Area Manager (UK North Region)
Manchester, UK
Retail Operations /
Permanent Full-Time /
Hybrid
Born in 1971, the roots of Mulberry are in Somerset, England. For more than fifty years, Mulberry has been a British lifestyle brand, internationally acclaimed for quality and design capturing the Mulberry Spirit.
Sustainability has been part of the Mulberry ethos since the brand's inception, in recognition of our purpose-driven approach, in 2024 we proudly achieved B Corp Certification.
Today, we are a global brand, but our values remain the same; we are committed to improving our impact on people and the planet. If these are values you share, we would love you to join our team.
The Role:
Lead and manage the Regional Full Price UK & Ireland business, driving a results-driven culture focused on delivering KPIs (Sales, Conversion, Swing, ATV, UPT) and operational excellence. Foster a high-performance environment, ensuring customer service demands and operational efficiencies are met, while representing the Mulberry brand and delivering the goals outlined in the European Retail Strategy.
Duties & Responsibilities:
Results & Performance:
− Develop a sound understanding of the financial and operational aspects of the business, building strategies aligned to Mulberry’s vision and goals.
− Use data and insights to make informed decisions that drive business growth and success.
− Demonstrate innovation and initiative, proactively seeking new ways to push the business forward.
− Deliver a results-driven culture, consistently achieving and exceeding KPIs: Sales, Conversion, Swing, ATV, UPT.
− Continuously seek performance improvement, maintaining a competitive and motivational approach.
− Identify and present growth opportunities objectively, gaining internal support for new initiatives.
− Act with dynamism, pace, and focus to ensure business agility and responsiveness.
− Adapt positively to change, finding solutions and engaging your team throughout transitions.
− Be a collaborative team player.
Leadership & People:
− Lead by example: be hands-on, motivational, and maintain a strong in-person presence in stores.
− Know your team: understand individual strengths and development needs, with a clear strategy for enhancing and managing performance.
− Build strong relationships internally and externally, using influence to support regional objectives. Build trust, engage, develop, and empower those around you.
− Partner with B&M, Visual, Marketing, and other Head Office functions to maximise store support and growth.
− Hold weekly and monthly meetings with Store Leaders to communicate key messages and clarify business goals.
− Conduct regular coaching and feedback sessions with all Store Leaders to drive continuous improvement.
− Manage employee disciplinaries and ensure all HR procedures (performance reviews, discipline, grievance, etc.) are followed in all stores.
− Empower store management teams to take ownership and drive their business areas.
− Recruit, motivate, and develop talent in line with luxury standards, reducing attrition through targeted succession planning.
− Ensure execution of training calendars focused on service, product, grooming, luxury code, and selling techniques.
Commercial & Operational Excellence:
− Maximise £/sqft through ongoing review of store productivity and densities.
− Plan, forecast, and report on sales, costs, and business performance for all stores in the region.
− Manage the region’s P&L in accordance with company budgets.
− Implement shrink plans to target loss and maintain stocktakes under 1% gross value.
− Project manage new store openings and closures as required.
− Ensure compliance with HR procedures, Health & Safety, security, and emergency systems.
Customer & Market:
− Understand the market and adapt strategies to local trends and customer needs.
− Drive customer data capture and CRM activity, ensuring targets are met.
− Attract new clients (HNWI) through effective clienteling and relationship building.
− Nurture customer relationships to reactivate existing clients and build loyalty through repeat spend.
− Provide feedback on customer trends by location to support a tailored commercial approach.
Results & Performance:
− Build a strong relationship with the Global VM Manager to ensure the brand’s creative vision is respected and consistently executed across all stores.
− Manage a regional Visual Merchandiser to ensure monthly directives are implemented to brand standards, providing feedback and guidance on planning and store visits.
− Review visual standards in line with company guidelines, providing feedback and ensuring consistency.
Culture:
- Embrace and demonstrate the Mulberry values and behaviours: honesty, dynamism, and a community-oriented spirit.
- Support Mulberry to deliver an inclusive culture, through behaving in a way that is open-minded and respectful towards others, and understanding that your views, opinions, and experiences may not always be shared by your colleagues.
- Act as an ambassador for Mulberry and communicate positively about the brand.
Sustainability:
- As a certified B Corp, we are committed to using business as a force for good. You’ll be encouraged to incorporate environmentally and socially responsible practices into your work, supporting our Made to Last strategy across Climate, Circularity, and Community.
- Help foster a culture where diversity is celebrated and every individual feels valued, respected, and included. Champion equity, empathy, and understanding in all interactions - internally and externally.
Skills & Experience Required:
− Proven leadership skills with a hands-on, motivational approach.
− Strong commercial acumen and analytical ability.
− Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills.
− Highly numerate, with the ability to prioritise and demonstrate initiative.
− Experience in luxury retail preferred.
− Ability to build and leverage relationships to achieve objectives.
Key Behaviours:
− Possess a competitive spirit and strong desire to succeed.
− Passionate about continuous improvement and loves nothing more than beating your previous performance.
− Embraces continuous learning and growth, always striving to deliver your best for our customers.
− Ability to balance competitiveness with teamwork, using positive energy to build strong relationships across the business.
Other Requirements:
− Must be able to travel with a Driving Licence and use of a vehicle.
− Must live in the North West/North East area of England.
− Minimum of 2 years’ experience as an Area Manager.
Mulberry is an equal opportunities employer and we are passionate about hiring and developing the best talent. All hiring decisions are made only on the basis of qualifications, skills or experience and as they relate to the particular role. If you need us to make any adjustments to our application or interview processes to enable you to be at your best, please email us at talent@mulberry.com.
