Visual Merchandise Manager - Sneaker Factory at TFG (The Foschini Group)

Responsibilities:

We are looking for a dynamic, creative and energetic Creative VM Manager to join our Marketing team. Someone who knows and understand the importance of forward planning and working on many tasks simultaneously. Someone who is customer centric and has a strong sense of urgency to everything they do. We’re looking for someone who is customer centric in how they bring in store visuals to life!

Visual Merchandising

• Investigating the industry's best practice and initiatives in relation to new ideas and trends.
• Identifying and making use of all opportunities to improve the overall visual appeal of stores of stores, thereby maximizing trade.
• Develops merchandise strategy for Sneaker Factory, ensuring the best value for business and a uniform image across all stores.
• Ensure that the company merchandise is displayed effectively.
• Creating effective merchandise strategies to get a return on trading space.
• Create and updates merchandising tools, merchandise guides, merchandise key controls, VM’s & Store Managers merchandise checklists.
• Ensures that all stores are optimizing floor trading space to increase the trading densities.
• Clear understanding of ALL stores and product to maximise the potential of certain product lines.

Stores 

• Liaise closely with the planners and buyers to ensure product type is in line with the location and demographics. Understanding of space planning strategy
• Developing subtle strategies with new store opening promotional product to introduce customers to the brand and optimise the chances of them repurchasing.
• Ensuring the combination of great product skills and being analytical to increase sales.
• Ensuring that the stock holding is aligned with the sales target.
• Supervising the execution of all signage, graphics and visual elements.
• Understand and scrutinise floor plan and layout to dictate the flow of customer traffic and shopping habits.
• Departments are located correctly to maximise sales.

Markdowns, Promotions and Campaigns

• Responsible for the execution within all stores.
• Conducts weekly store visits and spot checks to ensure compliance around markdowns and price changes.
• Maximising company sales and reducing further markdowns by implementing correct location, merchandising and timeous implementation throughout all stores.

Training and Development

• Facilitates Visual Merchandise and Display workshops to ensure that all RVM’s, Area Managers and Store managers are trained and aligned with the brand’s visual merchandising strategies.
• Management of a Visual Merchandise team and responsible for their overall development and performance
• Trains best practices on customer service skills, store standards and selling points.
• Conducting regular store visits ensuring all staff are fully trained.

Product Knowledge

• Analyze product in all stores (according to tiering) to formulate a turnaround strategy.
• Works closely with Buyer/Planner to maximize profitability with core/seasonal product.
• Identify unproductive stock across stores to formulate clearance promotions / stock movements.
• Constant communication with Planning team to ensure stores are stocked according to turnover required.

People Management

• Clearly and concisely communicate business and operational objectives to VM team so that they remain well informed of business activity and of their required contribution to targets.
• Develops an effective network of communication to ensure shared knowledge and understanding of business activity.
• Recruits accurately profiled staff and ensures the full implementation of induction programmes for newly recruited staff.
• Effectively manages the performance and development of staff to drive and maximise the sales performance.
• Identify and implements training interventions in order to achieve exceptional stock service levels across all stores.
• Plan for succession in the business through the identification of individuals with potential for development and growth.
• Create a positive environment that results in employee retention and a reduction of staff turnover.
• Manage with HR, any employee relations issues which may arise within your team, including the counselling, discipline and grievance processes, within the framework of applicable labour legislation and company policies.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Marketing Degree/3 Year Diploma
• 5 years’ experience in Visual Merchandizing Management or a similar role with a proven track record of success & performance
• Proven Visual Merchandising and Display experience

Skills:

• Strong leadership skills
• Excellent visual merchandising skills
• Excellent visual display skills
• Exceptional people skills
• Attention to detail
• Good planning and organizing skills
• Must live the company values - Real, Value, People