A concept store in Tokyo is looking for a Retail Manager. They will manage all aspects of daily retail operations, provide an elevated, elegant welcome to the space, and drive retail sales at a local level. They will manage and represent the organisation with professionalism and a passion for art in every interaction.
The Manager will work under the direction of the General Manager & Vice President in Tokyo, supervise an Assistant Manager and Sales Associates, and work closely with other retail specialists in the organisation.
The Manager understands the art and science of retail, with an ability to manage sales, operations, and inventory which includes books, special editions and artist collaborations, branded merchandise, fine design, and special gifts. The successful candidate will be highly organized and have strong communication skills, with bilingual fluency in English and Japanese desirable. They will have an ability to prioritize among multiple projects to build a remarkable shop from the ground up, with a positive, solution orientated approach.
Responsibilities & Requirements:
- Work with the global team and Tokyo leadership to launch the shop.
- Take ownership of the business, effectively managing all aspects of retail operations.
- Provide gracious hospitality, introduce a sophisticated retail concept to the community, provide a first welcome to the space, its artists and to the exhibitions on view.
- Inspire, train, mentor and motivate the Assistant Manager and Associates to provide a consistently high level of sales and professional
- Unite the team behind shared goals to meet and exceed KPIs and sales goals.
- Manage personnel actions, including hiring, developing, training and reviewing staff.
Act as opening and/or closing Manager, with an emphasis on sales and service:
- Establish and manage opening and closing Open and close cash drawers, reconcile retail register, handle end-of-night deposits.
- Create and distribute end-of-day, weekly and monthly reports, and track performance and KPIs with attention detail.
- Efficiently manage scheduling of staff, with the store hours Tuesday – Sunday 11am – 8pm, working evenings, weekends and holidays as needed.
- Regularly communicate information to staff on current and upcoming exhibitions, retail inventory, and promotions.
- Have a strong presence on the Shop floor during peak times and key moments such as exhibition openings and events.
- Communicate across departments to complete requests of special guests (e.g. artists and partners).
- Respond professionally and timeously to customer inquiries and feedback.
- Maintain visual presentation and merchandising with meticulous organization and attention to visual standards, to ensure aesthetically pleasing presentation of the retail space
- Take care to resolve issues and incidents, following established SOPs, as they arise.
Inventory Management & Reporting
- Manage daily retail administration back of house.
- Lead inventory management, identify discrepancies, adjust inventory as needed, administer physical inventories counts.
- Supervise the Assistant Manager and Associates to ensure timely stock receiving, inventory flow, product launches and visual merchandising.
- Coordinate purchase orders and monitor incoming product deliveries and returns to vendor. Experience coordinating shipping, insurance, customs, packing and receiving.
- Manage local vendor relationships, including vendor onboarding, product photography and information, stock updates, product delivery timelines and accounts payables.
- Track and submit accounts payables against budget.
- Ensure accurate and timely financial reporting, including sales, expense, and royalty reports.
- Ensure that established, bestselling products in the retail merchandise plan are reordered as needed on an ongoing basis, working closely with head-office.
- Coordinate local production of merchandise per design from head office; deliver samples and obtain approvals, prior to floor release.
- Create and maintain exceptional visual displays, following guidelines from head office.
- Work alongside key members of the retail team, as a phased global strategy is developed for eCom.
We are looking to connect with candidates who bring:
- Solid experience in retail, gallery and/or hospitality.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, billingual (English/ Japanese) desirable.
- Trustworthy, with experience managing valuable retail inventory.
- Pragmatic understanding of effective retail operations, logistics, and administration.
- Experience working with art objects, publications and fine design.
- Proven success managing staff, with a positive, team-based approach.
- Confidence connecting with sophisticated, high-end clientele.
- Meticulous attention to detail handling transactions and reporting P.O.S. and inventory management system experience (Square, Shopify, or similar).
- Availability to work evenings, weekends and holidays.