With more than 270 shops in Italy, Spain and Portugal AW LAB is a laboratory of “urban sport style” trends that offers to its customers the coolest products of the moment, suggesting and inspiring them in creating their own style. Since opening its first store in 1997, with the name of Athletes World, AW LAB is part of the Bata group, world leader in the footwear industry, with over 5,000 stores in more than 100 countries. AW LAB proposes a wide collection of sneakers of the most famous international sport brands and a wide range of exclusive designs created in collaboration with them. The proposal is completed by a collection of apparel and accessories of the leading sportswear brand and by two private clothing labels.

In Spain AW LAB is experiencing a period of great development of its network of direct shops and franchises.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ROLE

The main objective of the AREA MANAGER is to manage the sales network of the direct and franchising stores, with efficiency and profit.

To manage his/her own area of expertise with efficiency and profit, aiming at the development of sales and personnel.

To coordinate all the operations carried out by the company and provide the necessary support for the resolution of potential problems by ensuring a constant presence on the territory of belonging.

KEY CHALLENGES

Personnel coordination:

• Cares for the training of store managers and sales staff through the assistance on the field in visual, sales, stock management, administrative management, etc.
• Supports store managers on the organization and motivation of staff giving priority to the newly appointed store managers
• Supports the stores managers in the selection of staff participating at the recruitment
• Places particular emphasis in the evaluation of trial periods of staff in charge
• Assures the presence of store managers in training in line with the policy of expansion and follows the training program, in collaboration with the human resource department
• Ensures the proper evaluation of the store managers in training and the sending of related documents (check list, motivation card, etc.) to the HR department
• Supports the store managers in training and proposes replacement programs
• In charge of the composition of staff of its stores in compliance with the corporate budget (only DOS)
• Highlights the salespersons in the stores with high potential for professional growth
• Periodically organizes meetings with store managers
• Responsible of the exchange, from one shop to another, of the store managers and sales staff (only DOS)
• Responsible for the management of issues relating the staff (travel, holidays, permits, timing)- (only DOS)

Stores/Sales:

• Schedules regular visits in shops, at least every month drawing out a report of commercial visit
• Under the Operational Management Plan proposes strategies, action plans and actions to be carried out in shops in the belonging area. It assesses the impact and coordinates the implementation through the interaction with other business functions
• Ensures that the store managers and the sales staff give a good customer service
• Analyses market trends of the belonging area and the behaviour of competitors and customers, evaluating the changes and is responsible for strategic action plans to improve sales

Merchandising:

• Reports requests of products and abnormal situations of stock in the shops collaborating with the Merchandising
• Analyses and evaluates the main business documents (prosperity card, store report and weekly sales report)
• Makes reports on the trend of sales and products (the best-selling articles, the slow sales, etc..) and any quality problems

Administration:

• Checks and ensures the smooth completion of the administrative operations through periodic visits in terms of bookkeeping, money management, inventory control for differences. (Only DOS)
• Checks and ensures the respect of legal obligations of personnel (payroll, book matriculation, attendance sheets, etc.). (Only DOS)
• Ensures that the training on standards of safety, first aid and fire prevention is adequately provided and updated by the staff of his own area. (Only DOS)
• Checks administrative documents and cash periodically
• Sends report to Store Operation department. (Only DOS)
• Monitors the travel expenses incurred by staff of its area as a result of substitutions or other purposes. (Only DOS)
• Organizes periodically inspections visits to ensure the fulfilment of administration operation

Commercial Area:

• Checks the setting of the goods inside the shop (layout) based on inputs coming from the office/company (marketing plan) and maintenance
• Checks the installation of windows and walls following the Visual Merchandising instructions

Territory:

• Assesses the potential locations for new openings
• Proposes the replacement/renewal of existing stores with growth potential
• Coordinates and manages the organizational aspects
• Manages the opening of new store collaborating with all the department involved
• Proposes the closure of shops that do not meet the corporate benchmark

Various Activities:

• Sends to the Sales Manager working program schedule
• Joins the weekly audio conference and periodical meeting
• Organizes meeting in the head-office in order to resolve problems related to the stores

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Delivers in consistent way following his department priorities, respecting the deadlines
• Pursues quality in accomplishing tasks paying attention to details and verifying information
• Relates well to all kinds of, up, down and sideways, inside and outside the organization
• Experience in coordinating and managing people
• English knowledge
• Leadership
• Analytical thinking
• Knowledge in retail (background Area Coordinator Senior and Store Manager)
• Minimum 3 years’ experience in similar position

LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY:

• Mother tongue Spanish
• English knowledge is a plus