GUCCI Retail Merchandise Manager - West

Founded in Florence, Italy, in 1921, Gucci is one of the world’s leading luxury brands. Under the leadership of President and CEO Francesca Bellettini and the artistic direction of Demna, the House continues to redefine luxury and fashion while celebrating creativity, Italian craftsmanship, and innovation. Gucci is part of the global luxury group Kering, which manages renowned Houses in fashion, leather goods, jewelry, and eyewear.

About the Role

The Retail Merchandise Manager will drive categories and stores within the Western market to full potential, delivering a unique client experience through a 360-degree approach. This role ensures cross-functional teams think and act like merchants, bridging the gap between regional corporate offices and stores. The manager provides market expertise to influence assortments for West stores in collaboration with buyers, working closely with Retail, Visual, and the buying office to meet market needs, retail KPIs, visual standards, and financial goals.

Responsibilities

• Retail Support
  • Visit all West stores frequently, with weekly visits to LA Metro stores.
  • Share information continuously to align cross-functional partners.
  • Create a quarterly store visit calendar considering major activities (e.g., Buying campaigns, Seasonal Product Trainings, SMMs).
  • Define monthly goals and topics for weekly meetings, including:
    • Product training
    • Major visual merchandising display rotations
    • Planned retail activities/retail tool rollouts
    • Special events
  • Leverage reporting tools (RDM 2.0, LUCE, ELITE Surveys) to identify critical issues and opportunities.
  • Analyze business performance to identify critical areas and opportunities.
  • Follow up on actions implemented or to be implemented, defining tasks and responsibilities.
  • Participate in morning briefing meetings to overview business performance and daily points of attention.
  • Organize team-building activities to strengthen relationships with sales associates.
  • Host in-store walkthroughs of all departments with retail and visual teams.
  • Complete store visit checklists and communicate short- and long-term actions to cross-functional teams.
  • Foster understanding of local market needs and segmentation through collaborative communication with retail teams.
  • Support and participate in in-store activities and events to increase customer loyalty.
  • Communicate new product arrivals and business trends frequently.
• Training Support
  • Deliver weekly in-store training on specific products to enhance client advisors’ product knowledge.
  • Provide small training sessions during morning briefings, at the end of the day, or one-on-one.
  • Support selling-ceremony enhancement trainings (e.g., 4 To the Floor).
• Visual Support
  • Lead collaboration with retail and visual merchandising to optimize floorsets.
  • Enhance visual displays to better serve local or tourist clients and maximize category potential.
  • Maintain visual display consistency in line with worldwide guidelines, business strategy, and stock availability.
  • Ensure new arrivals are on display.
  • Identify cross-selling opportunities in visual displays to maximize retail KPIs.
• Stock Productivity and Proximity
  • Improve stock productivity to enhance overall store newness and sell-through.
  • Review store product category zoning, visual display space, and key focuses based on sales and inventory.
  • Push slow movers by ensuring strong display.
  • Gather qualitative feedback on new collections, best sellers, and slow movers.
  • Update stores on upcoming deliveries and address major stock-out issues with inventory planning.
  • Ensure adequate assortment to exploit the potential of special events.
  • Ensure back-of-house (BOH) is efficiently organized, with products well stored and protected.
  • Maximize potential of proximity stock and front-of-house (FOH) drawers.
  • Maximize cross-selling opportunities through dedicated BOH organization.
• Clienteling and Customer Experience
  • Observe clients in-store regarding traffic flows, clientele profiles, and selling ceremonies.
  • Fine-tune assortments based on clientele profiles to maximize category potential and increase retention.
  • Develop in-depth knowledge of Very Important Guests (VIGs) and their purchasing habits.
  • Review store environment from a client’s perspective to identify improvements (e.g., fixtures, layout, seating, lighting).
  • Support the team in ensuring a client-matching experience and enhance retention through clienteling activities (e.g., one-to-ones).
  • Work closely with CRM and Special Events teams to ensure seamless execution of client-facing events or brand initiatives.
  • Ensure development, implementation, and execution of company CRM initiatives by providing action plans to the team.
• Competitive Landscape
  • Visit key competitors’ stores to analyze assortment, clientele traffic, profiles, and in-store activities for potential improvements.
  • Study and report on competitors’ pricing, product, and merchandising presentation strategies.
  • Report local market trends to regional buyers.
• Reporting / Results Tracking and Monitoring
  • Deliver qualitative and quantitative feedback monthly to cross-functional teams.
  • Monitor the evolution of predefined metrics for West stores vs. other stores in the region, including:
    • Performance by category (and/or typology, function, line based on actions implemented).
    • KPIs: cross-selling, UPT, average ticket, AUR, conversion, retention, % VIGs.
  • Set cross-functional monthly meetings with key stakeholders (e.g., Store Planning, HR, Operations) and category buyers to share best practices and evaluate rollouts to other stores.
• Buying Support
  • Align with buyers prior to market on specific assortment needs by store/category.
  • Host roundtables to present key insights by store regarding client profiles and assortment needs.
  • Create client books for top customers, including purchasing history, sizing, and details to assist buyers during campaigns.
  • Actively participate in all category presentations, walk-throughs, reviews, and selections during market.
  • Discuss end-of-season performance across categories, identifying what worked and what didn’t, and realign on next season’s buying strategy.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Fashion, Business, Finance, or a related discipline (desired).
• Minimum of 4-5 years of relevant buying experience within a fashion and/or luxury environment.
• Experience in managing and developing a team.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
• Flexibility to travel on short notice and work a demanding schedule, including evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed.
• Proper work authorization to work in the United States.

Pay

For individuals assigned and/or hired to work in California, the estimated base salary range is $120,000 to $135,000. Eligible employees may also participate in an employee benefits program and an incentive program, subject to program rules and individual/organizational performance.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• 401K retirement plan