Retail Manager

About Us

Understance is a lingerie company based in Vancouver, BC. Our mission is to empower people to discover the transformative power of comfort and support. We aim to address common, but long overlooked undergarment fit and feel issues.

In January 2022 we opened our flagship retail store in downtown Vancouver located at 1024 Robson Street, Vancouver, BC. More than two years later, the next phase of our plan revolves around making this experience accessible to a larger customer base, and we are looking for a Retail Manager in the Greater Vancouver Area to oversee a retail store expansion into Burnaby. Our Retail Manager will be directly assisting senior management with store renovations until opening day, and then will be responsible for overseeing the new store’s operations.

This position is 40 hours per week and will have a variable schedule during the initial renovation period lasting 70-90 days. We expect the Retail Manager to be on call during this phase, from 6 am to 8 pm. After renovations, we expect the Retail Manager to spend at least one weekend day each week on the sales floor and close their primary store at least two days a week, at 8 pm.

Responsibilities:

The Retail Manager is responsible for overseeing Understance's retail operations in the Greater Vancouver area. Specific responsibilities include:

• Recruiting, training, scheduling, assessing and supporting sales staff for all current locations
• Overseeing merchandising for all current locations (monitoring inventory levels, submitting bi-weekly restock orders, loss prevention)
• Ensuring stores execute brand marketing plans (quarterly display window update, promotions, managing search engine and social media reviews)
• Executing the store’s visual merchandising strategies (overseeing product and fixture display to maximum sales per square foot)
• Achieving each store’s monthly sales goals
• Presenting quarterly sales and service reports to the Director, identifying areas of improvement and recommending strategies to optimize sales performance and service experience
• Presenting annual operating budget for the district’s stores to the Director
• The primary job location is in Burnaby, but travel to the downtown Vancouver store, Kitsilano office, and Coquitlam warehouse is required from time to time

Qualifications:

• At least two years of experience in retail sales and merchandising, preferably in the lingerie industry or in the larger apparel industry
• At least one year of managerial experience with proven ability to train, support and assess staff to uphold team’s performance level
• Working knowledge of bra fitting, including bra sizing and shape matching
• Comfortable with basic WMS and POS software. Familiarity with Fishbowl and Shopify is a plus
• Excellent communication skills, able to navigate customer and team interactions with emotional intelligence and lead team by example
• Ability to problem-solve: This role is entrepreneurial in nature and the successful candidate will encounter novel situations and will need to make independent decisions based upon experience and research

How to Apply:

If you meet these requirements and are eager to join a dynamic and growing company, please email: jlyu@understance.com with your resume and a cover letter.

Job Type: Permanent

Pay: $75,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental care
• Extended health care
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Store discount
• Vision care

Flexible language requirement:

• French not required

Schedule:

• Day shift
• Evening shift
• Every Weekend
• On call
• Weekends as needed

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Burnaby, BC: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (preferred)

Experience:

• Retail management: 2 years (required)

Work Location: In person

Expected start date: 2024-09-02