Lipault Brand Manager

BRAND MANAGER

Samsonite UK is looking for a Brand Manager for Lipault. Within this role, you will essentially be accountable for the sales growth of the brand across all channels: wholesale, ecommerce and retail. The role reports directly into the Head of D2C, but with a day-to-day reporting line to the Brand Manager for TUMI. 

We are committed to a diverse and vibrant culture, welcoming people from all walks of life. Our long-standing commitment to diversity and inclusion empowers each of us to bring our authentic selves and unique differences to work every day.

The job role will develop through three stages in this order: Retail, Ecommerce and Wholesale

Key Responsibilities within Retail

Store Performance and Analysis

• Meets and exceeds sales plans set for the store within defined budgets
• Understands, collects and analyses KPI’s constantly working to excel them
• Analyses and facilitates trends to facilitate planning

Customer Service 

• Applies and oversees adherence of the store team to the 4 mandatory selling standards, with each and every customer
• Applies and oversees that the store team applies every step of the selling process proposed by the Line Manager, exploiting every customer opportunity
• Uses up-to-date technical product knowledge to generate sales
• Actively builds customer loyalty encouraging personal trade
• Operates and excels at the clienteling / CDP processes
• Provides outstanding and inspiring service delights beyond customers’ expectations by going the extra mile
• Exceeds the company target Mystery Shopping results (75%), where applicable
• Reflects the values of the brand and demonstrates passion for the brand

Human Resources Management

• In cooperation with the Regional Manager/Supervisor, attracts and recruits high caliber and talented staff
• Develops team spirit, creates a customer focused team, builds a team with complementary strengths
• Trains, coaches, develops and motivates to retain staff
• Measures staff performance and controls disciplinary, capability and attendance procedures
• Schedules staff efficiently in compliance with the payroll budget using skills and specialties most appropriately in the best interest of the store
• Implements and follows HR procedures and policies and sends timely and precise info for payroll processes
• Keeps track and communicates training progress using the training tracking form
  • Manages stock levels and makes key decisions about stock control

Stock Management

• Ensures correct pricing of products displayed on the shop floor
• Minimises losses to achieve the company shrinkage target
• Inputs and plans all stock movement and coordinates with the central retail team

Operations

• Oversees strong compliance with and adherence to each company operational policy and procedure (cash and banking, opening and closing, health and safety, etc.)
• Oversees strong compliance of company operational policy with local legislation
• If applicable, observes specific local requirements relating to the trading environment
• Maintains all required paperwork meeting the required deadlines
• Maintains permanent store cleanliness and appearance to offer a customer friendly environment
• Ensures that repairs are handled in a professional way with precise follow-up
• Initiates changes to improve the business
• Actively markets the store locally and beyond to bring in sales and improve brand awareness, within budget

Merchandising, Marketing & Promotions

• Maintains store and window presentation and visual merchandising in accordance with defined standards
• Ensures thorough preparation and implementation of promotions and correct use of promotional POS materials
• Makes suggestions on VM to adapt to local customer profile
• Maximises all local marketing opportunities
• Ensures PR and protection of company image

Communication 

• Communicates in a clear, concise and understandable manner and listens to others in their national language and in English
• Updates colleagues on business performance, new initiatives and other pertinent issues
• Keeps abreast of local and new market trends in the retail industry, of customer preferences, and monitors local competition, sharing this info and making recommendations to management
• Oversees compliance with all company policies and standards
• Complies with personnel dress code and grooming in line with company policy
• Communicates info from local/centre mgt to Samsonite mgt team
• Acts as an Ambassador of the Company and of  the Company ‘s Brands

Key Responsibilities within Ecommerce

• When the project is live: managing our influencer affiliate marketing programme, seeding / gifting products to relevant influencers to maximise social media visibility and profile, and tracking influencer collaborations and analysing their impact on brand visibility and sales
• Sourcing new, trading and managing existing, e-concessions – product selection, price setting and maintenance, updating of images, maximizing online visibility, and ultimately meeting sales expectations
• Tracking online competition on a weekly basis across all competing brands, and either recommending trading actions or identifying the potential impact on our sales
• Liaising with each brand’s wholesale team to ensure all of our brand partners’ websites are up to date and accurate, and are maximised to their full potential, whether through free of charge or paid changes
• Proof-reading / editing newsletters website banners and the site, including but not limited to product descriptions, listing pages, web forms; as well translating any content into British English
• Locally adjusting planned European newsletters, and pro-actively propose local newsletter content
• Maintaining digital assets for our retail stores and wholesales partners
• Measuring the impact of our marketing campaigns on our ecommerce sales, and identify any areas for improvement

Key Responsibilities within Wholesale

• Manage our wholesale accounts across the UK both physical and digital
• Manage all aspects of merchandising, training & development within the wholesale arena
• Take ownership of the retail staff relationships and the delivery of targeted KPI’s in selected UK accounts
• Ddeliver results in line with the overall wholesale & retail team’s objectives
• Continually deliver a program of best practice for the Lipault brand within the selected UK accounts, ensuring all brands and products receive the relevant exposure and projection, thus delivering against the agreed brand guidelines
• Implement and maintain a high standard of merchandising and product training performance in accordance with the relevant Lipault brand guidelines
• Development of all retail selling staff relationships, to maximise product placement and the most beneficial selling space in each location. 
• Regularly assess space % mix of the total department, to ensure the Lipault brand gains additional sales & market share
• Monitor competitor performance and regularly feedback market information to the line manager and director
• Regularly visit individual stores, to ensure AM’s & retail selling staff are updated in the following key areas

1. Assortment planning & updates
2. Marketing updates and brand/s projection 
3. Review sales & stock performance 

Our offer

• A unique opportunity to work within an international company with a strong brand image, major player and world leader in its category.
• An employer with strong values, a clear vision to grow and innovate, and where sustainability is a key element of its journey.
• Working with a well-established local UK / Ireland team in a dynamic environment, as well as liaising with the central European team
• An attractive salary package with various additional benefits.

• Masters degree/PHD In Marketing
• Have 1-2 years of experience in as a store Manager/Deputy Manager.
• Have experience or an understanding in B2C e-commerce / digital marketing department
• Experience of wholesale is beneficial, but not mandatory
• Be able to demonstrate merchandising knowledge, and a basic understanding of ecommerce
• Be fluent in English. All other languages are a positive add-on
• Be creative
• Continuously pay strong attention to detail and accuracy
• Be pro-active and show problem-solving skills
• Show the ability to perform well under pressure in a deadline-driven environment
• Be self-confident, independent and very well organized
• Be able to work across both ecommerce and digital marketing under two line managers
• Be able to demonstrate the ability to adapt to a changing environment
• Be an enthusiastic team member
• Be able to work well with a variety of different nationalities