Designer Exchange
General Manager
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Company Description:
Designer Exchange, founded in Knightsbridge in 2013, is a leading destination for preloved luxury fashion that aims to make designer style accessible to a wide audience. The company offers a carefully curated and authenticated selection of womenswear and menswear clothing, shoes, bags, and accessories. Designer Exchange provides a warm, welcoming atmosphere for customers who are buying, selling, or browsing, whether in-store or online. With a focus on a seamless, flexible shopping experience, the brand supports the growth of the preloved fashion community. Designer Exchange operates retail stores in Knightsbridge, Birmingham, Manchester, Cheshire Oaks, Newcastle, Barcelona, and Madrid.
Role Summary:
As General Manager, you will be responsible for overseeing the overall performance and operations of the store, ensuring a seamless connection between the shopfloor, buying, and back-of-house functions. Acting as the senior leadership presence in-store, you will drive commercial performance whilst maintaining a luxury client experience aligned with Designer Exchange standards.
You will provide strategic and operational leadership across all the areas of the business, including supervising the shopfloor, overseeing buying operations, and ensuring strong collaboration between front-of-house and operational teams. The role requires a highly visible leadership style, balancing client engagement, team development, and operational oversight to deliver consistent results across the overall store.
Key Responsibilities:
Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) & Accountability
- Deliver store performance against agreed commercial targets, including sales revenue, buy-in targets, stockturn percentages, conversion rate, UPT, ATV, and all CRM capture rates.
- Monitor and drive team productivity and performance, ensuring Floor Managers and store teams are aligned with business goals and service standards.
- Oversee client experience metrics, supporting client retention, loyalty, and consistent delivery of Designer Exchange service expectations.
- Maintain strong alignment between buying operations and shopfloor performance, ensuring intake activity supports commercial priorities.
- Monitor operational efficiency across the overall store, including stock flow, replenishment timelines, and collaboration between departments.
- Review performance data regularly, identifying risks, opportunities, and areas for improvement, and implementing action plans where required.
- Support financial performance through effective cost awareness, shrinkage control, and operational decision-making.
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Shopfloor Leadership & Client Experience
- Oversee the shopfloor environment, ensuring high standards of client experience, presentation, and commercial activity.
- Lead and support the management team to deliver strong client engagement, conversion, and service excellence.
- Monitor floor performance, client feedback, and team dynamics to maintain a premium retail environment.
- Ensure Designer Exchange client experience standards are consistently executed across the entire store.
- Behave as a Designer Exchange Ambassador, sustain and promote the culture of the brand internally and externally.
- Ensure Designer Exchange Client Experience is executed and consistent over time.
Buying Oversight & Product Operations
- Oversee the buying function, ensuring alignment between buying activity, shopfloor priorities, and commercial objectives.
- Maintain visibility of intake processes, product flow, and operational timelines to support efficient store performance.
- Collaborate closely with buying and operational teams to ensure smooth coordination between front-of-house and back-of-house areas.
- Support strategic decisions relating to product mix, intake focus, and commercial opportunities.
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Overall Store Operations & Efficiency
- Oversee the day-to-day operations of the store to ensure efficiency, productivity, and a safe working environment.
- Develop and implement operational procedures and policies to streamline processes and maximize efficiency.
- Monitor inventory levels and coordinate with relevant departments to maintain strong product availability and minimize loss.
- Ensure clear communication and collaboration between all store departments to support overall store performance.
- Optimise relationships with Company Operations, Buying, Commercial, and Marketing teams to drive business growth.
Leadership, Team Management & Development
- Provide clear leadership direction to all management teams, and store staff both across front of house and back of house.
- Recruit, develop, and retain talent, fostering a high-performing and inclusive culture.
- Coach and support management teams to strengthen leadership capability across the store.
- Lead succession planning and development strategies aligned with business growth.
Conduct & Standards
- Adhere to all company policies and procedures at all times, including the Company’s Code of Conduct, and work in line with Designer Exchange values.
- Act with integrity, professionalism, and ethical behaviour, contributing to a positive and respectful working environment.
- Maintain appropriate standards of conduct and behaviour in all interactions with customers, colleagues, and management.
- Ensure the store is kept clean, tidy, and well-presented in line with company standards, including appearance, housekeeping, and product display.
The role requires flexibility in working hours to support store operations and business requirements, in line with store operating hours and workload demands.
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