At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead a vibrant fashion boutique, driving sales and enhancing customer experiences.
- Company: Glassworks London, an independent women's fashion retailer with a dynamic culture.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, training opportunities, and a chance to shape a thriving store environment.
- Other info: Opportunities for career progression based on performance and team development.
- Why this job: Be at the forefront of fashion, making a real impact on customer relationships and team success.
- Qualifications: Experience in retail management, strong selling skills, and a passion for fashion.
Glassworks London is an independent women’s fashion retailer founded in 2010, with design-led boutiques and a fast-moving product range refreshed regularly with new fashion. Our stores are not passive shop units. They are places where customers discover product, receive styling advice, build relationships with the team and experience Glassworks as a living brand.
THE ROLE
We are looking for a Retail Store Manager to own the commercial performance, customer experience, team capability, VM standards and daily operation of a Glassworks store. This is a shop-floor leadership role. You will lead service and selling from the floor, coach your team, maintain strong VM and stock standards, build customer relationships and make sure the store is commercially alive every day. At Glassworks, there is no idle time in store. When customers need us, we serve them. When they do not, we improve the store.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Store sales, KPIs and daily commercial priorities.
- Active selling, styling, fitting-room service and customer experience.
- Team coaching, feedback, standards and daily floor leadership.
- Visual merchandising execution, maintenance and store presentation.
- Stockroom standards, replenishment, deliveries, transfers and stock accuracy.
- Opening/closing standards, handovers, escalation and store readiness.
- Recruitment, trials, onboarding and training of store team members.
- Local customer development, VIP/clienteling, review management, in-store customer events and community activity.
- Store issues, facilities follow-up and visible action logs.
- Turning problems into clear actions with owners, dates and evidence.
WHAT GOOD LOOKS LIKE
- You are active on the shop floor, not managing from behind the scenes.
- You personally model strong selling, styling and fitting-room service.
- You use KPIs to decide daily priorities and turn underperformance into clear action.
- You coach the team in real time and follow up when behaviour does not improve.
- You maintain VM, stockroom, fitting-room and store presentation standards.
- You hold standards calmly and fairly, without drama.
- You create clear handovers, action logs and follow-through.
- You build a store that is commercially alive, customer-focused and operationally reliable.
REQUIRED EXPERIENCE & QUALITIES
- Fashion, lifestyle, premium, boutique or service-led retail management experience.
- Strong shop-floor selling and customer service ability.
- Commercial awareness and confidence using KPIs.
- Experience coaching or developing team members.
- Strong VM, standards and store-presentation instincts.
- Stockroom, replenishment and operational discipline.
- Confidence addressing underperformance or missed standards fairly.
- Calm, practical ownership and good communication.
- Interest in local customer growth, VIP relationships or events.
SELLING / SERVICE EXPECTATIONS
This role requires strong personal selling ability. Glassworks Store Managers are expected to sell from the floor, coach selling behaviour, respond to live trade and lead the customer journey. You should be confident in:
- greeting customers warmly;
- styling and product advice;
- fitting-room service;
- add-ons and basket-building;
- customer relationship building;
- supporting reviews, email sign-up, clienteling or VIP activity;
- coaching team members who are passive, inconsistent or not yet confident.
This is not the right role for someone who is:
- passive about sales or waits for footfall;
- uncomfortable coaching or correcting team members;
- strong at tasks but weak on ownership;
- not interested in VM, stockroom standards or store presentation;
- looking for a desk-based retail management role;
- uncomfortable being measured on sales, standards, team capability and follow-through.
TRAINING & PROGRESSION
Glassworks uses evidence-led retail training and assessment. Store Managers are expected to support recruitment, trials, onboarding, role play, live floor observation, training completion and release-gate decisions. You will be expected to develop team members through clear standards, coaching, feedback and follow-up. Progression is based on evidence of commercial ownership, team capability, customer experience, standards, reliability and follow-through.
Retail Store Manager - Fashion Boutique (Shoreditch) in London employer: Glassworks London
Glassworks London is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work culture that fosters creativity and innovation in the retail sector. With a strong focus on employee development, you will have ample opportunities to grow your skills and advance your career while making a meaningful impact on the independent retail landscape in the UK. Located in the vibrant heart of London, our team enjoys a collaborative environment that values diversity and encourages personal and professional growth.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Retail Store Manager - Fashion Boutique (Shoreditch) in London
✨Get Your Retail Game On
Start by getting to know the local retail scene. Make a list of stores that align with your vibe and visit them. You'll be surprised at how many job openings come from chatting with staff or managers in-store. Plus, showing that you have a genuine interest in their brand can make you stand out when applying for that full-time role!
✨Join Retail Networks and Forums
Tap into retail-specific communities and forums, whether online or in-person. Platforms like Retail Week or local retail meetups can provide invaluable insights and connections. You never know who might drop a tip about an upcoming job at companies like Glassworks London, so don’t miss out on building those relationships!
✨Be Ready for Busy Season Opportunities
Keep your eyes peeled for seasonal hiring windows, especially in the run-up to major shopping periods. Retailers often look for full-time staff to carry through busy times and may even keep you on after the season. Stay proactive by regularly checking in with your favourite retailers about their hiring plans.
✨Show Off Your Customer Service Skills
Retail’s all about customer interactions, so make sure you showcase any relevant experience in your conversations and interviews. Share specific examples of your customer service skills and how they’ve led to positive outcomes. This is your moment to shine when applying to roles at places like Glassworks London!
We think you need these skills to ace Retail Store Manager - Fashion Boutique (Shoreditch) in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Customer Service Skills:In retail, customer service is key! Make sure your CV highlights any experience where you've dealt with customers, whether it’s resolving issues or enhancing the shopping experience. Use concrete examples to demonstrate your problem-solving skills and ability to handle difficult situations with ease.
Tailor Your CV for Retail:When applying for a full-time role like this one at Glassworks London, customise your CV to reflect retail-specific buzzwords. Include any relevant skills such as inventory management or visual merchandising, and if you have experience with POS systems, shout about it! This will show you’re serious about joining the retail team.
Craft a Genuine Cover Letter:Don’t just repeat your CV in your cover letter! Use it as a chance to explain why you're excited about the opportunity at Glassworks London and how your values align with their brand. Mention specific aspects of the company that resonate with you and let your enthusiasm shine through!
Highlight Your Adaptability:In retail, things can get busy and unpredictable, so demonstrate how adaptable and flexible you are. Share examples of times you've had to adjust your approach on the fly or take on new responsibilities. This will show Glassworks London that you’re ready to jump in and contribute right away!
How to prepare for a job interview at Glassworks London
✨Show Off Your Customer Service Skills
Retail is all about providing an exceptional customer experience, so be ready to discuss your past customer service stories. We should have examples on hand of how we've handled difficult situations or gone above and beyond to meet a customer's needs. These anecdotes will bring your application to life!
✨Familiarity with Point of Sale Systems
Many retail roles require us to work with Point of Sale (POS) systems, so it's a good idea to brush up on any relevant software you’ve used before. If you’re familiar with systems like Shopify or Square, don’t forget to mention this during the interview. Highlighting technical proficiency can set us apart from other candidates!
✨Understand Product Knowledge
Be prepared to discuss the products that the store sells and how we can contribute to their sales. Showing enthusiasm for the products and a willingness to learn can impress interviewers. We should research popular items or trends in the industry before the interview, so we can speak confidently about them.
✨Be Ready for Role-Playing Scenarios
Many retail interviews include role-playing scenarios where we might have to deal with a difficult customer or upsell a product. Practising these scenarios with a friend or family member can help us feel more comfortable. The key here is to showcase our problem-solving skills and ability to remain calm under pressure!
