational values on a consistent basis and be able to evidence this as part of our annual PDR process. Those values are as follows:

We are Curious - We ask questions, we don’t assume, we learn and we encourage different perspectives

We are Creative - We have fun being creative, driving positive change and exploring potential

We are Generous - We care for people, collections and places inviting everyone to develop knowledge, to take delight in and enjoy our spaces

We are Responsible - We make informed decisions today for a better tomorrow and for a sustainable future

We are Supportive - We collaborate and seek connection to grow a thriving community where we celebrate one another, cheer on progress and are heartfelt with feedback

6. Key relationships