Job Title: Retail Area ManagerRole Type: Full TimeReports to: Head of Direct to ConsumerLocation: Head office (Baker Street), with regular visits to our London storesSalary: Competitive
About the Role
Our stores are where Derek Rose really comes to life. It’s where clients feel the quality of our fabrics for themselves, meet a team who know them by name, and leave feeling properly looked after. We’re looking for a Retail Area Manager to help make that happen every day across our Marylebone, Knightsbridge and Notting Hill stores.
Operations & standards
· Set, audit and continuously improve operational standards across all three stores, covering opening and closing, till and cash procedures, stock accuracy and shrinkage.
· Make sure stores meet legal and regulatory requirements, and keep up to date with changes that affect retail.
· Own business dress and presentation standards for the retail teams.
· Own communications from head office to the stores, so that teams know what’s happening, why, and what they need to do.
· Lead the rollout and adoption of new retail systems and processes, making sure they stick.
· Manage store maintenance, facilities, contractors and suppliers, and act as the escalation point when things go wrong.
Health, safety & loss prevention
· Own health and safety across all three stores, including risk assessments, fire safety, first aid, accident reporting and regular audits.
· Lead loss prevention, covering shrinkage, security, cash handling and stock controls.
· Run regular stock checks and counts, working with Merchandising and the Congleton warehouse to improve stock accuracy.
· Investigate losses and discrepancies, and put practical fixes in place.
People leadership & team development
· Line manage and support the Retail Training & Development Manager, agreeing training priorities based on store performance, audits and client feedback.
· Work closely with the Assistant Store Managers and store teams, coaching them on standards, operations and compliance.
· Support retail recruitment and onboarding in partnership with HR.
· Manage employee relations matters with HR, and help managers address issues early and fairly.
· Build a culture of recognition, accountability and genuine care for our clients.
Commercial performance & clienteling
· Track and report store performance against sales, conversion, average transaction value and labour cost targets, and turn the numbers into practical actions for store teams.
· Support the Head of DTC with the retail budget, tracking spend, flagging variances early and giving feedback from the shop floor.
· Help embed clienteling as a daily habit, making full use of our CRM tools.
· Report regularly to the Head of DTC on performance, risks and opportunities.
Retail projects, VM & brand presentation
· Lead store projects from brief to completion, including refits, refreshes and new systems or services.
· Manage project timelines, contractors and stakeholders, keeping disruption to trading to a minimum, and apply the lessons from each project to the next.
· Work with the Visual Merchandising Lead to agree the VM calendar around launches, campaigns and seasonal drops, within the agreed VM budget.
· Agree the scope, timings and deliverables of VM work, sign off window and in-store schemes, and make sure presentation standards are kept up between VM visits.
Cross-functional leadership
· Represent retail in business-wide projects, bringing the store and client perspective to decisions.
· Work closely with HR, Finance, Merchandising and Marketing so that new initiatives land smoothly in store.
What success looks like in the first 12 months
· All stores fully compliant on health and safety, with risk assessments and audits up to date
· Reduced shrinkage and improved stock accuracy across all three stores
· Clear, current retail policies and an operations manual that teams actually use
· Clear, reliable communication between head office and the stores
· Store projects delivered on time and within budget
· Strong working relationships with the store teams, and a growing role in leading and developing them
Skills & experience
· 5+ years experience as an Area Manager, Operations Manager, or multi-store manager in luxury or premium retail, with a genuine passion for, and track record in, operations
· Strong working knowledge of retail health and safety
· Hands-on experience of loss prevention, stock control and store compliance
· Confident writing and rolling out policies and procedures that store teams follow
· Happy to be hands-on in store and to work alongside the team, not just oversee them
· Experience coaching and developing managers, and supporting employee relations matters with HR
· Commercially aware and comfortable with data, including retail analytics and POS reporting
· Project management experience, ideally including store refits or systems rollouts
· Experience managing contractors and suppliers against a brief and budget
· Understanding of omnichannel retail and clienteling
· Highly organised, with a strong eye for detail and the confidence to hold high standards with warmth
· Curiosity about new tools and ways of working, including AI
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