We are looking for a Store Manager, 1 year maternity leave contract

Job Title: Store Manager (1 year maternity leave contract, May 2020 - April 2021)

Reporting to: Owner

The Paper Place, located in the heart of Queen West’s Art & Design district, is an unique retail venture specializing in papers and stationery from around the world. Our small independently run shop has a devoted following of customers and is a go-to spot for designers, artists and stylists.

We are currently looking for a Store Manager with 3-5 years experience to fill a one year maternity leave contract position. Our ideal candidate has a passion for exceptional customer service, superior organizational and time management skills and a proven track record in meeting sales goals. They should be a confident salesperson and be able to share their best practices in order to onboard new employees. This candidate should also possess strong leadership skills and be able to assign duties to relevant employees in order to maintain the function of the store.

The successful applicant with be responsible for overseeing the day to day operation of the shop as described below:

Human Resources

• Recruit and hire new staff, ensure they receive the training necessary to perform their job responsibilities independently
• Responsible for annual performance reviews, as well as 3 month probationary reviews for new staff members, in addition to providing continuous feedback to associates by recognizing and rewarding successful performance and addressing performance-related problems
• Recognize needs in employees and provide additional training when necessary
• Produce the monthly schedule, making sure that there are adequate staff members scheduled for each day without overstaffing
• Provide support to sales associates during peak periods or when scheduling conflicts arise

Customer Service

• Ensure that other staff members are providing exceptional service to all customers through appropriate training and feedback
• Make sure that customers are acknowledged, customer needs are met, and concerns are resolved quickly
• Ensure that all phone messages and customer emails inquires are dealt with in a timely manner
• Deal with escalated customer complaints while enforcing return and exchange policies 

Sales

• Prepare monthly sales targets
• Develop and implement strategies to drive store sales, meet monthly sales targets, increase profitability and prevent loss
• Ensure that online sales are being processed and shipped out in a timely fashion

Product Management

• Liaise with The Japanese Paper Place, responsible for weekly order and additions, receive new paper and products samples and decide with the owner which ones to bring in
• Product management, including ordering, receiving, price changes, and handling damaged products and short shipment issues
• Maintain adequate levels of inventory to meet customer needs
• Ensure new samples are added to the product binders as soon as they arrive
• Supervise all pricing and signage activities throughout the store.
• Make sure new products are added to the website in a timely fashion
• In addition to owner, actively seek out new and interesting products for the store, with a focus on handmade or local goods

Store Displays

• Ensure that store displays are executed on a rotating basis and maintain visual standards of the store
• Ensure that windows displays are preplanned and changed on a seasonal basis (bi-monthly as a minimum goal)

Workshops

• Responsible for organizing regular schedule of workshops, liaise with guest instructors, make sure the schedule is posted in store and online, newsletter is sent out to our email list and the registration system in set up and ready to go

Media/Donations

• Deal with media and stylists looking for product donations and discounts
• Filter through advertising requests and bring appropriate ones to owner's attention
• Manage donation requests and work within a yearly budget to distribute donations amongst appropriate candidates

Store Maintenance

• Responsible for organizing total store maintenance & cleaning, including interior, exterior, equipment and grounds.

Banking

• Ensure bank deposits are made at least twice a week
• Ensure an adequate amount of change is available in the safe at all times

Qualifications

• 3 - 5 years of retail and retail management experience
• Demonstrated ability to train employees and be an effective salesperson
• Strong customer service, management and communication skills

Please submit your resume and a detailed cover letter to hiring(at)thepaperplace.ca.