Job Description :

Old Brewer’s Yard (OBY) is a new Guinness neighbourhood in London that will inspire the best in brewing, food, retail and culture. Consisting of 52,000 square feet of heritage buildings and central courtyard in the historic brewing quarter in Covent Garden, OBY will become a key growth driver for Guinness, placing the brand in culture, driving relevancy and brand saliency amongst a new generation of drinkers. GB is the biggest Guinness market globally and Guinness is enjoying a period of exceptional growth and cultural magnetism, with the brand growing by around 50% since 2019 to the biggest it has ever been in value, volume and market share in the brand’s 264-year history.

This role is part of the OBY Leadership Team and will be responsible for setting and implementing the retail strategy of a multi-million pound business. The successful applicant will be a key influencer within the leadership team and with internal and external collaborators alike. You will work very closely with the Diageo GB Marketing team, and the Irish Brand Homes Retail team, to ensure that OBY delivers a world class retail experience for customers.

Purpose of Role

This role will craft and implement the Retail Strategy at Old Brewer’s Yard. They will be the key conduit between all collaborators to ensure an efficient, profitable, reputable, world class retail operation. They will ensure, through leading the OBY Retail team, that the standards of service, merchandising, presentation and experience are consistently at the highest level. They must also possess sound commercial judgement and outstanding leadership skills.

The type of person we are looking for is bursting with energy and drive. The person will be an individual that inspires contagious passion, and gets things done. The person will be a winner by nature and encourage the same from the people around you.

Dimensions of the Role

Commercial Management

• Set and manage the strategic direction and manage commercial performance of the Mercer Walk and Neal Street retail stores. Ensure Retail strategy and performance are aligned with Diageo Society 2030 goals, especially with regards to Sustainability and Inclusion & Diversity.

• Take full accountability for the OBY retail P&L including setting and achieving revenue targets, set metrics to monitor and report on performance. Create and optimise OBY pricing strategy to maximise margin opportunity. Work closely with Diageo GB to agree OBY Retail contribution to GB Annual Operating Plan.

• Analyse and understand market trends, consumer behaviour, and competitive landscape to inform strategic decision-making and identify opportunities for growth and innovation.

• Overall responsibility for the development of the retail merchandise assortment including product development, sourcing, logistics and pricing. Manage existing supplier relationships, and identify and onboard new supply partners, in partnership with Diageo Procurement and Brand Homes teams.

Retail Marketing

• Find opportunities for promotional activity in the retail stores. Create, drive and implement effective promotional activities.

• Manage the OBY Retail A&P budget to ensure that the store is inviting and key products are promoted efficiently.

• Overall responsibility for managing a calendar of exciting and innovative retail collaborations with external brands, working with Diageo GB Culture & Entertainment team on wider cultural collaborations.

Retail Operations

• Overall ownership of the LS Central retail management system, including staff training on system use, and management of system updates in collaboration with the Global Brand Homes team.

• Devise and take accountability for maintaining shop floor and store maintenance standards across the OBY retail stores

• Accountable, along with Diageo GB Supply Chain team, for managing the OBY merchandise supply chain, including both on site and 3rd party storage, and deliveries to site.

Leadership Responsibilities

• Lead, coach and develop the OBY Retail team of around 12 employees plus agency staff.

• Develop the leadership capability within the retail management team.

• Contribute to the overall management of OBY as part of the OBY Leadership team, and lead and/or support projects to support the operation and growth of OBY.

• Lead change transformation where necessary.

• Work closely with the Diageo Marketing/Brand, Innovation, Retail and Finance teams to develop merchandise products and retail collaborations that grow quality sales and support brand saliency.

• Role model the Diageo values to help create the right culture in the OBY management team.

• Follow all Diageo Policies and Procedures, and ensure you and your team meet all legal and compliance standards in the business.

• Encourage OBY (Diageo and operating partners) team members to discover Guinness and Diageo’s Brands, promote responsible drinking and Diageo’s Society 2030 ambitions.

Qualifications and Experience Required

• At least 8 years’ experience in retail management. Be able to demonstrate mastery of retail operations, sales strategies, merchandising, inventory management and customer service.

• Demonstrated track record of achieving tangible business results through the management and measurement of operational metrics, sales, revenue and profit targets.

• Experience of leading hard working teams. Strong interpersonal and communication skills to lead the team toward achieving stretching goals.

• Has a deep understanding of consumer behaviour and retail trends.

• Demonstrated ability to deliver exceptional customer experiences and drive customer loyalty.

• Excellent time management skills with the ability to work under pressure and to regularly re prioritise to meet deadlines in a fast-paced, dynamic environment

• Resilient; prepared to tackle problems head on and persist despite setbacks or difficulties

• Combine intellectual rigour and people engagement with the ability to represent Guinness and OBY brand values and purpose.

• Highly effective teammate able to recognise, value and utilise the strengths of the team around them

Celebrating our inclusive and diverse culture is core to Diageo’s purpose of “celebrating life every day everywhere”. This purpose is, in itself, inclusive in nature, as it values everybody irrespective of background, disability, religion, gender identity, sexuality or ethnicity.

We know that for our business to thrive and for Diageo to realize its ambition, we depend on having diverse talent with a range of backgrounds, skills and capabilities in each of the 180 countries in which we operate and to reflect our broad consumer base. We view diversity as one of the key enablers that helps our business to grow and our values, purpose and standards set the conditions for us to respect the unique contribution each person brings.

Flexibility is key to success in our business and many of our staff work flexibly in many different ways, including part-time, compressed hours, flexible location. Please talk to us about what flexibility means to you and don’t let anything stop you from applying.

Worker Type :

Regular

Primary Location:

1HQ

Additional Locations :

Job Posting Start Date :

2024-04-09

With over 200 brands sold in more than 180 countries, we’re the world’s leading premium drinks company. Every day, over 30,000 talented people come together at Diageo to create the magic behind our much-loved brands. From iconic names to innovative newcomers – the brands we’re building are rooted in culture and local communities. Our ambition is to be one of the best performing, most trusted and most respected consumer products companies in the world.

Our founders, such as Arthur Guinness, John Walker, and Charles Tanqueray, were visionary entrepreneurs whose brilliant minds helped shape the alcohol industry. And through our people, their legacy lives on. Join us, and you’ll collaborate with talented people from all corners of the world. Together, you’ll innovate and push boundaries, shaping a more inclusive and sustainable future that we can all be proud of.

With diversity at our core, we celebrate our people's unique passions, commitments and specialist skills. Because when varied voices, mindsets, and personalities come together, great ideas are born. In our supportive culture, your voice will be heard and you’ll be empowered to be you. Just bring your ambition, curiosity and ideas, and we’ll celebrate your work and help you reach your fullest potential.

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