At a Glance
- Tasks: Inspire and coach store teams to create stunning visual displays that reflect our brand.
- Company: Join River Island, a vibrant brand committed to diversity and creativity.
- Benefits: Enjoy a generous 50% staff discount, flexible working, and professional development opportunities.
- Other info: Be part of a diverse community that values equality and personal growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on our brand's identity while developing your skills in a dynamic environment.
- Qualifications: Strong communication skills and a passion for visual merchandising are essential.
The predicted salary is between 30000 - 40000 £ per year.
The Visual Display Merchandising Business Partner (VDMBP) plays a critical role in delivering River Island's brand identity through inspiring, commercially driven visual merchandising and great looking windows. The role focuses on coaching and training store teams, ensuring consistent visual standards, and enhancing team capability across the estate. Working closely with Area Managers and store leadership, the VDMBP ensures store-level priorities align with wider brand and business objectives. Support the VM Lead in delivering the department's operating plan and strategic visual goals, ensuring alignment with brand direction.
Benefits
- Generous 50% staff discount
- Reducing Islanders everyday expenses through discounts, benefits, financial advice, wellbeing solutions and more through the Retail Trust.
- Company car
- Support for diverse family setups and maternity/paternity/adoption/fertility treatment benefits
- Flexible working, on top of payday and summer early finish Fridays
- Give as you earn scheme, a 'Giver Island' day each year and matched funding
- Upskilling through on the job training and qualifications, with succession plan
- 23 days paid holiday, exclusive of Bank Holidays, option to purchase additional holiday twice a year
Responsibilities
- Coaching & Training
- Coach, inspire, and upskill retail store teams to deliver high standards in windows, layouts, and visual merchandising with a clear commercial focus.
- Ensure basic visual merchandising principles are well understood and implemented clearly to drive consistency.
- Act as a partner to Area Managers and store leaders to set clear and agile visual priorities that reflect trading conditions and business focus.
- Build collaborative relationships across Retail to help drive visual capability and overall performance.
- Visual Merchandising Execution
- Ensure consistent execution of visual standards across stores, adapting layouts to local needs while maintaining brand integrity.
- Champion the use of model stores to set up and share best practice.
- Ensure commercial awareness underpins all visual decision-making to support trading priorities and customer experience.
- Maintain a strong focus on creating a safe working environment in line with H&S standards.
- Display & Creative (In-store Installations)
- Deliver high-impact displays and window schemes aligned with seasonal direction, campaigns, and customer expectations.
- Implement all in-store visual installations effectively during store openings, refits, launches, and seasonal transitions.
- Take a hands-on approach to mannequin position & styling.
- Work alongside the central VM team on visual rollouts as and when required.
- Store Team Support & Visual Standards
- Provide day-to-day VM support to store teams, ensuring visual expectations are understood and followed.
- Contribute to a culture of quality, pace, and attention to detail in all VM execution.
- Promote safe working practices in line with Health & Safety policies and visual operational standards.
- Strong communication, influencing, and relationship-building skills across all levels of retail & head office leadership.
- Excellent coaching and mentoring abilities with a focus on capability building.
- Commercial awareness with the ability to link visual execution to trading outcomes.
- Agile thinker with strong prioritisation and problem-solving skills.
- Team player with a proactive, hands-on approach and a solution-oriented mindset.
- Comfortable delivering visual execution under tight deadlines during peak trading periods and store events.
- Commitment to promoting a safe and compliant working environment aligned with company H&S practices.
Equal Opportunities
Our Island is made up of a diverse community, where we all belong and feel part of something bigger. We are committed to equality of opportunity and welcome applications from individuals, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief. We will consider flexible working requests for all roles unless operational requirements prevent otherwise. We are committed to safeguarding all employees and adhere to the Prevent duty.
Visual Display Merchandise Business Partner employer: River Island
River Island is an exceptional employer that prioritises employee growth and well-being, offering a generous 50% staff discount, flexible working arrangements, and comprehensive support for diverse family setups. With a strong focus on coaching and training, employees are empowered to enhance their skills and contribute to the brand's visual identity in a collaborative and dynamic work culture. The commitment to equality and a safe working environment further solidifies River Island as a meaningful place to build a rewarding career.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Visual Display Merchandise Business Partner
✨Tip Number 1
Get to know the brand inside out! Research River Island's visual merchandising style and their latest campaigns. This way, when you chat with them, you can show off your knowledge and passion for their brand.
✨Tip Number 2
Network like a pro! Connect with current employees on LinkedIn or attend industry events. Building relationships can give you insider info and might even lead to a referral, which is always a bonus!
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for the interview by practising common questions related to visual merchandising. Think about how you can demonstrate your coaching skills and commercial awareness through real-life examples.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive and engaged with our brand.
We think you need these skills to ace Visual Display Merchandise Business Partner
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for Visual Merchandising:When you're writing your application, let your enthusiasm for visual merchandising shine through! Share specific examples of how you've created inspiring displays or coached teams in the past. We love seeing candidates who are genuinely excited about the role.
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your application to reflect the job description. Highlight your experience with coaching and training store teams, as well as your ability to maintain visual standards. This shows us that you understand what we're looking for and how you can contribute.
Be Clear and Concise:Keep your application straightforward and to the point. Use bullet points where possible to make it easy for us to read. We appreciate clarity, so make sure your key skills and experiences stand out without unnecessary fluff!
Apply Through Our Website:Don't forget to submit your application through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your details and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it makes the whole process smoother for everyone involved.
How to prepare for a job interview at River Island
✨Know Your Visual Merchandising Basics
Before the interview, brush up on the fundamental principles of visual merchandising. Understand how to create impactful displays and maintain brand integrity. This knowledge will help you demonstrate your expertise and show that you're ready to coach and inspire store teams.
✨Showcase Your Coaching Skills
Prepare examples of how you've successfully coached or trained others in the past. Think about specific situations where you helped a team improve their visual standards or achieve commercial goals. This will highlight your ability to build capability across teams, which is crucial for this role.
✨Align with Brand Objectives
Research River Island's brand identity and current visual merchandising strategies. Be ready to discuss how you can align store-level priorities with the wider business objectives. Showing that you understand their brand direction will set you apart from other candidates.
✨Demonstrate Your Problem-Solving Skills
Think of scenarios where you've had to adapt visual merchandising strategies under tight deadlines or changing conditions. Be prepared to share these experiences during the interview, as they will showcase your agility and prioritisation skills, which are essential for success in this role.
