Head of Retail
by Salt in Retail
The Head of Retail is responsible for leading, scaling, and transforming a multi-country retail portfolio across multiple brands, retail formats, and markets while reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The role owns complete end-to-end retail performance by driving revenue growth, profitability, operational excellence, customer experience, retail transformation, and organizational capability across the GCC and India. The position is accountable for defining and executing the overall retail strategy, expanding market presence through new store openings, new retail formats, omnichannel initiatives, and market entry projects while ensuring sustainable commercial growth and operational efficiency.\n\nThe role develops and executes comprehensive retail strategies across all brands, markets, and store formats by translating strategic objectives into annual business plans, retail sales targets, store-level objectives, operational roadmaps, and measurable performance indicators. Responsibilities include evaluating new retail opportunities, assessing new locations, supporting market expansion across the GCC and India, launching new brands, overseeing store refurbishments, implementing innovative retail concepts, integrating digital capabilities into physical retail environments, and utilizing retail technology and Point of Sale (POS) insights to improve business performance and strategic decision-making.\n\nThe Head of Retail assumes full ownership of retail commercial performance by managing the retail sales budget, Profit and Loss (P&L), revenue growth, gross margin achievement, profitability, and operating performance across all retail locations. The role develops commercial strategies, promotional campaigns, pricing initiatives, and sales optimization plans while continuously analyzing sales performance, customer footfall, conversion rates, sales per square foot, gross margin, and store-level performance to identify underperforming categories and implement corrective commercial actions that maximize topline growth and profitability.\n\nThe position leads retail operations by establishing, implementing, and enforcing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Visual Merchandising (VM) standards, customer service standards, operational controls, and retail best practices across all stores. Responsibilities include improving operational efficiency through effective rostering, workforce planning, stock management, administrative optimization, operational audits, loss prevention initiatives, shrinkage reduction, and continuous improvement of store execution while managing relationships with landlords, contractors, maintenance providers, and external service partners.\n\nThe role oversees merchandising, inventory management, and supply chain coordination to maximize product availability, inventory turns, stock replenishment, sell-through performance, and gross margin optimization. Responsibilities include collaborating closely with buying, merchandising, inventory, warehouse, marketing, and supply chain teams to optimize assortment planning, pricing strategies, promotional execution, replenishment processes, inventory flow, stock fill rates, aged inventory reduction, markdown management, and data-driven inventory decisions that improve commercial performance.\n\nThe Head of Retail manages financial performance through effective budget management, operating expense control, payroll management, occupancy cost management, resource allocation, profitability improvement, cost optimization, and financial reporting. The role provides regular commercial updates to the CEO and executive leadership team covering retail performance, operational achievements, financial performance, cost savings, project delivery, retail KPIs, and strategic business initiatives while ensuring that all profitability targets are achieved within approved budgets.\n\nThe position champions customer experience excellence by embedding a customer-first culture throughout the retail organization, ensuring consistent brand standards, high-quality in-store experiences, omnichannel integration, customer satisfaction, service excellence, and loyalty initiatives. Responsibilities include monitoring Net Promoter Score (NPS), mystery shopper performance, customer feedback, conversion metrics, service quality, brand compliance, and implementing service training programs that improve customer satisfaction, loyalty, sales conversion, and retail brand consistency across all locations.\n\nThe Head of Retail builds and develops a high-performing multicultural retail organization by leading field operations, store leadership teams, talent development, succession planning, performance management, KPI implementation, employee engagement, capability development, training initiatives, technology adoption, accountability, and continuous improvement. The role also ensures full compliance with health, safety, licensing, regulatory requirements, governance standards, cash management controls, inventory controls, store administration procedures, Internal Audit recommendations, and risk management frameworks while strengthening operational controls and ensuring compliance across all operating markets.