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Working as an Assistant Store Manager

Our Assistant Store Managers support Store Managers with all aspects of running the store, and taking on the Store Manager’s responsibilities on their days off and while they are on holiday. It’s a really important role in our structure, and comes with a lot of responsibility and variety. A key aspect of the role is people management, working with the Store Manager and the Supervisors to ensure that all the daily tasks in store are carried out properly and effectively, and that the team are motivated, engaged and working to the best of their ability. Assistant Store Managers are responsible for managing the Supervisors and helping them to get the best out of their teams of Sales Assistants.

We oversee all aspects of store activity, including customer service, sales, visual merchandising and the stockroom. Through effective delegation to our Supervisors, we oversee all operations and make sure that high quality store standards are maintained. We organise staff rotas and make sure everyone’s hours are properly recorded so staff get paid correctly.

We spend time with our teams, conducting formal one-to-ones and reviews as well as lots of coaching and motivation. We’re also responsible for a lot of the recruitment of new staff, from screening CVs to holding interviews and running team tryouts, and making decisions on who we hire.

We are also heavily involved in making sure that the overall performance of the store is where it needs to be, and that sales targets are achieved. We’ll analyse sales figures, look at what is selling well and what isn’t, and make decisions about the best ways to maximise sales and increase revenues in the store. We’re also well connected with the local area, getting involved in events and initiatives within the community.

The Assistant Store Manager role is really interesting. It’s not easy as there are always lots of challenges involved with managing a diverse group of people, all with their own working styles, issues and needs, and there can often be pressure to ensure that store sales targets are hit. There’s plenty of evening and weekend work involved, and as a senior member of the team you are often the one who has to solve problems and deal with the more challenging customers, particularly on days when the Store Manager is absent. But it’s hugely rewarding, really satisfying to be able to cope successfully with all these challenges, and it’s a great stepping stone to running your own store.

On this page you will also see occasional vacancies for an Assistant Store Manager Operations, an equivalent level role focusing on the back of house/stockroom parts of the store.

 

Life as an Assistant Store Manager

Life as an Assistant Store Manager

What is it really like to work at Superdry?

What is it really like to work for Superdry as an Assistant Store Manager - video

Where could a career
at Superdry take you?

Area Visual Merchandiser

It’s also possible for high performing Floor Managers to advance their career by specialising in Visual Merchandising. Strong Floor Managers will be well versed in how VM works at Superdry, and the chance to take on a field-based role supporting multiple stores across a region to deliver first class VM is an interesting career option for those with an interest in that area. 

Store Manager

The natural career pathway for a successful Assistant Store Manager is to step up and run their own store. This might be at the store in which you are working, but it’s more likely that a role will arise in a different store, so the more mobile you can be, the more opportunities there will be. First time Store Managers will usually start off in a smaller store, before moving on to a larger store.

Assistant Store Manager Operations

Assistant Store Managers ready to progress are also able to apply for Assistant Store Manager Operations roles. These positions focus on back-of-house or stockroom operations, ensuring that the store stock management and replenishment processes run perfectly. The role is equivalent in level of a regular ASM role, but gives an experienced ASM an opportunity to develop some specialised skills which will be useful in the path to a Store Manager role.

Store Manager - Larger store

Store Managers who have achieved success running one of our smaller stores will be able to progress their career by taking on a larger store. Although the role is essentially the same in all sizes of store, the size and scale of a bigger store presents new challenges and opportunities that deliver real development and progression. 

Cluster Manager

An alternative career path for successful Store Managers is a Cluster Manager role. This involves providing support to an Area Manager by directly managing the Store Managers of a cluster of 2-3 stores, in addition to continuing to run your own store.  This position is a good bridge between store management and full area management, helping you to learn the skills you need in the more senior role.

Area Manager

For Store Managers who have shown themselves to be high achievers, the ultimate aim is often an Area Manager role, covering a territory and running around 20 stores and concessions. Several of our current Area Managers have followed this career path through the business with great success. Often you will need to become a Cluster Manager before a full Area Manager, though this is not vital and sometimes opportunities exist to make the leap straight from a Store Manager role.

Head Office roles

It’s also possible that people with a good track record in Retail could develop their career in our Cheltenham head office. For most people this will mean relocating, but with lots of roles open at all times, there are some great opportunities. Good people with the right attitude and a strong understanding of how are business works will always be considered for positions in all departments.

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Benefits

Holiday Allowance

In the UK we offer 28 days paid holiday for full time Sales Assistants and Floor Managers, and 33 days for Assistant Store Managers and Store Managers, inclusive of bank holidays.

Pension Scheme

You’re auto-enrolled into our pension scheme within 3 months of joining. You get 2% company contributions (you put in 1%). If you’re a Store Manager you can choose get 4% company contributions if you put in 5%. You can enrol immediately to get contributions from your first payday.

Life Assurance

Everyone is covered by our group life assurance policy. It’s worth 2x your salary. That means if you were to die while you work for us, your named beneficiary would receive a tax free lump sum worth 2 years of your salary.

Staff Discount

Everyone at Superdry gets 50% off everything bought in our UK standalone stores and online, and 30% off in our outlet stores. You can use your discount to buy products for yourself, friends and family up to an annual spending limit.

Uniform Allowance

Every full-timer in stores gets vouchers worth £350 per year (split between summer and winter) for use in store or online, to buy the Superdry clothes you wear to work. Coupled with the staff discount, this gives you £700 per year of free Superdry product. Part timers get a pro-rated amount.

Sharesave Scheme

We regularly offer our people the chance to join Sharesave. You save money each month from your wages and at the end of 3 years you use your savings to buy discounted Superdry shares. You can then keep them or sell them, hopefully for a profit. The best thing is, you can’t lose money, only make it!

Childcare Vouchers

Every employee can elect to take part of their salary in childcare vouchers. These come out of your pre-tax salary, so if you have a child that goes to a registered childcare provider, they’re a good way to save money on your childcare costs compared to paying for it out of your after-tax salary.

Bike to Work Scheme

If you want to cycle to work but don’t have a bike, you obtain one through us, with payments coming out of your pre-tax salary. As well as being able to get a new bike without having to save up or use credit, it’s a good way to save money compared to paying for it out of your after-tax salary.

Wellbeing Scheme

All employees have access to a free, confidential phone line that you can call if you have any worries about anything in your life, inside or outside work, and talk to a trained advisor about whatever is troubling you. It’s good to know that there is always someone there to talk to who can help.

The recruitment process
in a few easy steps

We use lots of different ways to assess candidates who apply for roles with us. Everyone’s journey through the recruitment process begins with an online application, but from there we will use a combination of different methods to decide on the perfect candidate for each role. We’ve outlined the key steps below, though we don’t use all of these steps for every vacancy. Which of these selection methods we use varies from role to role. 

Step 1

Online application

All our hires start with an online application. It’s a straightforward process, just click any of the apply links, create your account and follow the instructions. 

Step 2

Application Review

We review all application forms and CVs carefully against the role criteria we set out in the job description, and pick the most suitable people for each role to take forward.

Step 3

Telephone Interview

We usually start our head office recruitment with a short telephone interview, to understand more about your career history, achievements, capabilities and cultural fit. 

Step 4

Team Tryout 

We often use this for our Sales Assistant recruitment in stores. It is a group session involving interactive and creative exercises and a short sharp interview. 

Step 5

Face-to-Face Interview

We invite people in to meet the recruiting manager for all head office and store management roles. It’s a great way to really get to know you and evaluate your experience and suitability.

Step 6

Testing

Sometimes we use testing to understand technical competencies, management skills, numerical ability etc. This isn’t for every role, only where we need a skill that it’s hard to show at interview.

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