Head of Retail and Commercial operations

Head of Retail & Commercial Operations

4 days per week | London | £65,000 + performance-related bonus

Caramel is looking for an experienced, commercially minded and highly hands-on Head of Retail & Commercial Operations to work closely with the Founder and take responsibility for the performance and day-to-day running of our retail business.

The immediate focus of the role is Caramel’s key points of sale, including Selfridges, Notting Hill and Ellis Street, ensuring each location is commercially strong, beautifully presented, properly staffed and operating to the luxury standards expected of the brand.

This is a senior but very hands-on role. We are looking for someone who is comfortable moving between strategy, people management, stock, systems, buying and the daily realities of running stores.

Key Responsibilities

• Take overall responsibility for the commercial and operational performance of Caramel’s retail locations
• Oversee Selfridges, Notting Hill and Ellis Street
• Set and maintain consistently high luxury retail and service standards
• Recruit, onboard, train, mentor and develop store teams
• Work closely with store managers to improve performance, productivity and accountability
• Review staffing structures, rotas and payroll in relation to sales
• Deal with day-to-day HR matters across the retail teams, with appropriate support where required
• Set store budgets and sales targets and monitor performance against them
• Review daily, weekly and monthly sales performance
• Identify underperformance quickly and put clear action plans in place
• Manage stock across all retail points of sale, ensuring the right product is in the right place at the right time
• Oversee stock transfers, replenishment, sell-through and ageing stock
• Work directly within Shopify and stock management systems
• Analyse performance by store, category, style and product
• Take responsibility for the retail buy, working closely with the Founder and design team
• Build store assortments appropriate to each location and customer
• Review historical performance and customer demand when planning future buys
• Monitor margins, pricing and profitability
• Work closely with warehouse and logistics teams to ensure stock and deliveries are properly managed
• Ensure Selfridges and other concessions are fully supported and operating to Caramel standards
• Maintain close relationships with concession partners and department store teams
• Support wholesale and other commercial channels where required
• Produce clear weekly reporting, KPIs, forecasts and commercial action plans

Systems & Commercial Experience

We are looking for someone who is confident working directly with systems and data.

The successful candidate should have

• Strong practical experience with Shopify
• Experience using stock management / ERP systems
• Strong Excel skills
• Experience analysing stock, sell-through, margin and store performance
• Experience managing retail budgets and sales targets
• Experience with stock allocation, replenishment and buying
• Strong commercial understanding of product, pricing and margin

Experience

• Strong experience in luxury or premium fashion retail
• Experience managing multiple stores and/or concessions
• Proven experience recruiting, developing and mentoring retail teams
• Strong understanding of luxury customer service and store standards
• Experience managing budgets, KPIs and performance
• Buying or merchandising experience
• Strong understanding of stock management
• Confidence dealing with people and operational issues
• Experience with wholesale would be useful, but is not the immediate focus of the role
• Experience working within an entrepreneurial or founder-led business would be an advantage

The Person

We are looking for someone who is commercial, organised, decisive and extremely hands-on.

They should be equally comfortable walking the shop floor, coaching a manager, reviewing a rota, analysing Shopify, planning a seasonal buy or discussing overall performance with the Founder.

This person needs to understand that strong retail performance comes from the combination of people, product, stock, service, presentation and disciplined commercial management.

Most importantly, we need someone who takes ownership and follows things through.

Location: London

Working pattern: 4 days per week

Salary: £65,000 per annum + performance-related bonus

• Start: As soon as possible