Retail Operations Manager, SEA

Founded in 1906 as a manufacturer of writing instruments, MONTBLANC today creates exclusive products including watches, jewelry, writing instruments and leather goods which reflect our high demands with respect to culture, quality, design, tradition and craftsmanship. With more than 25 subsidiaries and 600 boutiques MONTBLANC is present all over the world.

Retail Operations (50%)

• Manage operational performance and partner with Boutique Managers in ensuring the delivery of operational excellence to drive commercial goals.
• Develop, implement and maintain effective operational policies, practices and strategies in line with HQ guidelines from the Boutique Excellence Portal (BEP).
• Rollout of HQ projects locally, e.g.: Retail Signature, traffic count, uniform standards, etc. Communicate implementation of all initiatives to the team.
• Work closely with key stakeholders (Merchandising, Marketing, Retail Performance, CRM, Training, Finance, Compliance and HR) to provide input on merchandise, retail operations, and strategic direction to achieve operational targets in productivity and store level variances, expenses and delivery of consistent store efficiency.
• Roster Management; review boutique team roster to ensure adequate staffing to handle traffic footfall and clienteling goals.
• Manage boutique facility housekeeping & maintenance and daily supply/general expenses, including SAP: payment request (PO), vendor creation, payment follow-up.
• Identify ad-hoc retail operational issues and make quick judgement calls to resolve, thereby supporting retail performance.

Project Management (20%)

• Lead all new store openings, closures, refurbishments and/or relocations in the region, coordinate retail projects across all departments, Finance, Merchandising, Marketing, etc.
• Share opinions and advice to Brand Director on all local store projects, ensuring back of house and front of house layout optimizes retail efficiency.
• Identify back of house areas for improvement and work with the store teams, merchandising and store design on solutions.

Compliance (10%)

• Coordinate trainings, and provide compliance reports when requested by Richemont RRF, on topics related to HR, security, audit, and finance.
• Follow the rules of corporate compliance defined by Richemont and Montblanc strictly

Customer Experience (10%)

• Ensure professional Customer Experience is provided at all boutiques
• Ensure VIP and Appointment rooms are well maintained, and the boutiques are well-equipped to host Private Appointments and special experiences.
• Assist boutique team to handle customer complaints when needed, turning this into an opportunity to build long-term relationships with clients
• Analyse client feedback on operational matters and communicate results. Define action plans in collaboration with Retail Performance Manager, Training Manager and Boutique Managers

Event Support (10%)

• Support all retail activations and marketing initiatives, closely coordinate with office and boutique teams to ensure smooth arrangement and implementation of event needs