We currently have a vacancy for a friendly, organised and hard-working bookseller to manage our busy Carlisle bookshop and website specialising in Cumbrian books.
Applicants must have excellent communication skills, retail experience and ideally some managerial experience. The manager is responsible for the appearance of the shop floor and a person with a passion for merchandising and a creative eye is essential. Applicants must have confident IT skills, graphic design skills and ideally some experience of website updating. Most importantly applicants must love books and have interest and knowledge of the book trade and current titles.
37.5 hours per week over 5 days, including Saturdays.
To apply, please send a cover email and CV FAO Lucy Matthews to bookscumbria@aol.com. Closing date: Monday 25th September
| Job Role: Bookends Carlisle Manager
Full time. 37.5 hours a week, including weekends. Salary: £24,375 p/a
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| Role Purpose
Our bookshop manager will lead a team of booksellers and should be passionate about offering excellent customer service combined with thorough book knowledge, impressive commercial instinct and a flair for visual merchandising. They will be accountable for the daily management of the bookshop, website and staff, including customer satisfaction and compliance with all policies and procedures.
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Key accountabilities & responsibilities:
- Staff training, support and development to ensure people are happy and secure in their roles and offering excellent customer satisfaction and optimum sales.
- Responsible for cash handling procedures, daily banking and completing weekly sales paperwork on Microsoft Excel.
- Manage the team to create a tidy, safe and welcoming environment in which to browse and use merchandising skills to optimise customer purchases with promotions and displays both in store and in window.
- Ensure staff are able to offer excellent advice to customers on book selection and are keeping up to date with the book market and industry.
- Ensure excellent customer service is offered by all staff and they effectively deal with any complaints to minimise negative customer feedback.
- Ensure sales assistants are delegated appropriate tasks.
- Organise book promotions and events as and when required, either independently or with the owner.
- Ensure the shop’s stock control (i.e., stock-checking, re-ordering and returns) are completed in a timely fashion
- Manage staff rotas to ensure correct cover, for leave and absence, assist the owner with recruitment as required.
- Keep up to date with reading and changes in the book industry through all forms of media.
- Responsible for frequent and topical social media output
- Communication with customers over email and social media
- Maximise promotion of stock and events within the shop and community, including social media, newsletters, book reviews and Bookshop.org
- Independently manage day-to day replacement of repairs and low-cost equipment. Report anything greater to the owner, if necessary
- Maintain an up-to-date website with titles in the correct categories, updated events and regular promotional banner changes.
- Process website orders, ensuring excellent customer service and satisfaction.
- Be responsible for decision making on ordering, monitoring, stock-checking and re-ordering Cumbrian interest books and requests from self-published authors.
- Promote and change regularly displays of Cumbrian titles in the shop and on the website.
- Monitor emails; print off all invoices and statements, delete junk email and respond to anything that can be responded to. Exercise caution in the deletion of emails.
- Ensure stationery, packaging and book token supplies are monitored and re-ordered.
- Ensure the books and displays in the café are monitored, cleaned and restocked on a weekly basis.
- Attend regular meetings with the owner to discuss the performance of the shop and staff and ensure all requirements of job role are met.
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Key skills and knowledge
- Excellent knowledge of our books with a natural passion and enjoyment for reading.
- Excellent all round communication skills
- Experience of managing people
- Good PC skills and knowledge of Microsoft Office and Canva
- Good creative skills in merchandising and graphic design
- Good numerical skills
- Accuracy and ability in detailed handling of paperwork and accounting
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Competencies/Behaviours:
- Ability to organise and plan effectively
- Work in a team
- Excellent customer focus
- Self-motivated with a passion for books
- Keep up to date on all literacy initiatives
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