In a fashion company, there are a lot of departments and within them, even more, professional roles. A lot of these careers are often overshadowed by sexier jobs like Buyer Merchandiser, Photograph, Stylist, Editor or Model. But, in reality, there are so many other fashion professionals working and making possible what from outside becomes a beautiful shop or show.
Through Glam Observer, we want you to discover the behind-the-scenes of this industry, what are the roles making it and how to get the job of your dreams.
That is why today I am introducing you to the different roles existing in Retail. A shop is the first contact a consumer has with a brand hence why it is of utmost importance; it reflects the company’s aesthetic, mood and characteristics to the client. The same goes for its staff.
Here are the various retail roles in a hierarchical order:
A Sales Associate is extremely important for a fashion company because he/she is the person who is in charge of generating and closing a sale, but not only. A great sales associate builds a trusting relationship with the client who won’t only come back just for the product. A great product and lousy customer service isn’t the best formula to generate a sale, hence why sales associates must always take training courses about the collections and management of the relationships created with the clients.
To start a career in Retail, you could begin as an intern or work as a temp during the Christmas period when stores need more staff.
A part-time sales associate position is the best if you are studying because it enables you to work on weekends. Besides earning some money, you can get experience in that sector. Most of the careers outside of Retail usually prefer hiring people with more experience in a store because being in constant contact with the customers helps to figure out their needs and how to satisfy them. Many famous companies send their managers in stores for a couple of months for that reason.
 Rising through the ranks is all about working your way up and experience. It is impossible to become a store manager if first, you haven’t been a sales associate, and it is the same for the other positions in Retail.
Let’s have a look at the different roles in Retail.
The Store Manager
The Store Manager is in charge of the store he/she has been assigned to, be it in Retail (the brand’s store) or wholesale (the multibrand store). The Store Manager manages the staff and everything improving and increasing sales like the check-outs, the warehouse or the performance reports to send regularly. He/she also sets the sales budget to achieve for every sales associate – including the employee sales target, the quantity and the type of products sold – and manages the working shifts and holidays of each member of the store. The store manager is an essential figure for a company because with time he/she builds a customers’ portfolio, especially for loyal clients. If for the fashion brand it is an advantage to have such customers, there is a risk of losing them may the store manager leave the company. In this case, his/her portfolio would go to the new brand. Finally, the visual merchandising – the disposition and management of the windows and the space in the store – is another task assigned to the store manager.
The Area Manager
The Area Manager supervises the work of the store manager. Usually, this role exists within companies which have many stores spread around a country. For example, you will have an Area Manager, for the North, the South and the Center of Italy. This position is more strategic and works a lot with numbers since he/she will have to set the budget for every store of his/her area. It is a job that involves a lot of travelling between the many stores in the area managed to check the performances and if needed, establish or change strategy.
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