Store Manager - Marylebone in City of London

Who We Are: Varley is a contemporary fashion brand for the modern woman. Founded in 2015 by husband-and-wife Lara and Ben Mead, we are an international, family-run business headquartered between London, Los Angeles, and New York. We offer year-round collections, including knitwear, outerwear, and everyday staples, complemented by active pieces to create an elevated wardrobe for how you live and move. We are defined by the women who wear Varley and exist to instil quiet confidence through connections that enhance everything they already are. As women’s lives evolve, so do we.

Job Description: The Store Manager is a strategic leader and brand ambassador, responsible for driving commercial performance, delivering an exceptional customer experience, and building a high-performing team. They demonstrate independent thinking, strong problem-solving skills, and forward planning to anticipate trading patterns, staffing needs, and operational challenges. The Store Manager champions a culture of collaboration and positivity, ensuring the store is a supportive place for teams and an inviting space for customers.

Key Responsibilities:

• Leadership & People Management: Lead, coach, and inspire the team to achieve commercial and service objectives. Proactively workforce plan, forecasting hiring and staffing needs around peak trading periods and seasonal business demands. Recruit, onboard, and retain high-performing talent with succession in mind. Conduct regular 1:1s, team meetings and annual appraisals, setting clear expectations and reviewing performance against goals. Address performance and behaviour issues directly, creating performance improvement plans where necessary and escalating with HR as appropriate. Develop and implement tailored coaching and training strategies to build capability, confidence, and leadership across the team. Successfully plan and manage workload and time to ensure administrative tasks and reporting are completed, while maintaining strong leadership presence on the shop floor.
• Commercial & Operational Excellence: Demonstrate strong commercial acumen, analysing performance data (sales, product, and inventory reports) to identify trends and opportunities. Take full accountability for achieving store KPIs, regularly reviewing performance and implementing strategies to exceed targets. Translate data into actionable strategies that improve sales, stock efficiency, team effectiveness, and customer experience. Prepare and present clear, high-level reports and insights for senior management. Forecast and plan proactively for key trading periods, events, and product launches to maximize profitability. Use Microsoft Office (particularly PowerPoint) to support reporting, presentations, and communication of business performance. Ensure store operations and policies (including health & safety) are maintained. Utilize operational tools effectively to drive business decisions and streamline store operations, including POS, data platforms, and internal communication tools. Oversee visual merchandising execution and ensure the store environment reflects brand guidelines.
• Customer & Brand Experience: Act as a visible and inspiring brand ambassador, ensuring every customer interaction reflects the brand’s values and service standards. Drive a service-first culture that builds long-term customer relationships and loyalty. Leverage CRM and clienteling platforms to track customer behaviours, personalize service, and strengthen engagement. Manage customer feedback, ensuring issues are resolved quickly and effectively. Support the execution of brand activations, events, and local community initiatives to increase engagement and awareness.
• Innovation & Continuous Improvement: Take a forward-thinking approach to retail, identifying and testing new ideas to improve service, team performance, and operational efficiency. Continuously review processes and team ways of working to identify areas of improvement. Champion a culture of curiosity and adaptability, empowering the team to problem solve and think strategically.

Key Skills & Experience:

• Proven experience as a retail manager (minimum 3 years), ideally in a fast-paced, digitally driven retail environment.
• Strong commercial and analytical skills, with the ability to interpret and present sales, product, and inventory data.
• Confident in workforce planning, forecasting, and preparing for peak trading periods.
• Proficiency with retail operational tools including communications platforms, POS systems, reporting/data platforms, CRM, and clienteling platforms.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (particularly PowerPoint, plus Excel, Word, Outlook) to support reporting, presentations, and communication.
• Demonstrated ability to manage performance and behaviour issues fairly and effectively, including creating and implementing performance improvement plans.
• Excellent leadership skills: able to coach, develop, and inspire a diverse team.
• Strong ability to plan workload, prioritize effectively, and manage time to balance admin responsibilities with being present on the shop floor.
• Forward planner with strong organizational and project management skills.
• Exceptional communication skills (written and verbal).
• Passionate about fashion, culture, and delivering exceptional customer experiences.

The Ideal Candidate: A decisive, independent thinker who thrives in problem-solving and strategy. Commercially minded, with the ability to balance short-term goals with long-term growth. Hands-on and proactive, leading by example on the shop floor and in operations. Resilient and solutions-focused, with the ability to navigate challenges effectively. Customer-focused, detail-oriented, and adaptable to the fast-changing retail landscape.

Our People: We think of ourselves as an international family-run business that embodies our founders’ commitment to creating timeless collections for the modern woman. What started as a company of two has grown into a close-knit team of thinkers, creators, and innovators, taking care of our clothes, each other, and our community. Split across the UK and USA, our team is 85% female, making us proud to be a brand for women, by women. We are guided by two core beliefs: the pursuit of quality in everything we do and looking after one another.

Company Values:

• We are the sum of many parts.
• We pursue quality in everything we do.
• We embrace possibility and push boundaries.
• Data-driven decisions and purposeful actions.
• Our brand is timeless and valuable.
• We never compromise our product.
• We respect and exceed customer expectations.
• We choose partners who reflect our values.
• We grow our brand by empowering others.
• Responsibility is at the core of everything we do.
• Kindness is our guiding principle.