TL;DR
- A store manager, called a retail manager in UK job profiles, runs the daily operations of a shop: leading and developing the team, hitting sales and cost targets, managing stock, keeping company standards and looking after customers.
- The job has seven duties: lead the team, drive sales, control stock, manage costs and reports, keep standards and compliance, look after customers, and run promotions and events. A person specification separates essentials from desirables and says how each is assessed.
- In the UK, entry is through experience on the shop floor, a college course, a degree and graduate scheme, or the level 3 team leader, level 4 retail manager and level 6 retail leadership apprenticeships.
Every retailer has a store manager job description, and most of them read the same: “responsible for the day-to-day running of the store”. That line is true and useless. It does not tell a candidate whether the job is a 12-person fashion shop or a 200-person supermarket, whether the manager owns the rota or inherits it, or which three numbers head office will judge them on.
This article gives a store manager job description in full: a job profile of what the role does, seven duties, a person specification with essential and desirable criteria, the skills and qualifications employers ask for in the UK, a template to adapt and the mistakes that weaken retail management adverts. UK job profiles call the role retail manager; we use the terms interchangeably.
Store targets should be visible to the team every day, not announced at month end. See how New Dynamics Goals & OKRs keep targets and progress in one place.
Store manager job profile: what the role does
The UK National Careers Service describes the role in its retail manager profile: “Retail managers look after stores, motivate staff to achieve sales targets, organise promotional events and monitor industry trends.” Typical hours are 40 to 42 a week, with evenings, weekends and bank holidays.
Prospects, the UK graduate careers service, adds the accountability in its retail manager profile. As a retail manager, “you'll be responsible for leading a team of staff, monitoring performance and ensuring company standards are met”, and, working closely with area or regional managers, “you'll implement promotions, control costs and drive profitability while maintaining a positive shopping experience for customers”. Prospects notes that in larger stores the manager may also take responsibility for wider operational issues such as finance, logistics or marketing.
The store manager sits between two audiences. Above is the area manager, who wants the numbers. Below is the team, which wants a rota that works and a manager who is on the floor. The job is to satisfy both.
Store manager duties: seven responsibilities
- Lead the team. Recruit, train, supervise and develop staff. Prospects lists managing, motivating and developing the team “to maximise sales and efficiency” and overseeing recruitment, training, appraisals and performance management.
- Drive sales. Set and hit targets, analyse sales figures, identify trends and forecast performance, as both profiles list.
- Control stock. Monitor stock levels, make stock control decisions and manage replenishment. The NCS adds tracking stock and negotiating prices with wholesalers, which applies in independent shops.
- Manage costs and reports. Control budgets, track sales, costs and business performance through IT systems and provide reports to senior managers.
- Keep standards and compliance. Ensure company standards for quality, customer service and health and safety are met, and put security measures in place against fraud and theft.
- Look after customers. Respond to feedback, complaints and service issues and maintain a positive shopping experience.
- Run promotions and events. Plan and deliver promotions, displays and in-store events to drive sales, and keep an eye on market trends and competitor activity.
The weight of each depends on the store. A supermarket manager spends more time on the rota, stock and compliance; a boutique manager on sales, display and customers. Say which yours is.
Store manager person specification
A job specification has two halves: the job description above and a person specification like the one below, which lists what the person needs and how each criterion will be assessed. Keep essentials to what the job cannot be done without; each one excludes candidates.
| Criterion | Essential or desirable | Assessed by |
|---|---|---|
| Experience of supervising or managing a retail team | Essential | Application, interview |
| Track record of meeting sales targets | Essential | Application, interview |
| Experience of stock control and replenishment | Essential | Application |
| Confidence with numbers: sales data, budgets, forecasts | Essential | Exercise |
| Customer service skills and experience of resolving complaints | Essential | Interview |
| Ability to plan, prioritise and delegate, including rotas | Essential | Interview, exercise |
| Knowledge of health and safety and retail compliance | Essential | Interview |
| Level 4 retail manager apprenticeship, degree or equivalent | Desirable | Application |
| Experience in [sector: fashion, grocery, electricals] | Desirable | Application |
| Experience of visual merchandising and promotions | Desirable | Application, interview |
| Full driving licence, where cover for other stores is expected | Desirable | Application |
Our guide to job requirements explains the essential and desirable split.
Skills employers ask for
Prospects lists the skills a retail manager needs: “the ability to lead and motivate others to create a positive team culture and achieve targets”, strong customer service skills, interpersonal and communication skills including listening and influencing, “commercial awareness and an interest in business to spot sales opportunities”, the ability to plan, prioritise and delegate, “confidence with numbers to analyse sales data and forecast performance”, problem-solving, resilience and calm under pressure, organisational skills, IT skills and attention to detail for compliance. The NCS adds the ability to sell, business management skills and the ability to monitor your own performance and that of colleagues.
Prospects also describes the setting honestly: the role “is fast-paced and can be pressurised, especially during peak trading periods”, and managers need to be “adaptable and comfortable with change, and confident in making challenging decisions when necessary”.
Qualifications and routes into the role
From the shop floor. The NCS says you may be able to start as a retail sales assistant and work up through supervisor or departmental manager. Our sales associate job description and assistant manager job description cover the rungs below.
Apprenticeships. The NCS lists the team leader level 3, retail manager level 4 and retail leadership level 6 degree apprenticeships. Skills England's apprenticeship listing shows the retail manager standard, summarised as “Managing staff, their work and sales within a retail environment.”, at level 4 over 12 months.
College and university. College courses in retail skills and retail management; degrees in any subject, with an advantage for retail management, retail marketing or business management, followed by a graduate management scheme. Prospects notes that retailers “typically place greater value on people skills, confidence, enthusiasm and strong customer-service than on specific academic qualifications”.
From another industry. The NCS says you could switch from a managerial post in sales or customer service and be trained in retail.
Progression. With experience, the NCS says, you could take responsibility for several stores across a region, specialise in customer service, training or supply chain, or open your own business.
Requirements differ in other countries. Check the rules where you work.
Store manager job description template
Adapt the template to your store. Keep every line true.
Job title: Store manager
Reports to: Area manager
Direct reports: Assistant manager, [n] supervisors, a team of [n]
Hours: [40] hours a week on a rota covering store opening hours, including weekends and bank holidays; longer hours at peak trading
Purpose of the role: To run [store name], a [size] [sector] store with [n] staff and sales of [£x], so that it hits its sales, cost and standards targets and every customer wants to come back.
Main duties:
- Lead, motivate and develop the team; recruit, train, appraise and manage performance
- Deliver sales, margin and cost targets; analyse figures weekly and act on them
- Control stock, replenishment and shrinkage
- Keep company standards for service, presentation, health and safety and security
- Resolve customer complaints and service issues
- Plan and run promotions, displays and events
- Report weekly to the area manager and communicate targets and updates to the team
Person specification: see the essential and desirable criteria above, with the assessment method for each.
We provide: [Bonus for meeting targets], support for the level 4 retail manager apprenticeship, staff discount, and a route to multi-site management.
State the store's size, sector, team and turnover. Those four facts change the job more than the title. Our job description template explains the overall structure.
Common mistakes in store manager job adverts
No numbers. Team size, store size and sales tell a candidate whether the job is a step up or a step down.
Hours hidden. Rota work, weekends and peak trading are the job. Say so, and say how the rota is set.
Duties without weight. Every duty listed as if equal. Say what the area manager will actually judge.
Essentials that are preferences. A degree for a role that Prospects says values people skills over academic qualifications excludes strong internal candidates.
No development promise. The candidate who wants to run a region will go to the retailer that names the route.
Frequently asked questions
What does a store manager do?
A store manager runs the daily operations of a shop: leading and developing the team, meeting sales and cost targets, controlling stock, keeping company standards for service, presentation, health and safety and security, resolving customer issues and running promotions and events, while reporting to an area manager.
What are the job duties of a store manager?
Seven core duties: lead the team, drive sales, control stock, manage costs and reports, keep standards and compliance, look after customers, and run promotions and events. In larger stores the manager may also take on finance, logistics or marketing.
What is a store manager job profile?
A job profile describes the role, its purpose, duties, working conditions and progression. The National Careers Service and Prospects both publish a retail manager profile, which is the UK name for the store manager role. This article draws its duties and skills from both.
What is the job specification of a store manager?
The job description plus the person specification: the duties of the role together with the essential and desirable knowledge, skills, experience and qualifications a candidate needs, and how each is assessed. The table in this article gives a typical person specification.
What qualifications does a store manager need?
None are legally required. Most store managers have progressed from the shop floor, often with the level 3 team leader or level 4 retail manager apprenticeship. Graduate schemes accept degrees in any subject. Prospects notes that retailers value people skills and customer service over academic qualifications.
What is the difference between a store manager and an assistant manager?
The store manager is accountable for the whole store's results, team and compliance and reports to the area manager. The assistant manager deputises, usually owns specific areas such as the rota, stock or a department, and steps up when the manager is absent.
Your next step
- Write the purpose statement with the store's size, sector, team and sales in it.
- Weight the seven duties for your store and say which numbers the manager is judged on.
- Challenge every essential in the person specification and add an assessment method to each.
- Decide the manager's first-quarter targets before the advert goes out.
For writing those targets, read and download our SMART goals guide. The guide is free to read, and the PDF uses our short download form.
Want store targets, one-to-ones and reviews in one place for every manager and team? Book a New Dynamics demo and bring your current job description. You can also email contact@new-dynamics.com.
