General Manager (Contract)

Company Description

Dedicated to telling stories and creating experiences, Indigo is always looking for bright, energetic and customer-focused people who can help bring our exciting mission to life in one of our more than 170 Indigo, Indigospirit, Chapters and Coles stores across Canada. We offer a variety of exciting opportunities at our retail stores, distribution centres, and home office for people who share our passions and want to be part of a dynamic and enriching culture.

WHO WE ARE

• We love books and all things beautiful
• We are Canada’s Cultural Department Store
• Books are our heart and our soul and Great Books are JUST the Beginning…

We play by the following rules:

• We exist to add joy to our customers’ lives each and every time they interact with us and our products
• Our job is to create joyful moments for our customers
• We treat each other the way we’d treat a valued friend
• We inspire each other to do our best work
• We seek to ignite creativity and innovation every day
• We give back to the communities in which we operate

Job Description

The General Manager is accountable for every aspect of the store’s performance, ensuring all areas of the store are achieving key results. They are responsible for leading a team of employees to deliver an exceptional customer experience and for ensuring the store meets or exceeds its sales and profitability goals. They are responsible for creating an environment and store culture that promotes employee engagement, growth, and development.

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

Functional

• Articulate Indigo’s mission and strategy and communicate business goals to store team
• Ensure strategic priorities, sales goals, and profitability targets are met by identifying opportunities to improve sales and omni customer experience, control expenses, and manage inventory and shrink
• Act as an advocate for the customer by placing them at the forefront of all decision-making processes
• Identify local market trends and competitors to proactively anticipate customer needs and expectations
• Embrace and champion technology that creates high tech and high touch solutions for Indigo’s customers
• Lead regular Visual Merchandising Assessments (VMA) and review product flow with a focus on customer experience; driving sales and profitability by allocating resources to support visual changeovers and initiatives
• Continually assess staffing levels and lead recruiting and selection of new employees
• Own store schedule
• Open and close store and manage sales floor
• Ensure health and safety of employees and customers is top priority and that store complies with all provincial health and safety policies and procedures

People

• Build strong teams by attracting and developing the best talent
• Bring out the best in others; empower and constructively stretch talent
• Give authentic feedback on performance and potential
• Ensure all team members understand where they stand and have clear performance objectives aligned with Indigo and team goals
• Collaborate with others to drive flexible and just in time solutions, quickly and easily
• Share technical knowledge with others and actively seek to learn from those more knowledgeable than yourself
• Help others see the impacts of their efforts and proactively engage others to get input
• Encourage others to freely share their point of view and be open to feedback
• Accountable for the overall engagement, productivity, turnover, and bench strength of the team

Cultural

• Model Indigo’s beliefs and convey a positive image in everything you do
• Celebrate diversity of thought and have an open mindset
• Take an active role in fostering a culture of continual learning, taking risks without the fear of making mistakes
• Embrace, champion, and influence change through your team and/or the organization

Qualifications

WHO YOU ARE:

• College degree preferred or equivalent job experience
• 6+ years of management experience in specialty retail and/or multi-unit retail business environment; experience leading leaders
• Ability to be mobile on the sales floor for extended periods of time
• Availability to work a flexible schedule, including evenings, weekends, and holidays
• Ability to lift medium to large items, up to 40 pounds, while using appropriate equipment and safety techniques
• Bilingualism (French/English) is required for all positions in Quebec