Head of Retail

Head of Retail UK&I

WHO WE ARE 

Operating in 120 countries with 42,000 employees and 70 nationalities, Shiseido offers a unique selection of Skincare, Makeup and Fragrance brands with a projected turnover over £7.0bn in 2022.  Founded in 1872 in Japan, Shiseido Group is within the Top 5 leading cosmetics companies in the world and aims to inspire a life of beauty and culture.

Through our heritage, Shiseido constantly creates high-quality, safe and innovative cosmetics and develop brands deeply loved by people from all over the world, in line with our mission: Beauty Innovations for a Better World.  

YOUR NEXT ROLE : Head of Retail UK&I

The Head of Retail UK&I plays a pivotal leadership role within Shiseido UKI, responsible for shaping and driving the retail strategy across all brands in the portfolio.

This position supports the Commercial Director by leading the retail organisation with a focus on elevating customer experience, strengthening brand equity, and delivering exceptional commercial performance.

As the senior ambassador for retail excellence, the Head of Retail ensures that every store and counter reflects Shiseido’s luxury standards while empowering field teams to perform at their highest potential.

This is a permanent position, based in our fabulous UK Head office however will be expected to regularly travel around the UK&I to different store locations and retail locations.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES

As the Head of Retail, every day will be diverse. This role requires a visionary leader who can balance strategic direction with operational execution, fostering strong cross-functional collaboration and building a high-performance retail culture. This role will focus on:

Retail Strategy & Commercial Leadership

• Define and execute the retail growth strategy across UK & Ireland, aligned with brand, commercial, and global objectives.

• Lead alongside the National Field Sales Managers to set sales targets and strategic direction for each retail partner and store.

• Define and review performance KPIs in partnership with Commercial, Marketing, and the region, continuously monitoring to identify risks and opportunities, and implement action plans accordingly.

• Analyse market trends, competitor activity, and consumer behaviour to identify growth opportunities, make data and field expertise driven distribution recommendations, and inform strategic decisions.

• Establish clear and standardized reporting flows via National Field Sales Managers to enable delivery of regular sales reports, insights, and forecasts for senior leadership.

People & Budget Management

• Review productivity of channels, retailers and doors to define and continuously evolve staffing strategies and levels in line with performance and opportunities.

• Build, propose, review and deliver on staffing budgets.

Field Leadership & Talent Development

• Lead, coach and develop senior retail leads to create and deliver brand specific sales and service strategies that enable high performing teams.

• Lead, coach, and inspire field and retail teams to deliver high performance, strong productivity, and brand excellence.

• Support and enable career development across the field and retail population through defined programmes and succession planning processes, delivered and managed by the National Field Sales Managers.

• Collaborate with HR to continuously review and develop recruitment, onboarding, performance review, and development initiatives,  delivered via the National Field Sales Managers.

• Foster a culture of accountability, empowerment, and continuous improvement across all field teams.

Operational Excellence & Retail Execution

• Drive a culture of operational excellence across all counters, stores and teams through well-defined processes, maintaining high standards in visual merchandising, customer service, and brand representation.

• Drive efficiency and innovation in store operations, including stock management, staffing models, scheduling, and compliance.

• Conduct regular store visits to assess standards, engage teams, reinforce group and brand values, and coach and develop National Field Sales Managers.

• Lead and support National Field Sales Managers to ensure consistent execution of brand guidelines, VM updates, and retail activations.

Customer Experience & Luxury Service Standards

• Act as a Brand Ambassador for Shiseido UKI, ensuring the luxury experience is consistently delivered across all touchpoints and remains relevant and disruptive in an ever-evolving market.

• Champion and leverage customer-centric initiatives, experiential retail strategies, and clienteling excellence, monitoring return on investment to continuously improve.

• Lead the National Field Sales Managers in effectively partnering with Brand & Education Teams to elevate product and technical expertise and service behaviours across the field, ensuring always rooted in and supported by a commercial mindset and mechanic.

• Monitor customer feedback and insights to continuously refine service models.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Marketing and Education teams to ensure relevant processes are in place to deliver consistent brand messaging, impactful retail execution, and strong launch set-up and performance – supporting National Field Sales Manager to deliver.

• Work closely with Commercial, Supply Chain, and VM to optimise stock availability, assortment, and in-store presentation.

• Act as the voice of retail internally, championing a “retail and customer first” mindset throughout the UKI, region and global business, and ensuring field insights inform brand strategy, forecasting, and operational planning.

Retail Partner Management

• Build strong, strategic relationships with key retail partners across UK & Ireland.

• Influence partners to secure optimal space, visibility, staffing, and commercial terms, leveraging group portfolio as appropriate.

• Ensure alignment on service expectations, operational standards, and brand priorities.

• Facilitate the National Field Sales Managers in establishing brand leadership with retail partners and flagship doors.

• Serve as the senior group escalation point for retail partner issues.

Experience Required

• Proven experience in a senior retail leadership role, ideally within luxury beauty, cosmetics, or premium retail.

• Strong commercial acumen with a track record of driving sales growth and delivering against KPIs.

• Exceptional leadership and team management skills, with experience leading large, multi-layered field teams, and senior retail leaders.

• Deep understanding of retail operations, customer experience, and luxury brand standards.

• Proficiency in data analysis, forecasting, and retail systems.

• Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management abilities.

• Strategic thinker with a hands-on, solutions-focused approach.

• Agile, adaptable, and results-driven, with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, evolving environment.

Key Competencies

• Leadership & Influence – Inspires teams, builds trust, and drives high performance.

• Commercial Acumen – Understands drivers of sell-out, productivity, and profitability.

• Customer-Centric Mindset – Champions luxury service and exceptional customer experience.

• Strategic Thinking – Balances long-term vision with operational execution.

• Collaboration & Communication – Works effectively across functions and with external partners.

• Problem-Solving & Agility – Responds quickly to challenges with practical, scalable solutions.

• Brand Stewardship – Protects and elevates brand equity in every retail environment.

• Data-Driven Decision Making – Uses insights to guide strategy, planning, and performance management.

YOUR BACKGROUND

We value diversity and creativity in all that we do. Your suitability will come through arrange of experiences and backgrounds. Specifically we encourage experiences from the below:

• Proven experience in a senior retail leadership role, ideally within luxury beauty, cosmetics, or premium retail.

• Strong commercial acumen with a track record of driving sales growth and delivering against KPIs.

• Exceptional leadership and team management skills, with experience leading large, multi-layered field teams, and senior retail leaders.

• Deep understanding of retail operations, customer experience, and luxury brand standards.

• Proficiency in data analysis, forecasting, and retail systems.

• Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management abilities.

• Strategic thinker with a hands-on, solutions-focused approach.

• Agile, adaptable, and results-driven, with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, evolving environment.

Key Competencies

• Leadership & Influence – Inspires teams, builds trust, and drives high performance.

• Commercial Acumen – Understands drivers of sell-out, productivity, and profitability.

• Customer-Centric Mindset – Champions luxury service and exceptional customer experience.

• Strategic Thinking – Balances long-term vision with operational execution.

• Collaboration & Communication – Works effectively across functions and with external partners.

• Problem-Solving & Agility – Responds quickly to challenges with practical, scalable solutions.

• Brand Stewardship – Protects and elevates brand equity in every retail environment.

• Data-Driven Decision Making – Uses insights to guide strategy, planning, and performance management.

BENEFITS YOU’LL LOVE

• Generous product allocation & discount to spend on our gorgeous products!
• Supporting the delicate work/life balance with enhanced time off through 26 days holiday + bank holidays + your birthday day off + time off for when you get married or move house PLUS enhanced parental allowance for those big life moments and the chance to buy more through our holiday buy scheme
• Plan for your future with our enhanced pension offering and life assurance
• We operate an annual bonus scheme, based on personal development plans and business performance
• Flexible Fridays, so you can focus on what is important to you
• Flexible & hybrid work patterns to suit all backgrounds with 60% of your time being in the office 
• Wellbeing programmes including mental health first aiders, free counselling, access to digital GP’s and exclusive retail discounts
• Monthly access to L&D opportunities to help your continuous development

INCLUSION HEROS

Together, we can build a vibrant and dynamic team that reflects the diverse world we serve.

We are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace where all employees feel valued, respected, and empowered. We believe that a diverse workforce enhances our creativity, innovation, and overall success.

We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability or religion and are proud to promote a culture which supports and appreciates people from all backgrounds. We are always open to flexible working, part time arrangements and any adjustments which you might need to get the best experience whilst at work.

We are dedicated to providing equal employment opportunities and ensuring that our hiring practices reflect our commitment to diversity and inclusion.

We are proud to be recognised as a  disability confident employer and have a number of internal employee forums which promote advocacy for our teams. If you need any support or adjustments during your application, please get in touch with us and we will be happy to support you.

OUR HIRING PROCESS

Once you have applied for the role, our in house recruitment team will screen your CV. We will do our best to get back to all candidates who apply, however in some cases it may not be possible due to the high volume of applications. If you have not heard back from us within 30 days of your application, unfortunately this may be you have not been successful on this occasion.

If your CV is shortlisted, then you will be contacted by our recruitment team. They will arrange a pre-screening call, to explore your motivation, suitability and role expectations. After the pre-screen, your application will be reviewed by the hiring manager. Successful applicants will be invited to at least 1 interview. Preferably, we would like to meet you in person and give you the opportunity to test your commute as well as see your potential place of work! In some cases, we may invite you to an assessment centre or to present your ideas in the form of a business presentation.

Please note: If you do not have the right to work in the UK and would require sponsorship for this role then you must ensure you meet UKVI requirements for the position which may include having a degree level qualification. Please reach out if you need further information on this and whether we offer sponsorship.

KEEN TO KNOW MORE?

• Click here to learn more about our brands
• Click here to learn more about Our Principles and The Shiseido Philosophy

"All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, trade-union membership, political or philosophical beliefs, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, health or disability. Job applications will never be assessed on the basis of these criteria. However, in certain cases that will be brought to your attention, some of this information may be required to comply with local legal obligations".