Retail Area Manager - Durban

Le Creuset; Durban; On-site; ZAR 30 000 - 60 000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player seeks a dynamic Retail Area Manager to lead and inspire a team of store managers across the region. This role is pivotal in driving sales performance, enhancing customer service, and ensuring operational excellence. You will be responsible for maintaining brand standards and fostering a culture of teamwork and innovation. If you have a passion for retail and a proven track record in management, this is an exciting opportunity to make a significant impact in a company that values quality and customer experience.

Benefits

Employee Discounts

Health Insurance

Travel Allowance

Flexible Working Hours

Training and Development Programs

Qualifications

• Minimum 4-5 years’ experience in retail area management.
• Proven track record in retail management with strong communication skills.
• Experience in training and developing store personnel.

Responsibilities

• Manage and direct operational aspects of retail stores to maximize sales.
• Provide managerial direction to store managers for performance improvement.
• Ensure compliance with company policies and operational guidelines.

Skills

Retail Management

Sales Performance

Customer Service

Team Leadership

Communication Skills

Problem Solving

Time Management

Analytical Skills

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Business or Related Field

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Job Title: Retail Area Manager

Location: Durban, South Africa

Reporting To: Director of Retail

People Responsibility: Retail Store Managers / Assistant Store Managers / Retail Sales Assistants

Works With: Retail Store Managers / Director of Retail / HR / Logistics

Who We Are

Our French heart pulses through our international brand. With 100 years of heritage, we are future focused as we push ourselves and each other to connect every cook with personal stories and our rich legacy of food lovers to a lifestyle that inspires. Building beautiful products of the best quality that bring joy to people’s lives for generations. We want to ensure that the heart of every home beats from the kitchen. Through our values of PASSION, INTEGRITY, INNOVATION & EXCELLENCE, TEAMWORK we make Le Creuset a great place to work, celebrating our rich diversity.

Main Purpose of the Role

The primary job function of the Area Manager is to manage and assume overall responsibility for the success of their stores by directing all operational aspects of each store and maximising sales whilst minimizing costs.

To drive and develop retail store performance, both from a sales, and brand, perspective, ensuring that Le Creuset retail stores absolutely represent the best of everything that we do as a Brand.

You must have an in-depth understanding of the market so that they can maintain competitive awareness by continuously monitoring the competition and then reacting accordingly to maintain the business advantage.

You will be responsible for ensuring quality consistency across the region.

To deputise for the Director of Retail as necessary (e.g. Holidays) and support other channels dependent on workload.

Key Responsibilities

1.Provide managerial direction to store managers, to ensure consistency and continual improvement of key performance indicators. To include:

• Stimulating and supportive environment.
• Lead a team of store managers towards effective collaboration and attainment of goals.
• Driving team performance.
• Deal with problems by providing creative and practical solutions.
• Ensure consistency and continual improvement of the Store, through: regular visits to stores - at least once every 1/2 weeks as per a pre-defined journey planner.
• Working with the store managers to identify actions in particular to drive sales and premium brand equity, implementing where relevant at the time, and documenting through the store visit report.
• Provide a (dynamic) weekly report with feedback on performance for the most recent week and year to date; identifying key actions and drivers and ensuring these are completed.
• Evaluating store performance.
• Evaluating staff performance.
• Addressing day-to-day store concerns

2.Sales

• Monitor sales performance of all stores on a daily basis.
• Support the store manager in sales achievement, motivation and target driving.
• Maximize sales and profitability in the region.
• Local marketing – identify opportunities for Premium local marketing ensuring these are implemented wherever relevant and practical self-sufficiently. Including: maximising Le Creuset social media (and that of centres) to drive awareness, footfall and sales.
• Document and report on events including both coverage (photos/visuals) and financial results.
• Identify, share and implement initiatives that can be run across all stores.

3.Customer Service

• Uphold the Le Creuset SA Service Charter by offering customers a memorable, authentic, passionate, Knowledge and Interactive experience in stores.
• Dealing with issues quickly and courteously.

4.Administration

• Undertake sound financial management to ensure stores are profitable and stay within their budget.
• Be well organized and schedule regular store visits to ensure compliance in all areas of customer service, store operations, and loss prevention.
• Ensure compliance with company’s policies and operational guidelines.
• Scheduling – Assist Store Managers in setting up schedules, ensure that store managers maintain accurate records for their schedules. review and sign off.
• Monitor employee sick leave.
• Identify maintenance issues.
• Authorisation of Intercompany transfers.
• Customer replacement evaluation and follow-up.
• Email correspondence – communicate with stores and customers, follow-up on important information / procedures / promotions / large sales are executed.
• Appraisals and Performance reviews for store managers and oversee store teams.

5.Policies and Procedures

• Follow and understand the company policies and procedures and ensure the store managers understand and train their teams.

6.HR

• Support the store manager in the recruitment, induction and training of store personnel and in accordance with Company standard practice.
• Ensure that stores are staffed efficiently within budget and optimally to achieve sales targets.
• Manage the scheduling of leave: Leave scheduled appropriately; Management of overtime.
• Evaluate performance using key metrics and address issues to improve it.

7.Training

• Support store managers in the development of store personnel, and ensure that all store personnel attain core-training in customer service, selling skills, visual merchandising, health & safety and any other skills as directed by the head of communications.

8.Stock control

• Support and guide the Store Manager with Stock control.
• Ordering.
• Stock counts.
• Understanding and correction of variances.

9.Store Merchandising

• Support of the ongoing development of visual merchandising guidelines in liaison with the head of merchandising.
• Provide guidance in maintaining and implementing merchandising plans within the store.

10.Communication

• Report to senior executives on progress and issues.
• Assist upper management in decisions for expansion or acquisition.

Carry out from time to time and as directed, any other duties as required in addition to the above that will be both reasonable and within your capabilities.

Knowledge Required

The ability to alter one's approach in managing others is a key factor in determining someone's suitability and longer term success:

• Minimum 4/5 years’ experience in retail area management with a proven track record in retail management.
• Strong communication skills: interpersonal, verbal and written skills to liaise with internal and external contacts.
• Experience in disciplinary action, performance reviews etc.
• Proven track record of being effective.
• Experience in time management.

Skills & Qualifications

• Microsoft Word and Excel skills to intermediate level.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal abilities.
• Excellent problem-solving abilities.
• Effective Team Leader - works for, and with, a number of employees effectively.
• Personal drive to deliver high standards of consumer service and exceed expectations.
• Calm temperament.
• Ability to multi-task and work on own initiative.
• Positive attitude.
• Able to work under pressure and to deadlines.
• Confidence, drive and enthusiasm.
• Decision-making ability and a sense of responsibility.
• Planning and organisational skills.

Behaviours & Competencies

• Communication: Actively listens. Adapts his/her body language and oral communications to audience and fosters clear and effective communication with others. Is able to build relationships and interact effectively across functions, seniority levels, and cultures with confidence. Presentation Dexterity.
• Results Orientated: Works to end goal, measures personal achievement against others, energetic, innovative, takes pride in his/her work, Is driven to exceed customer’s expectations.
• Adaptability: Maintains effectiveness in varying work environments where circumstances and priorities are changing.
• Compliance: Adheres to policies and/or procedures, or seeks approval from the appropriate authority before making changes.
• Emotional Intelligence: Able to monitor one's own and others' feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one's thinking and actions.
• Flexibility: Is able to modify approach in order to achieve a goal. Is open to change and has a positive approach to work and customers.
• Initiative: Is proactive, self-sufficient, self-starting, seizes opportunities and originates action to achieve goals. Able to work efficiently with remote supervision.
• Integrity: Maintains confidentiality and promotes organisational, social and ethical standards and values in the conduct of business activities.
• Personal Impact: Creates a positive first impression, commands attention and respect, and is socially confident.
• Prioritising: Accurately assesses the relative importance of objectives, activities, and events, in relation to organisational goals.
• Resilience & Tenacity: Is able to maintain high performance levels under pressure and/or opposition and is able to maintain composure in the face of disappointments, criticism and /or rejection. Stays with a position/plan of action until the desired objective is achieved or is no longer reasonably attainable.
• Teamwork: Co-operates with others and is able, where appropriate, to complement the roles of others by taking on the role of a leader, peer or subordinate.
• Time Management: Is able to plan and organise own use of time, meets deadlines, and does not have to rely on the last minute.
• Troubleshooting: Able to gather information and quickly, accurately identify the causes of problems in work related activities and processes.
• Vitality: Maintains a high activity level, is dynamic, enthusiastic, motivated and energetic.

Other Information

Travel and overnight stays – Domestic travel The position will require frequent travel and overnight stays from home. A SA driving licence is required.