Branch Manager

Wordsworth Books; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 250,000 - 450,000; Full time

Job summary

Wordsworth Books in Cape Town is seeking an experienced Branch Manager to lead daily store operations, drive sales, and ensure exceptional customer service. You will supervise staff, manage stock, implement promotions, and maintain appealing merchandising to attract customers.

Impeccable communication with Head Office and a focus on training, loss prevention, and community engagement will be key to success in this busy retail setting.

Responsibilities

• Manage staff and scheduling to ensure smooth store operation.
• Provide friendly, proactive customer service and lead by example.
• Maintain neat, tidy shelves and accurate stock levels.
• Oversee window and in-store merchandising and ensure displays are updated biweekly.
• Coordinate promotions and ensure products are adequately merchandised.
• Monitor stock turnover, align buying with local market needs, and manage receiving/shrinkage.
• Communicate professionally with suppliers, customers, staff, and Head Office.
• Train employees on store systems, sales techniques and product knowledge.
• Discuss security regularly and monitor CCTV/visual controls.
• Handle daily cash ups, card transactions, and banking reconciliation.
• Share knowledge through category sale reports and distribute new book submissions to staff.
• Drive selling focus and foster hand selling, upselling and relationship building.
• Facilitate sales to Schools, Libraries and Churches.

Job description

Branch Managers are responsible for overseeing and managing the operation of the store. In doing so, Branch Managers will ensure that they, as well as their staff, achieve maximum sales of books and other merchandise.

The main responsibilities are a set of clearly defined goals and objectives that will assist management in ensuring that all employees are aligned with the business goals and strategies.

In following this method all Branch Managers will be able to lead by example, and remain abreast of the industry’s ever changing climate.

Main Responsibilities

Management of Staff

• To support Head Office and remain amiable with regards to assisted rostering.
• Overall care of employees and their wellbeing.
• Motivating and mentoring staff to do their best for the Wordsworth Books brand.

Customer Service

• Offering assistance to every customer entering the store with a friendly face and a positive attitude.

Housekeeping

• Maintaining neat and tidy shelves.
• Maintaining order in all sections.
• Ensuring that the Store is in a state of general cleanliness and that it is always tidy and presentable.

Merchandising

• Attending to the window and in-store displays and ensuring that these are attractive, eye catching and changed every two weeks.

Promotions

• Making sure that all promotions are adequately merchandised and ample quantities are on hand.
• In completing the aforementioned, the trap of high stock levels and low stock turnover MUST be avoided!

Stock Management

• Monitoring the category sales and in doing so aligning the stock with the needs of the local market and maintain a focused buying strategy.
• Ensuring that receiving is accurate and shrinkage is managed and controlled.
• All stock must be in line with the sales and store size to ensure a high level stock turnover.

Communication

• All correspondence with suppliers, customers, fellow employees, and Head Office will by done in a professional and courteous manner.
• In accordance with the aforementioned, all communication via any medium will be concluded in a timeous manner.

Training

• Ensuring that all employees are trained and up to date with store systems, customer service/ sales techniques and products.

Security

• Security must be discussed regularly and all employees must always be alert and aware of the non-shoppers and/ or shop lifters.
• Making sure that the CCTV and convex mirrors are monitored.

Admin And Control

• Daily cash ups, credit cards and banking will be cross checked daily.

Knowledge Management

• Ensuring that all employees are aware of the Category Sale Reports.
• New book submissions from all publishers must be circulated amongst the staff.

Selling

• Ensuring that every employee and every process in store focuses on making sales.
• Ensure that a culture of hand selling, up selling and relationship building occurs to ensure repeat business.
• Make sure that the sales target for the store is reached every month, in order for you and your team to receive Incentives.

Community Sales

• Facilitating of selling to Schools, Libraries and Churches.