Job Title: Area Retail Manager (ARM)
(Execution-focused | Manages a group of stores directly)
Role Summary:
Drives store-level sales and KPIs across assigned stores. Ensures execution of VM, SOPs, and customer experience standards. Manages Store Managers and frontline teams to deliver productivity and engagement. Executes promotions, CRM initiatives, and resolves store-level challenges. Maintains stock availability and ensures overall store readiness.
Key Responsibility Areas
1. Commercial Performance
- Drive store-level sales and KPIs (conversion, ATV, UPT, sell-through)
- Track daily/weekly performance and take immediate corrective actions
- Ensure execution of promotions, offers, and incentive plans at store level
2. Retail Operations Excellence
- Ensure adherence to VM guidelines, SOPs, and service standards in stores
- Maintain store hygiene, audit compliance, and smooth daily operations
- Drive CRM and loyalty program execution on the floor
3. Team & People Management
- Directly manage Store Managers and store teams
- Drive daily productivity, discipline, and staff engagement
- Coach teams on selling skills, customer handling, and store operations
4. Stakeholder Coordination
- Act as first point of contact for store-level issues and escalations
- Coordinate with support functions for issue resolution
- Maintain relationships with mall/store-level stakeholders
5. Store Execution & Projects
- Ensure readiness and execution support for new store openings
- Implement VM changes, promotions, and store-level initiatives
6. Inventory & Stock Management
- Ensure stock availability and correct assortment at store level
- Monitor stock discrepancies and shrinkage
- Execute replenishment and inter-store transfers (ISTs)
Role & Responsibilities:
- Driving Customer centricity: Understands the catchment and customer profile of the designated area and uses the same to suggest suitable BTL marketing activities to the regional manager / corporate team.
- Drives the marketing interventions for the area by guiding the store teams on implementation.
- Suggests any customization of VM to suit the customer profile in the designated area.
- People Management: Actively supports the store managers in building and managing the store teams.
- Drives the staff performance and productivity through training and guidance.
- Financial / sales performance: Drives store profitability, daily operation, planning, development, manpower cost and implementation of marketing plans for both short- and long-term sales growth.
- Propose and drive CRM and loyalty program and ensure effective execution across the area.
- Monitors cash flow, inventory controls, and overall profitability of assigned area.
- Process Management: Acts as the agent for communicating and facilitating implementation of SOP across stores in the area; guides the stores during crisis and escalates to regional managers as required.
- New store opening: Closely work with BD, Projects, Planning & Merchandising, Supply chain and partner ensuring end to end execution and completion of work to launch new store on time.
- Stakeholder Management: Lead all coordination and discussions with internal/cross-functions & external stakeholders effectively for day to day operations.
- Franchisee Partner Management: Effectively manage and co-ordinate closely partner franchisees for all initiatives related store operations. Handling and address partner grievances.
- Report analysis: Analyse various reports (DSR, Inventory, Category contribution, Customers etc... and prepare the action plans to derive the business efficiently.
Qualifications
Graduate in Business administration / hospitality / equivalent qualification.
Required Experience:
- 8 -10 years experience in fashion retail with at least 2 years as Cluster/Area role.
- Business Manager experience of Large format Store.
Preferred Skills:
- Strong business acumen
- Ability to manage geographically dispersed teams
- Operational discipline
- Data-driven decision making
- Franchisee and stakeholder management capability
- High execution focus with customer orientation
