Area Manager, NJ Area Retail

Area Manager

Primary Purpose: The successful individual will manage the sales, operations, and staff development of the New Jersey market to achieve maximum profitability, compliance with company procedures, and excellence in customer service.

Selling and Service

• Understands and communicates organizational objectives and makes decisions that align with Company priorities and values
• Endorses, models and develops area team to deliver Coach’s Selling and Service expectations
• Oversees and provides direct input on sales strategies, initiatives and growth across all categories and partners with other Area/Districts and Corporate Partners to drive Area and regional selling initiatives
• Sales/productivity goals:  Reviews and provides guidance on goals that SMs/GMs set for their teams, tracks stores’ performance at all times and achieves district sales goals through team
• Productivity Management:  Holds the management team accountable for floor supervisor productivity, personal productivity and management contribution
• Drives business through working with the GMs/SMs within Area regarding sales strategies, clienteling, and providing ideas and insight on how to source new customers and maintaining on-going productive relationships with customers
• Develops a clienteling strategy for the market in partnership with the Director of Retail Stores and GMs/SMs; monitors strategy over time to help stores achieve business goals and objectives
• Understands changes in local and broader markets within Area and understands and communications potential impacts on business performance and supports the execution of local sales strategies and tactics
• Builds credibility and trust as a personal fashion advisor to both team and customers by communicating fashion awareness and trends in the marketplace
• Creates positive impressions with store teams and customers through proper dress code and personal style
• Acts as a brand ambassador to drive brand loyalty and business
• Coaches team on how to incorporate trends into their selling experience with customers
• Influences customer’s purchase decisions by balancing patience and assertiveness
• Listens actively to understand customer and team’s needs and tailors approach by reading cues.
• Resolves customer problems and meets customer needs in a timely manner through solution-oriented and forward thinking
• Encourages team to build long-term relationships with customers to drive business
• Develops both self and individual product knowledge skills and remains aware of current collections
• Protects and drives the needs of the business at all times
• Understands the positive sales impact staffing has on the business; recruits and hires accordingly
• Coaches, develops and motivates the team on a daily, weekly and monthly basis to meet goals and utilizing Company tools
• Ensures all daily tasks are completed within stores without negatively impacting service of Coach standards

Workplace, Environment & Leadership

• Creates enthusiasm and positivity for a shared vision and mission
• Manages with integrity, honesty, fairness and knowledge promoting culture, values and vision of Coach
• Leads by example
• Demonstrates confidence when leading the stores
• Takes initiative; has a high level of ownership and accountability for results of self and others
• Approaches challenges in direct and timely manner and takes action to course correct in the moment when appropriate
• Builds trusting relationships with peers and team
• Acts as advocate for their store teams, area/district/region and Brand
• Is adaptable and flexible to change
• Switches gears based on the needs of the business both seamlessly and pro-actively
• Maintains a calm and professional demeanor at all times
• Fosters an environment of teamwork and collaboration
• Creates short and long-term strategies to achieve personal metrics and performance
• Uses available resources to make informed decisions and takes appropriate partners when necessary
• Utilizes Company tools to keep self-informed
• Delegates and empowers others
• Recognizes and values individual performance and communicates appropriately
• Evaluates performance of all team members and provides consistent and timely feedback; creates and modifies action plans with General Managers and Store Managers for the continuous development of staff
• Pro-actively identifies and resolves performance problems using appropriate communication, coaching and counseling techniques
• Motivate management teams to create and develop a talent bench strength by actively recruiting and interviewing candidates
• Recruits, interviews, selects, on boards and retains top talent
• Acknowledges and reinforces the importance of how all roles contribute to the success of the store
• Acts as a brand ambassador within the market, inclusive of ongoing networking, public relations and clientele building

Operations

• Plans, identifies, communicates and delegates key responsibilities and practices to store management team to ensure smooth flow of operations within district.
• Reviews store environments and key business indicators within district to identify problems, concerns and opportunities for improvement
• Oversees daily operational tasks according to Coach standards including selling and service expectations, operations, payroll, human resources and loss prevention.
• Demonstrates strong understanding of business acumen; strategically forecasts, plans and budgets to the needs of the business (i.e. payrolls, staffing, etc.) and demonstrates the ability to teach business acumen and develop management teams to be able to appropriate plan and budget based on the needs of the business.
• Reviews and approves stores’ schedules to maximize business by ensuring managers are scheduling right people, right place, right time
• Interacts and communicates with supervisor(s) and corporate partners (Visual, Merchandising, HR, LP, Finance, etc.) on a regular basis to keep them informed
• Maintains interior and exterior upkeep of the building with partnership from the corporate office
• Understands and ensures management teams are able to effectively use all retail systems and reporting tools
• Adheres  to and reinforces  all retail policies and procedures including POS and Operations procedures
• Leverages Coach’s tools and technology to support relationship building and clienteling efforts; including driving sales and achieving individual and team goals

Visual Merchandising & Planning

• Identifies VM opportunities and needs to Director of Retail and Area VM
• Analyze stores product performance, stay current on competitor’s product range, promotions and pricing
• Ensure stores present merchandise in a manner that will maximize sales and achieve optimum merchandise turn, and are reflective of Coach corporate direction.

Additional Requirements

Experience:  7+ years of previous Store Manager experience in a comparable retail service environment, including 2+ years as a multi-store manager. Possess current knowledge of fashion trends and competition in the marketplace. A combination of education and experience will be considered.

Must possess strong verbal and written skills including the ability to prepare and communicate specific and succinct messages when interacting with senior leaders. Must demonstrate the ability to think broadly, considering all perspectives on issues.

Ability to be both hands on with the stores as well as a strategic thinker driving broader market initiatives.

Technical:  Proficient with MS Office (Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook).  Experience using retail systems (i.e. labor management, inventory systems, sales reporting, etc.) 

Physical:  Ability to communicate effectively with customers and team (both oral and written), maneuver sales floor and meet moderate stockroom lifting and store climbing requirements

Schedule:  Must be available 24/7 to address emergency store issues; may need to work some weekends and/or nights based on needs of the business.