Store Manager - John Lewis Edinburgh

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Do you want to join an award winning company for being the Best place to work in travel?

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced Store Manager to join our team in John Lewis Edinburgh. Our new store is opening in John Lewis and we want you to be an integral part of the opening.

We believe the best advice comes from personal experience, from someone who knows the destination inside out. They have felt it, tasted it, swam in it and explored in its glory…

For our teams to be successful, they need inspiring leaders with strong travel sales experience to lead the way.

As a Store Manager , you will be accountable for meeting and exceeding retail sales targets and be responsible for the development of fully trained, informative and highly motivated Travel Experts who deliver exceptional service and revenue. You will also be fully responsible for the store\’s business development in aim to increase and nurture the already established customer database (Full job specification available upon request).

So what are we looking for:

Our Kuoni Store Managers are hands-on and support our Personal Travel Experts every step of the way. We are looking for confident & competitive natural conversation starters that can bring their personality to work to motivate their teams to success!

Essential:

• Experience of managing a retail travel store, with profit and staff responsibility
• Strong track record of delivering sales results and exceptional service
• Attention to detail: you will be responsible for your team\’s booking checks; ensuring all elements of a customer\’s holiday are not only priced correctly but eliminating any errors that might impact the customer when overseas
• You will be a proactive, confident and forward-thinking individual, with excellent communication skills
• Proven ability to motivate, enthuse and lead a team; thrives during periods of pressure and high volume of work and able to create an upbeat, motivating sales environment
• A genuine passion for travel with considerable first-hand experience and knowledge of destinations that Kuoni sells
• Knowledge and experience dealing with third-party suppliers
• Fully Flexible: our stores are open 7 days a week with various shift patterns. This position is full-time therefore will work 5 days a week, including weekends. The Store is open Monday to Saturday 9am – 6:30pm, Thursday 9am – 7pm and Sundays 10am – 5pm.

Desirable:

• Good all-round understanding of the sales and commercial aspects of tour operating, including scheduled flying
• Excellent working knowledge of at least one travel agent or tour operator\’s reservations system

Personal qualities:

• Excellent commercial judgement
• Can demonstrate achievements in meeting tough sales targets and delivering exceptional customer service at the same time
• Shows by their actions that they consider exceptional customer service to be of paramount importance
• Understands the importance of the sales and customer service function as a crucial medium for conveying a company\’s brand vision and values
• Persuasive, articulate and influential, but down to earth and friendly with customers, staff and colleagues alike
• Flexible and adaptable to changing priorities. Resourceful and practical; can think on your feet and solve problems quickly and effectively. Positive \’can do\’ attitude

Benefits for our retail team:

We understand that there\’s more to work benefits than annual leave and pensions. We offer ongoing training and strong career progression opportunities, as well as the chance to broaden your horizons and see the world in an exclusive way.

We\’re also a company that values wellbeing, sustainability and giving back, so you can feel proud and confident to work with us.

Travel opportunities:

• At least one educational trip per year, gaining first-hand knowledge to share with your customers. We\’ve sent our travel experts on unforgettable trips to destinations including the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Seychelles, Barbados, Galapagos, the French Alps, Malta, Kenya and Corfu and many more. (It\’s likely our retail staff will get two a year)
• A yearly overseas retail management conference to look forward to (the last one was in Sri Lanka).
• Weekly opportunities to earn incentives such as cash, vouchers, experiences, accommodation, flights and holidays
• Discounted staff travel
• The top sales performers in our retail stores are awarded an overseas VIP trip (This year our top sellers are off to Mauritius & Dubai!)

Retail training & career progression:

• Our training kicks off with a five-week virtual programme, supported by in-store training
• Ongoing coaching and development throughout your career, from our dedicated sales support and training teams
• Strong connection and open communication with our leadership team and amazing head office
• Opportunity to grow your own database of VIP customers and build lasting relationships, wowing your customers with our award-winning service and Kuoni touches
• Opportunity to attend and organise events as a Kuoni ambassador
• The chance to take on extra responsibilities such as running your store\’s social media account or in-house projects
• Strong recognition and internal promotion opportunities
• The unique opportunity to sell an unrivalled range of luxury holidays. As both a tour operator and travel agent, we can create Kuoni itineraries from scratch and find the perfect holidays from our handpicked travel partners.

Lifestyle & financial benefits:

• Perkbox, providing thousands of discounts. We give you monthly credits to spend on what you love – such as Café Nero, money off your food shops or with your favourite retailer.
• Discounted gym memberships
• From 25 days\’ annual leave, increasing the longer you work with us
• Matched contribution pension scheme
• Exceptional performance-related pay (opportunity to earn an extra £4,000 – £7,000 a year on top of your salary).
• Friendly, fun and supportive work environment – as part of our Kuoni family, you are treated as an individual and encouraged to shine
• £290 per year clothing allowance to create your \’Wear to Work Wardrobe\’
• Interest-free season ticket loan on public transport
• Bike2Work scheme
• Free annual family travel insurance
• Loyal service awards to celebrate important milestones
• Significantly enhanced maternity and paternity leave
• Recommend a friend – we welcome referrals to join our team and currently offer a £1500 bonus for each successful introduction.

Wellbeing & giving back:

• Employee Assistance Programme that provides a complete support network, offering expert advice for both professional and personal matters
• Wellbeing support from our fully trained Heads Together Team
• Free flu vaccinations at a convenient location
• Free eye tests and money towards glasses for VDU use
• Two days of paid leave each year to volunteer and give something back to the local community
• Opportunities to get involved in great fundraising activities for our charity partner, Mind.

Job Security:

As one of the most trusted and established names in travel, we look after our people. We are proud to be part of DERTOUR, the travel division of REWE (one of the largest and most successful retailing businesses in Europe), so we have the backing of a stable and financially strong international group.

To get a further insight into our culture please follow us on Instagram: @workatkuoniuk and visit Kuoni Stores.

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