Company description
Job Requisition ID: 131285 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 organization 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
Job description
About you You are a passionate and dynamic person ready for bigger scope of responsibility. You want to lead, inspire and build a strong team. You want to create a better life for many individuals at their homes. What’s more, we believe that you have the following knowledge, capabilities and motivation:

• Live and share the IKEA values every day

• Post Graduate Certification
• 5 years Retail managerial experience preferably in IKEA
• 5 years of relevant IKEA sales experience in Core Area of HFB in Bed Room, Living Room & Kitchen
• Experience of working in a fast-paced and commercial environment.
• Experience of managing and developing a team, preferably in retail environment.
• Business-minded and result-driven with a customer focus
• Must have proven leadership abilities with commercial acumen and excellent analytical and tactical ability.
• Strong mathematical mind is needed & able to cope with a very high workload
• Strong Leadership skills
• Strategic planning and analytical skills
• Strong Problem solving skills
• Goal Driven and results oriented.
• Customer Focused
• Individual Accountability & collaboration
• Ability to build working relationships with all level of skakeholders
• Excellent Communication skills, able to speak and understand English & Arabic

About The Role You are accountable for the regional sales, gross margin and profit within my home furnishing businesses (HFB) through competitive pricing. You do this by delivering a commercial strategy plan that pull together the different business dimensions: range priorities, the national market, national competition and our consumers’ living situations.
You Analyze current trends, predict and optimize current and future commercial opportunities in a close working partnership with the stores and IKEA of Sweden. You work with the Sales managers and shopkeepers in the assigned Core area to ensure they understand the strategies and how best to present the range in a commercial way, which will ensure an enjoyable, convenient and successful shopping and buying experience, which leads to increased sales and sustained long-term profitability.
You contribute to the Brand positioning agenda, identify and optimize the most powerful approach to drive IKEA brand positioning to gain market share and being top of mind awareness capital. Do this by improving the meeting with the customer based on insights from how IKEA brand is performing from a customer perspective. (Better Products and Services, Pricing, Marketing, B2B, convenience. etc.).
Key Role Specific Accountabilities: Commercial

• The overall objective is to grow sales and sustain long-term profitability. This is done by: Knowing our global priorities, range, the national market and competition. This information is used to define and agree with the Regional sales Manager and the country plan, thereby contributing to the country business plan.
• Clearly communicate business strategies and priorities to the Sales leaders, store Sales Managers and shopkeepers in a way which motivates them to take ownership for their part in achieving the overall goals and the IKEA objectives.
• Support the business growth by contributing to a commercial calendar, which supports the commercial priorities and inspires more people to visit the stores.
• Proactively monitor Country competition and competitors, taking fast actions to ensure that the IKEA store secures the lowest price, so as to be the first choice for home Furnishings.
• Lead the pricing process in the Country, based on our competition and according to our pricing direction.
• Actively encourage our Sales Leaders, Sales Managers and shopkeepers to understand their local markets and provide feedback to maximize commercial opportunities.
• Work with Sales leaders, Sales Managers and shopkeepers by giving them constructive feedback in order to develop their commercial skills.
• Analyze current trends in order to predict and optimize current and future commercial Opportunities. This is achieved by working in co-operation with stores, IKEA of Sweden and the IKEA supply chain
• Support the stores in their drive to sell their volume commitments, monitor their sales results and follow up on deviations in order to improve poor performance and share good examples.
• Ensuring the timely implementation of product launches, through engaging and encouraging the shopkeepers and supporting functions to take ownership for the success of these activities.
• Keep the stores updated on their performance, good examples, major stock availability issues and important product information.
• Networking with my colleagues in other countries and IKEA of Sweden, sharing good examples and successes.
• Ensure that all product information in all media is correct and complete and that the appropriate volumes are available in the supply chain.
• Ensuring the future perspective for our home furnishing business is taken into account When new stores and rebuilds are being planned.
• Using the matrix to develop our own and their competences in order to capitalize on commercial opportunities for IKEA within our region.
• Ensure that all our actions are aligned with our objective of becoming the leader in life at Home and growing with sustained long-term profitability.
• Find new business potentials by following up on PR&C related issues and push to get it sorted.
• Working in conjunction with the digital team to ensure that we have commercial offer for the online customers.
• Working in conjunction with the digital team to align the website based on the country priority.
• Ensure that sustainability is on top of our focus and well presented as per the Global direction.

Customers

• We understand my market, our consumers and their living situations and use this to improve how our customers’ meet our range.
• Work with the stores and IKEA of Sweden to use our knowledge of our customers in our market, to ensure our customers` home furnishing needs are reflected in the IKEA range now and in the future.
• Use the knowledge of the local market and competition to proactively secure the competitive advantage of our products.
• See the stores through the eyes of my customers and give constructive, honest feedback to our sales Managers and shopkeepers on how they can improve the shopping experience for our customers.
• Analyze individual store performance/customer feedback. Use this information to identify good solutions and ideas for improving the IKEA mechanical sales system and easy buying process. This allows us to best assist our Sales Managers and shopkeepers in securing that our customer can Search, Find, Choose and Buy in order to sell more.
• Secure that the range to be sold in the local market is selected and priced each business year by keeping self-updated about the local market conditions

Operations

• You achieve the Sales and Gross Margin goals as set by the organisation, at the same time adhering to the IKEA low price profile.
• You and your team support the stores (in matrix format) for the sales managers of furniture and Market hall in all stores and together, with them, you action the annual agreed plan for sales & range.
• Prioritize the range of products based on the trends in the local market thus ensuring width and depth of the range in each function, including all style groups and price points
• Control the phasing in and phasing out of the range in the country, in order to maintain the range size and maintain a proper balance between running, new and discontinued products
• Support the range planning of the stores based on Range dimensioning and maintaining a balance on running, discontinued and new products so as to maintain the freshness of the product range.
• Select Free and Extra ranges in accordance with the IKEA way and Range Manual that apply to the local priorities that are set.
• Role modelling the IKEA position objectives to be the leader in life at home.
• Ensure that the merchandise plan, article level forecasts and orders for the running Catalogue year are in line with targets and sales floor plans.
• Ensure that the targets & KPIs set by the organisation for our area is achieved.
• Ensure that overall availability and customer service levels are maintained at all times as described in the ICSS
• Set prices for our area of the IKEA range according to the goals and strategies set by the organisation, so as to achieve the margin targets and bottom line results as well as optimisation of goods flow into the respective business units
• Provide feedback to IKEA of Sweden on product range and areas of the market that are missing or need further development
• Ensure that all range administration in the Sales IT system (NAVISION) for products belonging to your business area
• Work closely with the store teams (shopkeepers and sales managers) to review competitor pricing and implement action plans accordingly, in order to secure IKEA as the low-price leader
• Define the Local range in your sales area of Showroom and Markethall to be sold by all stores and drive the process of selecting the suppliers and managing all the contracts in order to achieve economies of scale in the purchasing by generating large volumes
• Co-ordinate with the catalogue production team within Marketing to complete the different text blocks, by timely inputs regarding pricing details and strategic product placements including timely inputs regarding the pricing details and strategic product placement.

Business Steering

• Decide, agree and deliver Regional Core area sales, gross margin, gross profit and other Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and goals which reflect our Core Area priorities.
• Price our range competitively, securing the lowest price in my market and have the appropriate forecast to achieve agreed turnover, agreed profit, agreed gross margin, volume commitments.
• Ensure all initiatives grow our sales and support the sustaining of long-term profitability.
• Co-ordinate national price deviation actions, optimizing commercial opportunities .
• Regularly analyses and follow up on sales to steer the Sales Leaders, Sales Managers, Shopkeepers towards achieving their sales targets and gross margin goals and take actions accordingly.
• Control costs through working in a lean, simple, cost-conscious way using best practice and continually look to find more effective ways of working.
• Co-ordinate with the catalogue production team within Marketing to complete the different text blocks, by timely inputs regarding pricing details and strategic product placements including timely inputs regarding the pricing details and strategic product placement
• Be an active partner with the store sales team in actioning the commercial priorities set by the Commercial Strategy team.
• Focusing on Business Unit priorities, working closely with the National Marketing teams and Brand Communications Manager
• Co-ordinate with the store sales teams to conduct regular competitor monitoring exercises in the different markets.
• Including the correct phasing in and out of new and old products
• Simultaneously conduct and coordinate product planning (the right product, the right number, and the right time) of articles in line with the commercial calendar and marketing objectives
• Consult regularly with the store management teams on the commercial offer, ensuring its relevance and with the Com-in team to ensure its ‘red-thread’ and Visual appeal to our customers

People

• I actively work with Sales Leaders, Sales Managers and shopkeepers and understand their business development needs and work with them to secure their competence development.
• Visit my stores and work with Sales Managers and shopkeepers to help them identify commercial potential that will improve performance. Set goals with them and agree follow ups. Keep the store sales manager updated on agreed actions.
• Communicate my Core Area business priorities to Sales Managers, shopkeepers and motivate and support them in achieving their goals.
• Create an environment of trust by encouraging open, constructive, honest, two-way feedback with Sales Managers, shopkeepers and colleagues.
• Take an active part in the recruitment process of Sales Managers, Sales Leaders, Shopkeepers. Recruit using the Al Futtaim and IKEA values and by identifying what skills are needed to get the job done.
• Take responsibility with the store sales managers to support the development of the shopkeepers’ performance.
• Work with the Country Sales Manager to identify our successor.
• Encourage Sales Leaders, Shopkeepers to work as a team, networking between stores and sharing good examples and successes.
• Ensure product training and services for our Core Area.
• Responsible for our own development and look to our Manager and matrix for support in improving our competences.
• In co-operation with the Human Resources (HR) department, recruit his team based on the IKEA values.
• Committed to the development of his 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 his co-workers on the job to help them perform better and grow.
• Actively develop successors to ensure he meet the succession needs of the IKEA store.
• 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.
• Ensure we have a simple and straightforward internal communication and information flow, and secure that key information is understood by all IKEA Sales co-workers.

Qualification
About Al-Futtaim Retail Al-Futtaim Retail has established itself as one of the leaders in Retail across the Middle East, Africa & Asia over the past 30 years. We have developed partnerships with some of the biggest and most respected Brands in the world including IKEA, ACE and Toys R Us in the Middle East and the Inditex Group of Brands (Zara, Mango, Bershka and P&B) across Asia. We are also one of the largest Global partners of Marks and Spencer’s in both regions with over 75 stores offering both fashion & food options.

Most recently we have been responsible for bringing brands to the Middle East for the first time with the exciting launches of Watsons and B&Q and we aim to continue to be agile and adaptive to our markets with new launches and further development. For this to be possible we aim to recruit the best talent from all backgrounds who will continue to challenge and develop our diverse workforce which includes over 100 nationalities across 12 countries. Join us today and make a difference… About Al-Futtaim IKEA GROWING TOGETHER... We are a values-driven company with a passion for life at home. Our vision is to create a better everyday life for the many people. Al-Futtaim IKEA holds the franchise rights for IKEA in Egypt, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.