Retail Business Unit Manager

Job description / Role

- Up to 22,000AED Negotiable for the right candidate
- Ticket for Self, Annual Bonus OTE

This is a great opportunity to work with an international retailer with 6 stores located in the UAE, Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait. This is an exciting brand that brings a smile to every customers face. Currently in the phase of expansion and we are looking to recruit a very strong Retail Business Unit Manager. We operate a medium sized office from the Dubai Airport Free Zone with an international retail team in Finance, Marketing, Brand Management and HR. It is a dynamic and very handson culture and we need people that really want to see the results of their efforts. We look for people with great potential and who are always aiming high. As we are a medium sized company we need creative problem solvers with a natural team spirit.

The key focus of this role is to be in the market place, interacting with the store managers and ensuring that head-office and international directives are being implemented at store level. We also need someone who is extremely commercially driven and whose decision making process will always take into account 2 factors, impact on company profit levels and impact on customer experience. This is an intense role that needs someone who is highly motivated and can motivate others around them.

As Retail Unit Business Manager some of the key areas of focus will be:
- Managing monthly P&L for each store and the retail department as a whole
- Working with marketing to ensure new opportunities are seized in all locations
- Liaise with HR for all manpower planning, people development, new hiring
- Assisting in planograms for all new product launches and ensure implementation at store level
- Measuring profitability and sales per square foot and looking at ROI for all stores
- Liaising with merchandising and finance for all sales targets for each store when developing the annual budget
- Develop strong relationships with mall management always looking for new opportunities to elevate the brand
- Oversee the opening of all new stores throughout the GCC at an operational level
- Coach and develop retail staff at all levels as well as be involved in staff appraisals for the retail department
- Drive/increase sales through business development of new revenue channels within the current business mix
- Developing retail policies and procedures to support the planned expansion

Requirements

To be considered for this role:
* We want someone who lives and breathes retail.
* We need someone who is flexible to travel regularly throughout the GCC as well as within the UAE. You will be expected to work during public holidays and visit stores on week-ends as these are key trading times. We see this role as being in the head office no more than a day a week and the 4 other days would be retail based.
* You must have excellent organizational skills and be very multi-tasked orientated and be very KPI driven. This role needs someone who has a strong personality, who can communicate effectively and ensure employee buy-in and engagement. We want a leader and not a delegator.
* You must have a strong business acumen, excellent with numbers and strong analytical skills.
* You must have at least 3 years experience at a senior retail management level and international exposure would be a big plus. Local experience is not a must.
* You need to have experience with a global brand with strong brand values. We need someone who has worked internationally in a well-developed and sophisticated retail market. People from Fashion would be our first choice. If you have been a strong Area Manager and looking for the next step up, this could be the role for you. This is an immediate requirement.

About the Company

Where Best Friends Are Made Maxine Clark is one of the true innovators in the retail industry. During her successful retail career, her ability to spot emerging retail and merchandising trends and her insight into the desires of the American consumer have generated growth for retail leaders, including department store, discount and specialty stores. In 1997, she founded Build-A-Bear Workshop, a teddy-bear themed retail-entertainment experience. Today there are more than 400 Build-A-Bear Workshop stores worldwide, including company-owned stores in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland, and franchise stores in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, Mexico and the Middle East. The company extends its in-store interactive experience online with its award winning virtual world at buildabearville.com.