Do you want a career in fashion but not sure in which area to specialise? Each week we will introduce a fashion career role and list the responsibilities and skills required. Here are the typical duties and requirements for an Area Manager…
Job Description:
As an area (or regional) manager, you’ll have overall responsibility for a number of stores in an allocated area. You’ll be responsible for staff and you’ll work closely with other senior managers and department managers.
Responsibilities:
- Setting sales targets
- Maximising sales and profitability
- Providing your team with a stimulating and supportive environment
- Maintaining and increasing standards of customer service
- Driving team performance
- Controlling the training and development of your staff
- Maintaining and increasing sales of your company’s products
- Reaching the targets and goals set for your area
- Establishing, maintaining and expanding your customer base
- Increasing business opportunities through various routes to market
- Setting sales targets for individual reps and your team as a whole
- Recruiting and training sales staff
- Compiling and analysing sales figures
- Possibly dealing with some major customer accounts yourself
Skills:
- Previous experience being an area manager would be preferable
- Good listening skills
- Excellent sales and negotiation skills
- Good business sense
- The ability to motivate and lead a team
- Initiative and enthusiasm
- Excellent communication and ’people skills’
- Good planning and organisational skills
- The ability to work calmly under pressure
- Good IT, budget and report writing skills
- A full driving licence
- Foreign language skills are increasingly useful