Retail Operations Manager | Watches & Jewellery | Dubai

Job Requisition ID: 70303 

No two days are the same at Al-Futtaim, no matter what role you have. Our work is driven by the desire to make a difference and to have a meaningful impact with the goal of enriching everyday lives. Take our engaging and supportive work environment and couple it with a company culture that recognises and rewards quality performance, and what do you get? The chance to push the limits every single day.

As a humble family business that started on the banks of the Dubai Creek in the 1930s, Al-Futtaim has expanded to a presence in 31 countries, a portfolio of over 200 companies, and 42,000 employees. You’ll find us in industries ranging from automotive and retail, to finance and real estate, and connecting people with international names like Lexus, Ikea, Robinsons, and Adidas. Our team is proudly multicultural and multinational because that kind of diverse representation gives us the global mindset to grow and impact the people, markets, and trends around us.

Come join us to live well, work better, and be the best.

About the Role

You initiate & implement retail strategies as per management directive for a 360 degree optimization of retail operational productivity resulting in outstanding revenue growth and customer service.  You maximize the sales and profitability of the Al Futtaim Watches & Jewellery retail store business by providing effective leadership, support and advice to the showroom managers and other members of the operations, jewelry and service team.  You are essentially responsible for the commercial development of the business, through the implementation and maintenance of professional retail standards across all the company showrooms, and provide guidance and support to jewelry & service departments on a daily basis to ensure smooth functioning & optimum results.

Key Specific Accountabilities:

Sales & Profitability: Watches, Jewelry and Services

• Maximize sales productivity by driving sales KPI’s (Sales per sq ft, ATV, Conversion Rate, Upselling) and through effective use of available commercial information
• Analysis of the strengths and weaknesses per store, utilizing the financial Profit & Loss reports and provide corrective action plans
• Deploy sales budgets with showrooms on a monthly basis
• Manage controllable operating costs within budgetary guidelines
• Ensure showroom managers conduct effective communication sessions with their respective teams in regard to sales targets and performance
• Identify internal and external commercial opportunities within each showroom
• Guide showroom managers to maximize productivity in stores through effective deployment of staff on shop floors
• Monitor & manage location wise rosta’s, leaves and store rotations to maximize store and staff productivity
• Provide support to showroom managers with accurate replenishment plans & monitor stock allocator executions
• Drive brand performance on a monthly basis in each location
• Propose Incentive schemes for frontline teams with the objective to motivate teams and boost sales

Retail & Operational Standards

• Customer Centricity: Inculcate a culture of Customer Centricity within frontline & reporting teams
• Ensure that all stores provide service levels which exceed customers’ expectations & enhances shopping experience
• Implement & manage the DSES service standards across all stores, ensure stores consistently achieve 90% plus scores
• Drive the non-negotiable sales & customer service standards across store operations
• Manage all customer escalations for the company ensuring customer satisfaction at all times
• Ensure store teams follow the brand visual merchandising standards across all regional showrooms
• Manage & monitor store operations, backend retail administration & standard operating procedures (SOP’s) to maximize operational efficiency
• Ensure data capture & e-receipts targets are met at retail level
• Ensure showroom managers are aware and adhere to health and safety regulations
• Monitor housekeeping standards (shop front and backend areas) to ensure stores project a professional image at all times
• Petty Cash Management: Ensure stores are submitting petty cash statements
• Repair & maintenance: maintain a month maintenance tracker
• Ensure turn-around times are managed for all store repair & maintenance works in co-ordination with FM corporate teams.
• Plan and schedule R&M jobs to assigned company staff for visiting stores on regular basis to complete all logged pending repair jobs.
• Formulate and implement Showroom Strategies to optimize Sales & Customer Service by new initiatives in staff uniforms, in store music and uniform fragrances
• Retail SOP’s: ensure SOP’s are followed strictly across stores without any deviation for green audit reports
• Conduct Retail Operations checks on a quarterly basis

People & Performance Management

• Develop Retail skills within the team by providing consistent direction, coaching, mentoring and support to achieve stretch targets and take leadership positions
• Motivate & Inspire to build Collaborative and High Performing teams
• Optimize MPC Planning for Sales & Operational Efficiency, staying within MPC budget for showrooms
• Liaison with HRBP for selection and recruitment of fresh & diverse talent in retail operations frontline & back office staff
• Retail Trainings - Identify retail training and development needs of Watches, Jewelry, Service frontline & back end retail teams.
• Plan Annual Training Calendar in co-ordination with L&D, HRBP and BM’s as per need identified.
• Ensure Selling, Customer Service and Brand trainings in conjunction with L&D, HRBP & Brand Managers
• Performance management – Manage frontline team performance and provide necessary mentoring & coaching for their development in overall commercial understanding of business key drivers on a regular basis and through quarterly appraisals
• Ensure Showroom Managers are fully aware of their performance in relation to company’s performance and have a thorough understanding of their accountabilities and responsibilities
• Ensure showroom managers are conducting regular meetings & coaching for respective teams
• Growing Together – Share & take open feedback from teams for growing together plans to ensure annual ratings are as per management expectations
• Plan team activities for team motivation & team work
• Formulate a succession plan, in conjunction with the Management to build a pipeline of highly potential talent
• Oversee Performance Management of store teams on a regular basis

Market Intelligence & Communication

• Provide management with Market insight in terms of competition information – Sales, competition footprint & expansions within malls and high street
• Liaison with Brand managers for implementation of brand strategies at showrooms
• Communicate all relevant management information to regional showroom managers
• Conduct regular Operational meetings by making showroom visits on a monthly basis
• Ensure Showroom Managers conduct daily/weekly/monthly communication meetings with their teams
• Liaison with Marketing, Finance, Logistics, Store development and Services to ensure effective operations

Stock Management & Inventory Control

• Monitor & Control store inventory of all locations by ensuring weekly, month brand inventories being conducted on regular basis
• Promote a proactive relationship between showroom and brand manager, thereby maximizing stock replenishments
• Ensure showrooms are displaying & highlighting slow-moving stocks on ageing price
• Ensure SOP related to stock security are effectively managed by Showroom teams

Visual Merchandising

• Oversee Visual Merchandising function to ensure implementation of Brand VM standards & guidelines creating a uniform brand image across locations
• Ensure implementation of visual graphics and key merchandise highlights to result in incremental sales
• Monitor seasonal VM plans & implementation at store front with control on VM budgets

Store Space Optimization

• Agree Brand Mix & space allocation within showrooms with Retail Brand Head and Brand managers to maximize ROI
• Plan for Space Optimization utilizing Brand contribution & Retail Density reports
• Review Store Layouts on a quarterly basis and propose changes to maximize sales
• Plan for and provide guidance and support to new showrooms during set-up and merchandising phase

Retail Store Promotions

• Plan the Retail marketing calendar along with marketing team
• Plan for seasonal promotions implementations & roll out for increasing traffic in showrooms
• Sale Events: plan & manage annual sale events in liaison with marketing and BM teams.
• Ensure Promotions and campaigns roll out and implementation across all locations
• Ensure store teams are fully aware of promotion mechanics
• Liaison with relevant team for ED permits to be secured on time for promotional roll outs.
• Partner with Banks & Govt bodies for sale events
• Partner with Government and Other companies for tactical promotions to drive traffic to stores.(ESAAD, FAZAA, GDFRA agreement signed)

Retail Store Opening, New projects and closures

• Prepare the IAN documents for Capex approval and upload on GIAMS
• Liaison with Retail Store Development team and project manager to ensure store interior and exterior are as per agreed concept design
• Ensure timely completion of projects to open store on scheduled time by regular follow up with project team
• Liaison with EIT team for procurement of IT hardware & software for store openings and raise necessary RFC’s.
• Liaison with FM teams to initiate services for housekeeping, fire & safety requirements
• Liaison with mall management for Store Opening and Closure requirements to be met
• Monitor closely & consistently review Project expenses to fall with approved Capex budget, raise flag on any deviations with RSD team and escalate to FM & Business Head

Additional Projects: Time to Time manage additional projects assigned by management like:

• Event Sale / Mega sale
• Concession store management
• Implementing blue rewards
• Ensure brand displays as per agreed standards
• Brand price listing on regular basis
• Plan promotions with concession buying and marketing teams
• Manage staffing

About You

To be successfully considered for this role, you must demonstrate the following skills and qualifications:

• University graduate in business or relevant field
• 7+ years managerial experience in retail, ideally in Watches industry
• Strong retail operations management experience
• Strong leadership skills
• Financial and business acumen

We’re here to provide excellent service but a little help from you can ensure a five-star candidate experience from start to finish.

Before you click “apply”: Please read the job description carefully to ensure you can confidently demonstrate why this opportunity is right for you and take the time to put together a well-crafted and personalised CV to further boost your visibility. Our global Talent Acquisition team members are all assigned to specific businesses to ensure that we make the best matches between talent and opportunities. We not only consider the requisite compatibility of skills and behaviours, but also how candidates align with our Values of Respect, Integrity, Collaboration, and Excellence.

As part of our candidate experience promise, we also want to make ourselves available to you throughout the application process. We make every effort to review and respond to every application.