Area Manager - Retail Operations - Toy Business

Job description / Role

Area Manager - Retail Operations - Toy Business
Up to 17,000AED plus quarterly incentive

Build-A-Bear Workshop Gulf States is the franchisee for the US toy retailer. We operate 7 stores in the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait. The region and scope is expanding with Qatar soon to be opened and a second store in Kuwait.

The structure at the head office is small with a very flat level of management. As retail operators we adopt a very hands-on approach to the work and currently we are searching for a very retail operations and execution orientated Area Manager.

This is not a desk job, we need people on the move, always looking for what is next and how to improve. This is considered a mid management level role.

Key areas of responsibility will include:
- Drive the sales in each store through truly understanding and analyzing the retail numbers looking at customer traffic, conversion, UPT, ATV, sales by category, slow movers, shrinkage and party business.
- Ensure that all in-store marketing and promotional activities are activated, follow up reports are submitted and assess the effectiveness of each activity working closely with the marketing team.
- Maintain and manage the mystery shopper reports, follow up actions to the highest of standards currently at 100%.
- Compile the weekly sales report that is shared amongst all senior management in Gulf States and USA.
- Oversee all new product launches and manage these as mini projects.
- Implement and oversee the reduction in store consumables throughout all stores.
- Further build and strengthen the party business this involves B2B as well as B2C.
- Develop succession planning in close coordination with the HR manager to ensure store growth can be supported with talent from within.
- Motivate and really lead the retail teams through excellent people skills and on the job training. You will need to liaise with HR for new training material and at times create your own training material.
- Monitor and support stores in creating the weekly PO to the warehouse.
- Liaise with USA brand every week through conference calls and reporting.
- Become an ambassador to the brand when it comes to all visual merchandising and brand standards.
- Support the recruitment process with screening and interviewing.
- Micro manage the manpower planning of the stores to ensure payroll efficiency and oversee the weekly scheduling of staff.
- Managing the P&L for each store, offering input into areas that could be improved.
- Manage the facilities management of the stores through the selection and regular contact with a 3PS.
- Be store based, creating a call cycle that will have the individual working early morning delivery shifts through to closing shifts to truly be in the business. It is expected one day a week will be office based. You will be expected to work at least 2 week-ends every month and be available for all public holidays as this is an operational role.
- Travel to the international stores on a monthly basis for at least 2 days at a time.
- Be the main point of contact between the head office and the retail store.
- Oversee and take a lead role in inventory checks at store level.
- Identify potential areas that could help grow the business, collaborate and work with the department head and then activate based on a clear set of instructions.

Requirements

This is a challenging role as the company is looking for highly professional attitudes who have worked for a small/medium sized company where hands-on is a strong feature of your professional background. You must have excellent communication skills both face to face, presenting to teams, on the phone or in written reporting. You need to be able to argue your retail case using data and facts.

All candidates should have a creative flare and become engrossed with the brand, finding fun and creative ways to motivate and lead the teams as well as execute the head office directives.

Other key skills required include, commerciality and a strong ability to analyze retail numbers, staff training, problem solving, multi-tasking across multi-regions and competitive analysis.

Preference will be given to candidates who are already based in this market and have at least 1 year in the local market. All candidates should be in the early stages of their retail career having worked for at least 5 years in retail.

This role is not suited for someone who is only used to having large supporting teams that do all of the execution. You must have a valid UAE driving license.

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.