UAEN Regional Sales & Range Leader | Retail | IKEA RSO Jebel Ali

Job Requisition ID: 172809 

Established in the 1930s as a trading business, Al-Futtaim Group today is one of the most diversified and progressive, privately held regional businesses headquartered in Dubai, United A”rab Emirates. Structured into five operating divisions; automotive, financial services, real estate, retail and healthcare; employing more than 35,000 employees across more than 20 countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, Al-Futtaim Group partners with over 200 of the world's most admired and innovative brands. Al-Futtaim Group’s entrepreneurship and relentless customer focus enables the organisation to continue to grow and expand; responding to the changing needs of our customers within the societies in which we operate. 

By upholding our values of respect, excellence, collaboration and integrity; Al-Futtaim Group continues to enrich the lives and aspirations of our customers each and every day.

Overview Of The Role:

The Regional Sales & Range Leader role is pivotal in the Service Office organization, focusing on selecting and pricing the range for the local market each business year. Key responsibilities include achieving sales and gross margin goals, coordinating resources across various departments, and implementing strategies to enhance sales performance and competitive positioning. The role demands strong analytical skills, a passion for home furnishings, and a deep understanding of the local market to effectively drive sales and range management.

What You Will Do:

Commercial

• Contribute actively to developing and implementing an IKEA Sales & Range action plan using the store and country business plans.
• Stay in weekly contact and support shopkeepers in the stores.
• Select and ensure availability of products for all marketing activities in partnership with the Logistics department.
• Support stores by producing buying guides for complex product series.
• Maintain communication with IKEA range distributor about range and the annual IKEA range cycle.
• Coordinate range issues between stores, central retail management, and IKEA distributor.
• Maintain knowledge of the local home furnishings market including customer trends and competitor actions.
• Ensure systems and methods stated in IKEA Concept Documentation are implemented effectively.
• Set prices on the IKEA range with store sales managers, reinforcing IKEA's low-price profile.
• Make sales budgets for the IKEA range and set local range priorities.
• Learn about top-selling products and ensure they're available, communicated, and displayed at all times.
• Contribute to planning, execution, and follow-up of store commercial calendars.
• Communicate agreed KPIs within your area to Core Area Manager and shopkeepers.
• Strive to reach sales targets as defined in the business plan.
• Support shopkeepers by collecting and spreading good sales solutions.
• Promote healthy competition between stores by running various competitions.
• Identify new business potential and resolve PR&C related issues.

Operations

• Implement systems and methods stated in IKEA Concept Documentation across all stores.
• Act as matrix manager for shopkeepers, driving the annual plan for Sales & Range.
• Define the Local range in sales area and drive supplier selection and contract management.
• Enhance competitive strength by implementing range issues related to systems and methods.
• Strive to reach IKEA positioning objectives.
• Maximize sales and optimize long-term profit by applying sales methods as per manual.
• Coordinate with IKEA of Sweden and distributor for range selection, pricing and lifecycle management.
• Perform range administration in sales IT-system for your Business Area.
• Secure alignment with Logistics team for optimal goods flow based on sales forecasts.
• Set and track prices based on competitor levels to secure IKEA low-price leadership.
• Register suppliers and COO with authorities to avoid gaps in the range.
• Monitor range availability to achieve agreed goals.
• Coordinate with catalogue production team within Marketing for strategic product placement.

People

• Support shopkeepers in conducting competitor analyses and taking action based on results.
• Develop and train Sales teams to understand IKEA Concept and guidelines.
• Empower, support, and coach Sales co-workers to improve their performance and growth.
• Create a strong IKEA culture and ensure diversity is valued in the workplace.
• Ensure straightforward internal communication, ensuring key information is understood.
• Identify potential successors for shopkeepers alongside the Sales Manager.

Required Skills To Be Successful:

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to build working relationships
• Proficiency in English and computer literacy
• Analytical and mathematical mindset to handle high workloads

What Qualifies You For The Role:

• High School Credential
• Minimum 2-5 years of retail experience
• Several years of IKEA shopkeeper experience in various business areas
• Strategic, analytical, and tactical abilities
• Genuine interest and knowledge of home furnishings
• Strong mathematical skills for gross margin calculations

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.