Retail Director

The organisation

Salon-quality gel polish that lasts for at least fourteen days, but can be done at home for a fraction of the price of a professional manicure: that is the promise of Pink Gellac, a fast-growing beauty brand. With more than two hundred and fifty colors, customers can order the gel polish and accompanying LED lamp and tools online, in one of the twelve stores, or at a third-party retailer,  such as Bijenkorf. An expensive, biweekly visit to a nail salon can be eliminated thanks to the ultimate manicure that can be done at home.

The D2C model from Pink Gellac leans on two pillars. They have an online-first strategy, with around seventy percent turnover on the website and marketplaces. And their retail stores contribute to a strong and reliable brand. However, these stores certainly aren’t just for marketing. Their annual turnover continues to exceed expectations, making the stores profitable in their own right. Both channels reinforce each other and this extremely successful dynamic is the key to Pink Gellac’s success.

This was recently confirmed again, as Pink Gellac won two Retailer of the Year awards for both webshop and retail chain, in the Health & Beauty category. With their recently developed Social Impact Strategy, the company shows it also meets high standards of sustainability and society.

The brand has eight stores in The Netherlands, three in Belgium, and one in France. Next month, Pink Gellac will open its fourth Belgian store in Brussels. The company is the market leader in The Netherlands and Belgium and their strategy is to continue expanding across Europe. With the support of Vendis Capital, which joined in 2021, there is room to invest in expansion. The starting point is particularly favorable: after all, it is evident that the Pink Gellac formula works. For a proof-of-concept outside the Benelux and further EBITDA growth, focusing even more on exploiting commercial opportunities outside the online D2C channel will be key. This will be the job of the Retail Director.

The position

Pink Gellac makes salon-quality gel nail polish available to everyone. After a one-off investment in a manicure set, customers can apply gel polish indefinitely – in the comfort of their own homes. The entrepreneurial Retail Director will set up and implement the commercial strategy for existing and new offline sales channels, at home and abroad.

“The Retail Director looks at the existing store concept with a commercial and strategic view, identifies opportunities to strengthen both the sales and marketing functions of the stores, presents these with good substantiation, and then ensures the implementation of initiatives.” – Thera Strietman, CEO

The Retail Director will be responsible for all D2C sales that do not take place online but occur in Pink Gellac’s stores. This responsibility consists of both expansion and management of existing points of sale. The Retail Director also additional commercial opportunities.

Tasks & responsibilities

Setting up new stores at home and abroad is a priority. The Retail Director is involved in every step: from scouting locations to (re)building the interior. The choice of where stores will be located is made in consultation with the CEO/CFO and the shareholder Vendis, always focusing on premium locations. But that is only the beginning, because the brand is still largely in its infancy – especially for the new locations outside the Benelux. The Retail Director therefore makes an important contribution to the strategy to ensure that stores in, for example, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom become as successful as those in the home market.

On the one hand, they use the formula that is already successful in the Benelux. On the other hand, they also understand that a different approach may be needed in other countries. Working data-driven and using their strong commercial insight, the Retail Director manages the launch in these countries. Naturally, they work closely with the rest of the MT, including the Chief Digital Officer and Chief Brand & Product Officer – because the synergy between offline and online will also play a major role in new locations.

Mapping new collaborations with retailers (such as department stores) and salons will also eventually fall under the responsibility of the Retail Director. In all these areas, they will map out the commercial opportunities and draw up a business case to convince the CEO and the rest of the team of a plan – then implement this plan down to the last detail.

At the same time, they manage all existing stores. They do so indirectly, via a Retail Manager who reports to the Retail Director. Although the shops are running very well, there is also room for strategic development and entrepreneurship in this area.

In this way, they examine where and when it makes sense to expand or deviate from the standard formula of the stores, for example by organizing events or workshops for customers or offering demonstrations.

Candidate profile

This position offers a unique challenge to an entrepreneurial professional with commercial insight and experience with successful retail brands. The position requires a data-driven, analytical approach, but also an entrepreneurial drive. The right candidate is someone who sees opportunities and seizes them with both hands, in a range of domains. The Retail Director will be crucial for expanding the success of Pink Gellac in the coming years and will therefore take a seat in the management team.

Requirements:

• Over 10 years of experience
• With commercial strategy
• Within retail or D2C
• Expansion in the Netherlands and abroad
• Enterprising
• Data-driven

Interested?

You are invited to apply for this position by following the link below.