Reed Recruitment Middle East is currently looking for Area Manager -Travel retail for Dubai Location.
Purpose of the Role:
Responsible for the Travel Retail clients in the Middle East, Levant, & Egypt, the role will focus on the business at end market level in the Airports shops / Border Shops / Diplomatic shops to maximize the sales potential and ensure premium presentation of the brands. The Area Manager will conduct regular business meetings with the Travel Retail clients to review the business, present the new launches, and maximize the listings and space allocation in store. Additionally they will manage the Brand Ambassadors in the respective Duty Free's with sales targets to achieve, ensure optimum presentation and visibility of the brands, ensure sufficient point of sale and support materials, present and coordinate the promotional activities, and provide insightful reports on the business both own and competitors. As such it is estimated that the Area Manager will travel within the Middle East region approximately 30% - 40% of the time (including occasional overnight stays).
Key responsibilities and accountabilities:
- Conduct business review meetings with the clients
- Reviewing the business and the performance by brand, highlight any issues / opportunities
- Presenting brands to the clients to obtain new brand listings
- Presenting the new launches of existing brands to the clients & agree the client order(s)
- Negotiating space and location for the brands in the stores including allocation of personalized space
- Updating clients on availability of new launches to obtain repeat orders
- Creating detailed minutes of meeting and following up on the action points
- Shop visits to Middle East Travel Retail shops (airport shops / border shops / diplomatic shops) on a regular basis as per the required visit schedule
- Sufficient stocks of point-of-sale material (including GWP's, Testers, shelf talkers, etc.)
- New launch PoSM requirements raised (inc. GWP's, shelf testers, promotional requirements)
- Visible communication of GWP and promotional offers
- Identification of new space opportunities
- Identification of new brand and new reference opportunities
- Ensuring premium presentation for the brands at store level
- Maintaining a detailed floor plan file by account including own and competitor brands
- Maintaining up to date photographs for each client / shop
- Ensuring prices are correct and price increases are activated at store level on time and in full
- Management of shop-based Brand Ambassadors :
- Recruitment of Brand Ambassadors (Brand Ambassadors candidates are selected internally by the retailer and then interviewed & selected by the Area Manager)
- Defining qualitative and quantitative objectives on a monthly basis in line with the sales targets, merchandising objectives, and promotions
- Briefing the Brand Ambassadors on the novelties, the correct merchandising, and promotional activities
- Communicating to the Brand Ambassadors the sales targets and tracks sales vs. target
- Analyses and follow up on the Brand Ambassadors retail sales identifying & solving issues
- Calculating the Brand Ambassadors commissions & incentives based on the sales
- Market Analysis
- Studies on the products, the merchandising, and the promotions of competing brands
- Gathering information on the market from the Retailers and Beauty Consultants
- Creating reports with recommendations
- Promotions
- Securing promotional slots with the retailers in line with the available budgets
- Maintaining the Promotional Calendar
- Marketing Executive is responsible for the implementation, activation, and monitoring of the promotional activity)
- Overseeing the activity ensuring all elements are in place on time and in full
- Daily sales targets tracked and fed back to the promoters and management
- Final promotion evaluation created
- In store Furniture
- Replacement of branded in store furniture as required / budgeted
- ISF Vendor Packs sourced from the retailers detailing dimensions & locations in store
- Space allocation by brand defined and presented to senior management for feedback / approval
- Operational budgets & costs
- Operational costs expenditure & tracking in line with defined budgets
- Invoices processed for all expenditure upon receipt
- Sales Out data
- Sourcing the Sales Out figures from the clients (including market share, ranking, category trend where available) and maintaining accurate Sales Out files by brand by client
- Analyzing the Sales Out figures to highlight changes and areas for attention, and re-acting accordingly, feeding back to Brand Ambassadors
Requirement:
- Dynamic can do attitude passion and high levels of initiative together with a keen sense of desire to see results of initiatives.
- Ability to communicate with clarity and persuasion, empathy and respect with high energy levels.
- Evidence of passion and achievements.
- Meticulous attention to detail
- Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively within a multicultural environment building strong multi-level relationships
- Excellent analytical and strategic thinking.
- Strong in Excel, Word and PowerPoint.
- Fluent in English and Arabic
- International Travel within the Middle East region expected at 40% time
