Profession antique shop manager

Antique shop managers assume responsibility for activities and staff in specialised shops.

Personality Type

• Enterprising / Conventional

Knowledge

• Employment law

  The law which mediates the relationship between employees and employers. It concerns employees' rights at work which are binding by the work contract.

• Art history

  The history of art and artists, the artistic trends throughout centuries and their contemporary evolutions.

• Sales activities

  The supply of goods, sale of goods and the related financial aspects. The supply of goods entails the selection of goods, import and transfer. The financial aspect includes the processing of purchasing and sales invoices, payments etc. The sale of goods implies the proper presentation and positioning of the goods in the shop in terms of acessibility, promotion, light exposure.

Skills

• Monitor customer service

  Ensure all employees are providing excellent customer service in accordance to company policy.

• Obtain relevant licenses

  Comply with specific legal regulations, e.g. install the necessary systems and provide the necessary documentation, in order to obtain the relevant license.

• Examine cost of antiquarian goods

  Assess the price and value of second-hand or antiquarian items; purchase in order to resell.

• Apply procurement

  Undertake ordering of services, equipment, goods or ingredients, compare costs and check the quality to ensure optimal payoff for the organisation.

• Ensure compliance with purchasing and contracting regulations

  Implement and monitor company activities in compliance with legal contracting and purchasing legislations.

• Maintain relationship with customers

  Build a lasting and meaningful relationship with customers in order to ensure satisfaction and fidelity by providing accurate and friendly advice and support, by delivering quality products and services and by supplying after-sales information and service.

• Adhere to organisational guidelines

  Adhere to organisational or department specific standards and guidelines. Understand the motives of the organisation and the common agreements and act accordingly.

• Negotiate sales contracts

  Come to an agreement between commercial partners with a focus on terms and conditions, specifications, delivery time, price etc.

• Manage budgets

  Plan, monitor and report on the budget.

• Apply health and safety standards

  Adhere to standards of hygiene and safety established by respective authorities.

• Manage theft prevention

  Apply theft and robbery prevention; monitor security surveillance equipment; enforce security procedures if needed.

• Oversee promotional sales prices

  Ensure that sale prices and promotions are passed through the register as they should.

• Manage staff

  Manage employees and subordinates, working in a team or individually, to maximise their performance and contribution. Schedule their work and activities, give instructions, motivate and direct the workers to meet the company objectives. Monitor and measure how an employee undertakes their responsibilities and how well these activities are executed. Identify areas for improvement and make suggestions to achieve this. Lead a group of people to help them achieve goals and maintain an effective working relationship among staff.

• Supervise merchandise displays

  Work closely together with visual display staff to decide how items should be displayed, in order to maximise customer interest and product sales.

• Recruit employees

  Hire new employees by scoping the job role, advertising, performing interviews and selecting staff in line with company policy and legislation.

• Set sales goals

  Set sales goals and objectives to be reached by a sales team within a period of time such as the target amount of sales made and new customers found.

• Negotiate buying conditions

  Negotiate terms such as price, quantity, quality, and delivery terms with vendors and suppliers in order to ensure the most beneficial buying conditions.

• Research market prices for antiques

  Do research to stay informed on the market prices of antique items, in order to set correct prices for antique merchandise.

• Sell antiquarian products

  Sell antiquarian items and other printed goods in retail outlets, through specialised catalogues or at different locations such as trade fairs.

• Estimate restoration costs of antique items

  Estimate the price of the restoration process of antique products taking into consideration the  time required for restoration.

• Use different communication channels

  Make use of various types of communication channels such as verbal, handwritten, digital and telephonic communication with the purpose of constructing and sharing ideas or information.

• Measure customer feedback

  Evaluate customer's comments in order to find out whether customers feel satisfied or dissatisfied with the product or service.

• Ensure customer focus

  Attitude that puts customers at the centre of the business in all cases.

• Study sales levels of products

  Collect and analyse sales levels of products and services in order to use this information for determining the quantities to be produced in the following batches, customer feedback, price trends, and the efficiency of sales methods.

• Provide information related to antique items

  Accurately describe antique merchandise, estimate its value, discuss aspects of the antique item such as ownership and history.

• Maximise sales revenues

  Increase possible sales volumes and avoid losses through cross-selling, upselling or promotion of additional services.

• Set up pricing strategies

  Apply methods used for setting product value taking into consideration market conditions, competitor actions, input costs, and others.

• Order supplies

  Command products from relevant suppliers to get convenient and profitable products to purchase.

• Ensure correct goods labelling

  Ensure that goods are labeled with all necessary labeling information (e.g. legal, technological, hazardous and others) regarding the product. Ensure that labels respects the legal requirements and adhere to regulations.

• Maintain relationship with suppliers

  Build a lasting and meaningful relationship with suppliers and service providers in order to establish a positive, profitable and enduring collaboration, co-operation and contract negotiation.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB