A Day in the Life of a Retail Support Manager Retail Impact Ltd
Chris Daly thinks retailing is the only business to be in!..
"This is a truly dynamic environment. Things change with amazing speed, there are new products and processes all the time, and the expectations of our customers are constantly rising. We have to be able to anticipate these changes and implement them immediately."
09:00- The day starts with a comprehensive walk of the sales floor ‘what are my priorities today?’ After establishing these I find the Store Manager and discuss any issues he has had since my last visit to the store. We discuss the stores current financial performance and how together we can take this forward.
09.15- Corporate sales plinths need to be compliant as these provide the biggest cash injection to our business sector. I check for stock out the back and replenish this following the corporate guidelines. I then replace any missing point of sale material.
10:00- ‘What are my priorities today?’ I review the weekly conference call notes (these are priorities set by the Trading Team at our customers head office) and ensure all of these are checked and completed with any issues fed back to my Area Operations Manager.
10:30- A new planogram came down last night and I need to implement this in all of my stores by the end of next week, its challenging but if I communicate the changes to my stores now, I can get ahead of the game. I send out an e-mail outlining the changes and attach a copy of the new plans for the stores to follow.
10:45- With the new planogram in my hand and a store colleague to assist, I begin to implement the new plan, ensuring I take a picture before and after with my company phone.
12:30- With the merchandising now finished I check for missing tickets and advertising, print them off and replace them.
13:00- Lunch
14:00- We currently have a company focus on Fish. In partnership with both the retailer and supplier, Retail Impact identified sales could be radically improved. I review my data from the company website and look for opportunities in this store. I check that the plans are compliant and begin to check the store orders on a handset. This is one of the biggest parts of my job, I can drive stock into the store, which will have a positive impact on sales. After identifying my sales opportunities I send my order sheets to the depot, the stock will be with the store in three days.
15:30- I print off the weekly promotional advice (this is a report that lists all of the current promotions) I check that all promotions have point of sale. I print off any missing ones and replace them.
16:00- I walk the aisle again listing any sales opportunities or missed opportunities, my Area Operations manager can feed these back on his weekly conference call.
16.15- All the new corporate data is available to download from the company website. I download this and communicate to my set of stores. Keeping them in the loop is crucial and it also creates a bit of healthy competition.
16:45- I grab the store manager again and walk him through what I have achieved today. We agree some actions that the store will complete or maintain before my next visit to the store.
17:00- I call my Area operations Manager to discuss my day and feedback on any issues I have seen or share successes. It’s now time for me to go home.