Store Manager Job Description

What is a Store Manager?

A store manager is ultimately responsible for the day-to-day operations and management of a store. All employees working within the store report to the store manager, and it’s the store manager’s responsibility to hire, train and motivate the sales team.

Working on the shop floor, a store manager is in constant contact with their customers and staff, so they have to be multifaceted in their approach to both.

Responsibilities

In most cases, a store manager’s main responsibilities are:

• Overall care of staff and their wellbeing
• Dealing with queries, feedback and complaints from customers 
• Administration duties such as updating financial records and managing store budgets
• Recruiting, performance management and workplace scheduling 
• Product management, including receiving, ordering, price changes and returns
• Maintaining statistical and financial records
• Effectively presenting the store and advertising displays 
• Managing store budgets 
• Maximising profitability and setting meeting/sales targets 
• Motivating the sales team to meet sales objectives
• Ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations

Skills

To be a successful store manager, you need:

• Leadership 
• The ability to motivate others 
• Delegation skills 
• IT competence 
• Team management skills 
• Customer service skills 
• Excellent written and oral communication 
• Budgeting skills 
• Marketing knowledge 
• Patience 
• The ability to work well under pressure
• Sensitivity & understanding 
• Flexibility

Beyond this, some desirable (but not essential) skills are:

• Staffing, including onboarding and training 
• An understanding of accounting and finance 
• Visual merchandising skills

Personality Traits

Aside from skills and experience, you will excel as a retail manager if you have the following personality traits:

• Positivity 
• Self-motivation 

Education and Qualifications 

It is possible to become a store manager without a degree by starting as a store assistant and working your way up to store manager through promotion.

However, a bachelor’s degree in a business and management course or relevant field will improve your application.  

Aside from a degree, you can also consider doing an apprenticeship. If this interests you, have a look at the retail and customer service apprenticeships available at the Central Training Group. 

Salary

According to Payscale, the average salary for a store manager in the UK is £24,481, and reported salaries are highest at Tesco PLC, where the average salary is £32,208.

It is worth noting that the location of the job vastly affects the average salary. In fact, store manager positions in London offer 18.3% more earnings than the national average. 

But keep in mind that this large difference is usually due to higher living costs. 

There you have it! Now that you’re up to speed, you can begin applying to exciting store manager positions! 

And if you’re considering applying, we’ve got some top interview tips to help you along the way.