Sales Team Leader | Retail | IKEA YAS

Established in the 1930s as a trading business, Al-Futtaim Group today is one of the most diversified and progressive, privately held regional businesses headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Structured into five operating divisions; automotive, financial services, real estate, retail and healthcare; employing more than 35,000 employees across more than 20 countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, Al-Futtaim Group partners with over 200 of the world's most admired and innovative brands. Al-Futtaim Group’s entrepreneurship and relentless customer focus enables the organisation to continue to grow and expand; responding to the changing needs of our customers within the societies in which we operate.

By upholding our values of respect, excellence, collaboration and integrity; Al-Futtaim Group continues to enrich the lives and aspirations of our customers each and every day.

Overview of the role

In the Service Office organisation, there is a team of Sales & Range specialists that each have responsibility for one Business Area. In a territory where the Sales & Range specialists are highly experienced and skilled, some individuals can take responsibility for more than one Business Area. Securing that the range to be sold in the local market is selected and priced each business year. To achieve the Sales and Gross Margin goals as set by the Sales manager for your Business Area.

What you will do

OPERATIONS

• Ensure that systems and methods stated in IKEA Concept Documentation are implemented in the Sales and Range of all stores.
• Define the range in his/her sales area of Showroom and Markethall to be sold by all stores.
• Collaborate with shopkeepers to drive the process of selecting the suppliers and managing all the contracts to achieve economies of scale in the purchasing by generating large volumes.
• Enhance the competitive strength of the IKEA product range by ensuring the implementation of all range issues related to systems and methods stated in IKEA Concept Documentation and by keeping yourself updated about the local market conditions.
• Strive to reach the IKEA positioning objectives.
• Steer the performance in sales area operations and aim towards maximized sales and optimized long-term profit by applying sales methods in accordance with the Sales and Range the IKEA way manual.
• Perform all range administration in the sales IT-system for products belonging to his/her Business Area.
• Work closely with the Logistics team to secure that the sales forecasts are adapted to the sales patterns in order to achieve an optimal goods flow.
• Choose products of the IKEA Extra range in accordance with the Choosing from the IKEA product range manual.
• Set prices on the IKEA range and work closely with the shopkeepers in the stores to continuously track competitors’ price levels in order to secure the IKEA low-price leadership by using systems and methods described in the IKEA genuinely low prices manual and Setting prices the IKEA way manual.

COMMERCIAL

• Contribute actively in the development and implementation of a clear IKEA Sales & Range action plan for the store using the store business plan and country business plan.
• Stay in weekly contact and support the shopkeepers in the stores.
• Choose products from the IKEA Extra range in accordance with the Choosing from the IKEA product range manual.
• Select and ensure availability of products for all the marketing activities in the commercial calendar, in close partnership with the Logistics department.
• Support the stores by producing buying guides for complex product series.
• Maintain ongoing communication with the IKEA range distributor regarding all issues related to the range and the annual IKEA range cycle.
• Coordinate all issues regarding the IKEA range between the stores and the central retail management and between the central retail management and the IKEA distributor.
• Maintain in-depth knowledge of the local home furnishings market (e.g. customers, trends and competitors).
• Ensure that systems and methods stated in IKEA Concept Documentation are implemented in regard to your areas of responsibility.
• Set prices on the IKEA range in cooperation with the stores’ sales managers and reinforce the IKEA low-price profile by applying the guidelines stated in IKEA Concept Documentation.
• Strive to achieve sales budgets for the IKEA range.
• Set local range priorities in accordance with the overall range strategy provided by IKEA of Sweden through the IKEA distributor.
• Maintain ongoing communication with the IKEA range distributor regarding all issues related to the range and the annual IKEA range cycle.
• Maintain in-depth knowledge of the local home furnishings market (e.g. customers, trends and competitors).
• Ensure to know the top-selling products, 3 Aces and 1 King, and that they are available and clearly communicated and displayed at all times and promote alternative products when these are unavailable.
• Contribute to the planning, execution, and follow-up of the store’s commercial calendars.
• Follow up and communicate the agreed KPIs within your area of responsibility to the Sales & Range manager and to the shopkeepers of the stores.
• Strive to reach the sales targets for assigned Business Area as defined in the business plan.
• Support the shopkeepers in the stores by collecting and spreading good sales solutions.

PEOPLE Management

• Support the store shopkeepers to regularly conduct competitor analysis on the local markets and take appropriate actions based on the results.
• Commit to the development of Sales team and secure their training to ensure all co-workers understand the IKEA Concept and other key guidelines; and how they have an impact on their specific roles.
• Empower, support and coach Sales co-workers on the job to help them perform better and grow.
• Work actively to create an environment where the IKEA culture is a strong and living reality and diversity is valued, to ensure the IKEA store is regarded as a great place to work.

SUSTAINABILITY

• Secure local adaption of the global and country directions and ambitions, to deliver to the total business agenda and a more People and Planet Positive IKEA.
• Ensure that alignment, budget and resources are in place to move the sustainability agenda within the market.
• Enable and follow-up sustainability performance and progress based on the country business plans, Group tools and methods.
• Facilitate integration and implementation of sustainability by supporting functions with the right information, best practice solutions, tools & methods and ways of working.
• Explore and follow-up on sustainability situation in local PMA and contribute to the unit’s business agenda, provide feedback and share across sustainability matrix.
• Document and evaluate initiatives and activities with a view to capitalise on learning, sharing and promoting continuous improvement.

Required skills to be successful

• Must have excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Must be computer literate.
• Must have strategic, analytical and tactical abilities.
• Able to cope with a very high workload.
• Must be able to build working relationships.
• Must be able to speak and understand English & Arabic.
• Strong customer service skills with a friendly approach.
• Excellent command of English language.
• Excellent command of Arabic language is preferred.
• Multitasker and attentive to details.

What equips you for the role

• Ideally several years of IKEA shopkeeper experience in one or several business areas.
• Must have a minimum 2-5 years retail experience.
• Good knowledge in home furnishing, market, social trends.
• Genuine interest in customers and customer service.
• Genuine interest in the IKEA range and strong mathematical skills to be able to perform the gross margin calculations.