Acne Studios Retail Manager (Japan)

Acne Studios is a progressive luxury house and through collaboration and curiosity, we set high aspirations and strive for excellence. We value everyone's contribution and embrace feedback to develop ourselves and others. We aim to minimise our environmental impact across all our operations and to address societal challenges in the way we conduct our business.

We are seeking an experienced and hands-on Retail Manager to oversee and support all retail stores (currently 15 locations) in close partnership with the Head of Retail. This role focuses on driving store performance, strengthening overall team capabilities, and supporting the development of Store Managers. The Retail Manager also contributes to building strong relationships with department stores and ensuring smooth, effective communication with external partners.

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CULTURE OF COLLABORATION

We firmly believe that when you feel supported, included, and trusted, it enables you to enjoy your work and thrive in it. You will be a part of a team of colleagues with diverse roles and backgrounds, each with their unique skills and experiences.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

As Retail Manager (Japan) , you will play a vital role in ;

Store Performance& KPI Management

• Oversee sales performance across all assigned stores and ensure achievement of sales targets
• Monitor and analyze daily, weekly, and monthly sales results
• Review key retail KPIs (e.g., sales, conversion, UPT, CRM, labor cost) to identify performance gaps
• Proactively identify improvement opportunities based on data analysis
• Develop clear action plans to improve sales and KPIs, and drive execution in collaboration with Store Managers
• Track progress of action plans and adjust strategies as needed

Department Store Relationship Management

• Build strong working relationships with department store representatives
• Support and participate in day-to-day negotiations with department stores and other trade partners
• Address operational or performance-related issues in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders

Market Feedback

• Demonstrate a strong understanding of the Japanese market and customers, and maximize sales by providing appropriate and timely feedback to the HQ buying team and allocators.

Store Operations, Communication & Alignment

• Ensure brand standards, visual merchandising guidelines, and operational policies are consistently implemented
• Act as a key communication bridge between stores and different office, also collaborating with department stores to ensure smooths operations
• Prepare and facilitate Store Manager meetings to share updates, best practices, and brand strategies
• Support and organize store-related workshops and training sessions
• Proactively address and resolve operational issues as they arise (POS/register, IT systems, store maintenance, and inventory accuracy etc).

TeamDevelopment

• Conduct regular one-on-one meetings with Store Managers to review performance, set goals, and provide coaching
• Support Store Managers in people management, team engagement, and performance management
• Identify people-related issues within stores and support improvement initiatives

Recruitment & Onboading

• Support the selection process for store-level recruitment idetntifying suitable profile for the store,collaborating closely with HR and the Head of Retail on hiring decisions
• Support Store Managers in identifying suitable candidates for their teams

You will report to Head of Retail Japan.

WHO YOU ARE

You have high aspirations and focus on details that create substantial impact. You enjoy working as a team and you embrace feedback to develop yourself and others. You are curious and thrive in a dynamic environment. Cooperation, respect, and clear communication are important, along with your ambition to learn and grow. If these qualities speak to you, we would love to have you on our team.

Specific personal qualities for this role:

• Hands-on, proactive, and results-oriented mindset
• Strong leadership and people development skills
• Ability to work in a fast-paced retail environment
• Strong collaboration skills and flexibility

Specific experience and knowledge for this role:

• 5+ years of retail management experience, preferably in fashion or luxury brands
• Experience overseeing multiple stores and managing Store Managers
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret sales data and KPIs
• Excellent communication and coaching skills
• Experience working with department stores is highly preferred
• Business-level English required; Japanese fluency required

What matters most to us is not whether you master all the listed knowledge and skills. We are dedicated to recognising the potential in each individual. We embrace diversity of people as well as ideas and viewpoints and encourage everyone's individual expression of their own identity.