Assistant Store Manager

Department: Store

Reporting to: London Area Manager

Contract type: Permanent, 40 hours per week, including weekend & evening hours (for events)

Location: Cadogan Store in Chelsea

About the Fold:

The Fold London is an award-winning British luxury womenswear brand built on a singular, powerful idea: that the women who run boardrooms, lead teams and shape the world deserve clothes as ambitious as they are. Founded with a clear mission to dress professional women with intention, The Fold has built a loyal global community of customers who value craft, quality, and considered design over fast fashion. With a multi-channel presence - led by ecommerce and supported by our two London stores in Chelsea and the City – The Fold has built a loyal and growing customer base across the UK, US and internationally. As we enter the next stage of growth, we are investing heavily in our international expansion, commercial capability, systems, customer insight and operational infrastructure. This role is a key part of that journey.

Role Purpose:

The Assistant Manager will lead the day-to-day management of the flagship store, taking responsibility for all aspects of store operations, from team supervision, coaching and training to delivering our gold-standard customer service. You will play a key role in driving sales and achieving commercial KPIs, while also overseeing inventory. You will support the Area Manager with strategic initiatives and are always striving for excellence.

Areas of responsibility:

• Store Operations
• Own the end-to-end running of the store, ensuring it operates smoothly, consistently, and to brand standard at all times.
• Take responsibility for staff rota, ensuring it is planned effectively, communicated clearly, and updated with all absence and holiday records.
• Lead by example in upholding company policies, ensuring full team understanding and consistent application across D&I, absence, and conduct.
• Act as the store’s primary keyholder, taking accountability as the first point of contact in any emergency situation.
• Take ownership of daily store readiness, ensuring the shop floor, stockroom, and visual merchandising are always presented to the highest standard.
• Manage all store supplies and facilities, ensuring the team has everything required to operate efficiently without disruption.
• Be accountable for Health & Safety, ensuring standards are upheld, equipment is maintained, and the team feel confident and responsible in following procedures.
• Own uniform standards across the team, ensuring alignment with brand expectations and addressing any inconsistencies.
• Take full responsibility for stockroom organisation, ensuring clarity, efficiency, and ease of access for the team.
• Own all in-store POS and materials, ensuring accurate, on-brand execution at all times.
• Manage store costs responsibly, making considered decisions and taking ownership of spend within the store.
• Commercial Performance
• Own overall store performance, with full accountability for delivering strong commercial results.
• Lead the team to understand and engage with store goals, creating clarity on priorities and expectations.
• Take responsibility for setting the tone around performance, driving a culture of ambition, accountability, and results.
• Identify opportunities to improve performance, taking proactive action and leading the team through change where needed.
• Lead ongoing training and development, ensuring the team are confident in customer service, styling, and selling skills.
• Own and maintain exceptional retail standards, ensuring the store consistently reflects the brand at its best.
• Build and nurture relationships within the local community, positioning the store as a key destination.
• Take accountability for store events and partnerships, ensuring they are well planned, well executed, and aligned with the brand.
• Work collaboratively with marketing and external partners, ensuring strong representation of the store.
• Reporting and sharing clear insights, feedback, and opportunities with the wider business.
• Act as the voice of the customer, feeding back trends, behaviours, and opportunities to improve to the wider teams.
• Maintain strong product and brand knowledge, leading the team to do the same.
• Stay commercially aware, understanding competitor activity and the local trading environment.
• Stock Management
• Own stock presentation and VM execution, ensuring it is always aligned with brand direction and relevant to the customer.
• Take responsibility for inventory management, maintaining accuracy and strong control of stock within the store.
• Ensure strong visibility of stock levels and performance, taking action where needed to optimise availability.
• Anticipate and plan for stock movements, working ahead of deliveries, recalls, and seasonal changes.
• Collaborate proactively with Merchandising, ensuring the store has the right stock to meet customer needs.
• Ensure the shop floor is consistently replenished, maintaining a strong and complete product offer in collaboration with the VM.
• Customer Experience
• Own the delivery of a “gold standard” customer experience, ensuring every interaction reflects the brand.
• Lead from the front on the shop floor, setting the example for service, styling, and customer engagement.
• Take responsibility for building strong customer relationships, both personally and across the team.
• Drive a clienteling mindset, ensuring a focus on loyalty, retention, and long-term relationships.
• Ensure the brand tone of voice is consistently delivered, coaching the team where needed.
• Be the go-to person for customer issues, resolving them with professionalism, confidence, and care.
• Maintain strong awareness of the customer and local area, ensuring the experience feels relevant and personalised.
• Ensure the team are confident in all aspects of the customer journey, including styling and alterations.

About You

Experience

• Has previous managerial & operational experience in a luxury retail environment.
• Proven excellence in customer service and issue resolution.
• Commercially driven, with proven experience with in-store KPI’s such as ATV, UPT & conversion.
• Strong and proven leadership capabilities, is a team player and is inspiring and able to motivate staff to achieve the store's targets.

Skills & Attributes

• The ability to work under your own initiative and problem solve.
• Strong time management and organisation skills can effectively manage workload and priorities.
• Has impeccable standards and is bought into the Fold Values.

Benefits & Perks:

We believe great work happens when people feel supported, valued, and inspired—here’s how we make that happen:

• 33 days holiday (25 days + bank holidays) + option to buy more!
• Pension scheme.
• Salary sacrifice options (pension & childcare).
• Financial wellbeing platform to support your goals.
• £1,250 annual The Fold gift voucher.
• Bike to work scheme to save on bikes & equipment.
• Employee Assistance Programme (confidential wellbeing support when you need it).
• Eye care support.
• Enhanced maternity pay.
• Friends & family discount – enjoy 50% off full retail price.
• Monthly social events, plus summer & Christmas parties.
• Summer Fridays for that early start to the weekend.
• Fully stocked snack cupboards, fresh fruit, plus great coffee & tea.
• Opportunities to give back through volunteering with our charity partner, Smart Works.

Why The Fold

A brand with a clear point of view and a fiercely loyal customer base — you will be selling something you can believe in. Opportunity to play a highly visible role in a growing premium fashion brand. Direct exposure to the leadership team and key strategic initiatives. Broad and genuinely commercial remit with real influence on business performance. Opportunity to help shape the next stage of international and operational growth. Entrepreneurial environment with high levels of ownership and autonomy. Collaborative culture with ambitious plans for the future. Recent investment from a new owner. The brand is at a new chapter of growth across both existing and new channels, and operates internationally.

Diversity and Inclusion

We promote a diverse and inclusive workplace which harnesses the benefits of the diversity of our team and strives to represent the communities in which we live and work. Our vision is to establish an environment that attracts individuals from a wide range of backgrounds and talents, empowering them to contribute their best and authentic selves. We welcome and encourage applications from those who share our commitment to fostering this inclusive and authentic work culture.