Head of Retail Operations

UNISON INTERNATIONAL CONSULTING (The Recruitment Company); Mumbai; On-site; INR 1,500,000 - 2,600,000; Full time

Job summary

UNISON INTERNATIONAL CONSULTING (The Recruitment Company) seeks a high-impact Retail Head to lead the end-to-end duty-paid retail business across airport locations, driving revenue, EBITDA and a premium customer experience. The role partners with Business Head, Commercial, Finance, Supply Chain and Marketing to translate strategy into store-level execution.

The incumbent will ensure SOPs, visual merchandising and operations standards are met, while building a high-performing team and expanding

Responsibilities

• Own the retail business performance across assigned airport locations/stores.
• Drive achievement of revenue, gross margin, EBITDA, conversion, ATV and productivity targets.
• Translate annual business plans into store-level and category-level operating plans.
• Identify opportunities to improve sales, profitability, space productivity and overall retail economics.
• Monitor business performance through structured dashboards and review mechanisms.
• Drive corrective actions for underperforming stores, categories and locations.
• Support in developing the long-term growth strategy for the duty-paid retail business.
• Own end-to-end operational excellence across all duty-paid retail outlets.
• Ensure consistent execution of SOPs, service standards, visual merchandising and operating processes.
• Drive store readiness, opening/closure processes, manpower deployment and operational
• Establish robust mechanisms for daily, weekly and monthly store performance reviews.
• Ensure compliance with airport, company, safety, security and statutory requirements.
• Improve store productivity through optimum manpower deployment, rostering and process simplification.
• Drive shrinkage control, stock discipline, cash management and operational controls
• Build a differentiated airport retail customer experience across passenger touchpoints.
• Develop and monitor customer service standards and service behaviours.
• Track customer complaints and service recovery.
• Use customer insights to improve store layout, assortment, promotions and service delivery.
• Create a seamless experience for domestic and international passengers, including premium and high-value customer segments.
• Work closely with the Commercial/Category team to maximize sales and profitability by category.
• Translate category strategies into strong store-level execution.
• Ensure effective launch and execution of new brands, products and promotional programmes.
• Partner with brands to improve sell-through, visibility and customer engagement.
• Drive category productivity through assortment, pricing, promotions and space allocation.
• Provide market and customer insights to support negotiations and commercial decisions.
• Establish high standards of visual merchandising, planogram execution and store presentation.
• Ensure brand guidelines and airport retail standards are consistently maintained.
• Drive effective use of retail space to maximise sales per square foot.
• Partner with brands and internal teams for launches, activations and seasonal campaigns.
• Ensure stores remain contemporary, premium and aligned with the overall airport experience.
• Drive adoption of digital tools to enhance retail productivity and customer experience.
• Partner with Digital/IT teams on initiatives such as: Retail analytics and dashboards, CRM and loyalty, Digital promotions, Data-led assortment and pricing decisions, Explore emerging technologies and innovative retail formats relevant to airport customers.
• Work closely with Supply Chain and Warehouse teams to ensure optimum product availability.
• Drive stock availability, replenishment, inventory turns and ageing reduction.
• Monitor stock-outs, excess inventory and slow-moving products.
• Ensure alignment between sales plans, inventory plans and store requirements.
• Build a high-performing retail organisation with strong customer and commercial orientation.
• Define manpower requirements and organisation structures based on business growth.
• Build a strong pipeline of store managers, department managers and retail talent.
• Drive capability development in: Product knowledge, Commercial acumen, Airport retail operations.
• Inventory turns
• Employee productivity
• Lead retail readiness for new stores, terminals and airport locations.
• Work with Projects, Commercial, Supply Chain, Finance, IT and Airport teams on store openings.
• Define manpower, SOPs, training, merchandising and operational readiness plans.
• Ensure new stores achieve agreed ramp-up plans and commercial milestones.
• Support evaluation of new retail opportunities across the airport network.

Job description

To lead the end-to-end Duty Paid Retail business across airport locations, driving profitable

growth, operational excellence and an elevated customer experience.

The Retail Head will be responsible for translating the business strategy into strong retail

execution across stores, ensuring delivery of revenue, EBITDA, productivity, customer experience

and people objectives.

The role will partner closely with the Business Head , Commercial/Category, Finance, Supply Chain,

Marketing, Digital, Airport Operations and other corporate functions to build a differentiated and

Key Responsibilities

A. Business & P&L Leadership

• Own the retail business performance across assigned airport locations/stores.
• Drive achievement of revenue, gross margin, EBITDA, conversion, ATV and productivity targets.
• Translate annual business plans into store-level and category-level operating plans.
• Identify opportunities to improve sales, profitability, space productivity and overall retail economics.
• Monitor business performance through structured dashboards and review mechanisms.
• Drive corrective actions for underperforming stores, categories and locations.
• Support in developing the long-term growth strategy for the duty-paid retail business.

Retail Operations

• Own end-to-end operational excellence across all duty-paid retail outlets.
• Ensure consistent execution of SOPs, service standards, visual merchandising and operating processes.
• Drive store readiness, opening/closure processes, manpower deployment and operational
• Establish robust mechanisms for daily, weekly and monthly store performance reviews.
• Ensure compliance with airport, company, safety, security and statutory requirements.
• Improve store productivity through optimum manpower deployment, rostering and process simplification.
• Drive shrinkage control, stock discipline, cash management and operational controls

Customer Experience

• Build a differentiated airport retail customer experience across passenger touchpoints.
• Develop and monitor customer service standards and service behaviours.
• Track customer complaints and service recovery.
• Use customer insights to improve store layout, assortment, promotions and service delivery.
• Create a seamless experience for domestic and international passengers, including premium and high-value customer segments.

Commercial & Category Partnership

• Work closely with the Commercial/Category team to maximize sales and profitability by category.
• Translate category strategies into strong store-level execution.
• Ensure effective launch and execution of new brands, products and promotional programmes.
• Partner with brands to improve sell-through, visibility and customer engagement.
• Drive category productivity through assortment, pricing, promotions and space allocation.
• Provide market and customer insights to support negotiations and commercial decisions.

Visual Merchandising & Store Excellence

• Establish high standards of visual merchandising, planogram execution and store presentation.
• Ensure brand guidelines and airport retail standards are consistently maintained.
• Drive effective use of retail space to maximise sales per square foot.
• Partner with brands and internal teams for launches, activations and seasonal campaigns.
• Ensure stores remain contemporary, premium and aligned with the overall airport experience.
• Drive adoption of digital tools to enhance retail productivity and customer experience.
• Partner with Digital/IT teams on initiatives such as:
• Retail analytics and dashboards
• CRM and loyalty
• Digital promotions
• Data-led assortment and pricing decisions
• Explore emerging technologies and innovative retail formats relevant to airport customers.

Inventory & Supply Chain Collaboration

• Work closely with Supply Chain and Warehouse teams to ensure optimum product availability.
• Drive stock availability, replenishment, inventory turns and ageing reduction.
• Monitor stock-outs, excess inventory and slow-moving products.
• Ensure alignment between sales plans, inventory plans and store requirements.

People & Capability

• Build a high-performing retail organisation with strong customer and commercial orientation.
• Define manpower requirements and organisation structures based on business growth.
• Build a strong pipeline of store managers, department managers and retail talent.
• Drive capability development in:
• Product knowledge
• Commercial acumen
• Airport retail operations

People & Capability

• Build a high-performing retail organisation with strong customer and commercial orientation.
• Define manpower requirements and organisation structures based on business growth.
• Build a strong pipeline of store managers, department managers and retail talent.
• Drive capability development in:
• Product knowledge
• Commercial acumen
• Airport retail operations
• Inventory turns
• Employee productivity

New Store / Business Expansion

• Lead retail readiness for new stores, terminals and airport locations.
• Work with Projects, Commercial, Supply Chain, Finance, IT and Airport teams on store openings.
• Define manpower, SOPs, training, merchandising and operational readiness plans.
• Ensure new stores achieve agreed ramp-up plans and commercial milestones.
• Support evaluation of new retail opportunities across the airport network.