Regional Manager - Hermès Maison, NE & Canada - Hermes
New York, NY 10001
About the Job
The team is responsible for the sales development Hermès Maison & Puiforcat in America, overseeing the distribution of the collections through our Hermès as well as a network of retail partners, department boutiques and showrooms.
Our mission is to build a sustainable growth adapted to each of these brands and in line with the strategy worldwide, while highlighting our unique position in the market at the crossroads of heritage, innovation, creativity, craftsmanship and quality.
The Opportunity:
As the Regional Manager in the Northeast & Canada region, you oversee developing sales for the region, while protecting the image of the brands. You will oversee the distribution of Hermès Maison & Puiforcat through:
- Hermès boutiques ("internal distribution")
- Wholesale network of boutiques independent boutiques, department boutiques and showrooms ("external distribution)
- Interior designers and other trade partners
Within the Métier, you will work in close relationship with the rest of the US Maison team as well as Hermès Maison and Puiforcat Product Development, Commercial Operations, Communications and Visual Merchandising in France.
You will have close partnership and communication with the regional Vice President, local Merchandising team, , Visual Merchandising, Client Experience along with other support functions such as Accounting, Logistics and Human Resources.
About the Role:
Hermès Maison Development
- Support the sell-out potential of the Maison products in close relation with the Merchandising team, boutiques and Regional Vice President. The Regional Manager will work closely with the Vice President who will coordinate the efforts on the region and support the Regional's actions.
- Analyze and provide feedback on the sales trends of the Métier taking into consideration the specificities of the region, the competitive environment and the Métier strategy. Identify opportunities for growth, potential risks, and suggest action plan.
Assortment
- Analyze stock, sales and back-orders for each boutique. Provide adequate feedback on product assortment in order to help define and implement a product strategy with the Maison Regional Manager and Merchandising team.
- Assist boutiques and Merchandising during Podium buys and collect constructive feedback.
Visual Merchandising
- Support local Visual Merchandising and boutique teams in understanding and implementing a qualitative and attractive presentation of the products. Evaluate quality of the display and provide boutique-specific feedback to the Visual Merchandising team.
- Promote regular update and visual merchandising renewal in collaboration with the Maison Ambassador and local Visual Merchandising team.
- Participate in identifying specific needs related to new launches or all product categories. Organize in-boutique activation for new collection launches as well as for existing collections to support sales (windows, visual merchandising, in-boutique animations, etc.).
Training and Communication
- In collaboration with the Maison training manager and the local training team, organize regular boutique training on new collections or ad-hoc based on specific needs from the boutique.
- Empower Maison Ambassador in every boutique to act as a key correspondent and provide regular information on new products received in boutique to the rest of the team.
- Evaluate training results by identifying needs, setting clear goals and measuring progress.
- Use every occasion to identify specific needs in terms of product knowledge, selling technique or general motivation. Provide feedback to the Maison training manager to help improve the "selling ritual" and the quality of service provided to the clients.
- Ensure that the Maison Ambassador and other boutique staff receive appropriate information on Hermès Maison.
- Service & Quality
- Support the actions of the after-sales and quality team.
- Provide feedback and ideas to develop and improve the "sales ritual" and client experience.
Hermès Puiforcat Development
- Oversee the distribution of Puiforcat through the authorized Hermès boutiques
- Develop consistent sales throughout the selected boutiques
- Monitor stocks in coordination of the boutiques, making sure to bring in new items and develop new product categories while controlling stock levels
- Provide training and ensure that boutiques have all necessary selling tools
- Review Visual Merchandising in coordination with the boutiques and the Hermès Visual Merchandising team
- Ensure the success of in-boutique events
Interior Design & Projects
- As the Regional Manager you will actively partake as Architect & Design
- Develop relationships with Interior Designers, Specifiers and Developers in order to increase sales to this specific category, targeting primarily furniture, lighting and architectural elements.
- Actively develop larger projects
- Define and manage the strategy of Architect & Design development.
- Identify and maintain a qualitative list of designers and organizes regular outreach and in-person presentations.
- Develops strong relationships between key designers and Hermès Maison.
- Trains and supports boutiques in their relations with the trade, along with supporting their projects with VIC.
- Develops and maintains necessary tools targeted to the trade in collaboration with the métier and corporate office.
- Prepares presentations, quotes and follows-up projects from start to finish, including delivery and payment.
- Provides meaningful and structured feedback through competitive analysis and reporting.
- Shares best-practices with the network of interior design correspondent worldwide.
- Tradeshows, Events & Trunk shows
- Participate to Tabletop Market Week: set-up appointments with clients, present and sell new collections.
- On occasions, participate to Milan design week, Maison et Objets (Paris) or other Trade Shows where the brands are presented.
Direct Sales / External Network & Hermès Boutiques
- Manage profitable growth and development of assigned accounts, increasing account penetration to maximize sales potential.
- Oversee the distribution of Hermès Tableware and Puiforcat through a network of independent retailers, department boutiques, showrooms:
- Develop consistent sales throughout the entire network while respecting each brand strategy
- Present and sell the new collection, ensuring that boutiques present novelties regularly and support the launch of our new collections
- Review boutiques stocks regularly and suggest reorders based on their sales and market trends
- Provide training to boutiques on craftsmanship, new products, selling techniques etc.
- Ensure that boutiques have all necessary selling tools (catalogues, brochures, price lists ) and that they are up to date
- Apply recommended Visual Merchandising adapted to each boutique's specificity and ensure that the boutiques meet our expectations in terms of product offering and visual merchandising
- Regularly evaluate performance and image of the partner, and take necessary measures to update or close partners that do not meet requirements in terms of image, sales, or general partnership
- In coordination with Marketing, suggest and organize in-boutique activation for new product launches as well as for existing collection to support sales (windows, visual merchandising, events like trunk shows )
- Follow-up deliveries with Client Services (France / US) in order to meet client's expectations
- Ensure the compliance of the distribution with up to date legal documents, follow all legal procedures in place
- Support Accounting in receiving payments and keeping the account current
- Identify the districts for potential Puiforcat Trunk shows and partnerships (galleries, showrooms, independent boutiques)
- In coordination with Marketing, support events in the region (in-boutique, showroom or off-site)
Provide regular feedback
- Ensure regular visits to all point of sales to optimize the potential according to the production capacities
Deliver reporting on distribution performances
- Report on competition performance, presence, activations
- Any other relevant information that can help understanding the market and develop an appropriate strategy
- Travel
- The position requires an average of 40-50% travel: Boutique visits and animations, plus 2-3 international flights to Europe (1/2 Podium, Métier Seminar, Milan Salone)
Performance Criteria
- Sell-out objectives for Hermès Maison and Puiforcat.
- Quality of the relationship developed with the market and ability to motivate sales team.
- Wholesale sales growth for external distribution.
- Quality of the internal and external distribution, quality of the in-boutique activations.
- Quality and consistency of reporting, market analysis and general feedback.
- Relevance and originality of proposals to develop your region.
- General level of organization and priority management.
- Reliability and dependability.
About You:
- Minimum Education Required: Bachelor's degree preferred
- Minimum Years' Experience Required: 5 years in sales management within similar market
- Excellent communication, written and oral skills
- Strong sales skills and proven track record of achieving sales goals
- Inter-office relationship skills, ability to work effectively with others
- Self-Motivating and able to work independently.
- Basic knowledge of French is a plus
- Travels in the region and occasionally to Europe are required
- Capacity to analyze and summarize
- Attention to detail
The range for this position is $90,299.24 - $150,498.73 annual salary. Actual rates are determined on the job, location, and individual experience.
We are looking for a candidate that has a combination of the above attributes and can perform the key functions of the role with or without reasonable accommodations.A creator, artisan and seller of high-quality objects since 1837, Hermès is an independent, family-owned French house that employs nearly 20,000 people worldwide. Driven by its permanent entrepreneurial spirit and consistently high standards, Hermès cultivates the freedom and autonomy of each individual through responsible management. The company perpetuates the transmission of exceptional know-how through strong territorial anchoring that respects people and resources. Sixteen artisanal métiers feed the creativity of the house, whose collections are presented in over 300 stores around the world.