Hear From Our People

So what does your role involve?
Running the Womenswear department means overseeing sales and merchandising - basically the layout of the shop floor - and making sure we're profitable. I also directly manage 12 Sales Associates and liaise with eight Concession Managers. These are people not directly employed by us but who represent brands like Gucci and Louis Vuitton.

What's a typical week look like?
I usually start off by reviewing last week's sales figures and looking through reports that help me plan floor layouts and rostering for the coming week. Mondays are generally a bit quieter so this is when I hold team meetings and bring everyone up to speed with what has and hasn't been selling well. The rest of the week is focused on trading, monitoring levels of customer service and driving sales. Every week is different though. You need to be flexible to fit in your work around your rota. We operate a three-week rolling rota and work most Saturdays.

Tell me about your department
It's extremely smart. It features top-of-the-range clothes from designers like Hugo Boss, Paul Smith, Philip Lim and Diane Von Furstenberg. We don't want customers to be intimidated though, so we're always friendly and approachable.

Who is ‘we' - who do you work with?
There are three men and lots of women working in the department, and all of us are of varying ages, backgrounds and experience. Our common ground is that we all have good communication skills, can interact well with people and are keen to give customers the kind of shopping experience that makes them want to come back again and again.

What exactly is a Sales Manager responsible for?
So much! Everything from monitoring sales figures and setting budgets to spotting new commercial opportunities and boosting profits. At the same time I need to keep up to speed with what competitors are doing, control stock levels and continually raise customer service standards. And, of course, I talk to buyers, customers and team members every day.

How do divide up your time?
I spend about 80% of my time on the shop floor and 20% at my desk. On Mondays I'm busy with meetings and paperwork. The rest of the week I'm generally walking the floor with my team. I might be planning a big visual merchandising move or helping with trading. On Sundays I could be training the team and encouraging them to feel more empowered.

Tell me about your department
The second floor encompasses all of ladies fashion - casual, contemporary, Designer Bridge and superbrands like Alexander Mc Queen. I'm supported by over 20 Sales Associates, two Department Managers and three Concession Managers. It's lively and fun yet relaxed - that way team members can work to the best of their ability.

And what's involved in your role?
There's some planning but mostly I focus on the shop floor, spotting sales opportunities, making sure we have the right products on display and keeping the visual merchandising fresh and fun. I work closely with the Visual Merchandiser and every day we change displays to keep them effective and accommodate new brands.

What are the main aspects of your job?
Forecasting sales, planning stock levels and controlling the purse strings. I have to keep a close eye on day-to-day trading figures while focusing on what's needed for different times of year. Beauty products are particularly popular coming up to Valentine's Day and Mother's Day and in April we focus on the Middle East trade. From October to December it's all about gearing up for Christmas. Common sense and a few maths skills help. Being skilled in Excel and spreadsheets is key.

And what's the Beauty & Merchandising department like?
We're a close team of ten. Each of us has our own responsibilities but we help each other out. There's no email culture - we actually talk to each other! In fact we get on really well.

Tell me about your role
I manage everything to do with the shop floor - the team, visual merchandising, customer service and making sure customers get a great first impression of the department. I'm also the link between the shop floor and the rest of the business - Directors, Merchandisers, Buyers and more. I use my own judgement to make decisions on what will be profitable and good for business.

Contemporary fashion sounds like a fun department?
It is. Our target customers are 16-35 and all the Sales Associates reflect that age group. They get to wear what they like from the shop floor and lots of different styles and personalities are represented. We aim to create a buzzy atmosphere with loud music, and we rearrange the shop floor at least twice a week so that the latest fashions are featured and customers can discover something new every time they come in.

What surprised you when you joined Selfridges?
How relatively small the Buying & Merchandising teams are for the size of the store and what we deliver. There are just five Buyers responsible for Womenswear, Menswear, Accessories and Kids but we all work together and brainstorm together.

How do you decide what to buy?
At the shows I have appointments with the brands where they show me more wearable versions of their catwalk collections. Lots of different factors affect what I select - my knowledge of our customers, of the latest trends, what competitors are doing, what's sold well in the past. Also every week designers come in to Selfridges with their collections and I regularly visit showrooms where I can see all the brands in one place.

Can you talk me through your role?
Selfridges.com is my focus at the moment. It's my job to see that the product range we feature is varied and balanced and to manage the content writing with copywriters. Recently, I've been scheduling samples of 1,200 products in with photographers and checking that we're following the brand guidelines of the brands we sell through concessions. And at every stage I need to be aware of the customer journey and make sure their experience on the website is exceptional.

It sounds quite intense
My days are packed with meetings. I get together with all those in the online store team and Buying & Merchandising to make sure we're on track, and with people like the Content Manager to check where we are with samples, photography and copywriting. I'll also meet with the Trading Manager to review sales trends and product hot spots and have regular updates with the Propositions Director and Project Managers. Communication is key if everything is to go without a hitch.

Tell me about your department
Our main products are handbags, purses and gloves plus a small selection of complementary belts, watches and rings. There are seven full-time Sales Associates plus temporary team members depending on the time of year. It's always busy and lively and there are lots of things to do on top of serving customers.

What kind of things?
The department opens at 10am and I arrive at 8.30am to set up. All the bags need to be counted, the security tags checked and the department cleaned before we open. Deliveries arrive on Monday so all the new stock needs to be sorted. We also get involved with visual merchandising, making sure the new arrivals are displayed in the most appealing way. In addition, I manage the Miu Miu and Alexander McQueen brands so I'm responsible for checking the stock and reporting on what is and isn't selling. Last, but not least, I help people who are new to the team settle in by introducing them to the Selfridges values.

Tell me about your department
I work in Womens Designer Bridge. The brands here are all high-end, quirky and contemporary and include names like Givenchy, Alexander McQueen, DNG, DKNY, Vivienne Westwood and Stella McCartney. The people I work with are great - I genuinely enjoy coming to work because of them. There are six of us and because Designer Bridge is expensive - nothing we sell is less than £200 - we help each other as much as we can when it comes to making a sale.

And what does your role involve?
Customer service is paramount. It's important to be able to gauge the customer and how much attention they want. I can be with a customer for up to an hour offering style advice and just chatting. Sometimes they are certain nothing will suit them but I make sure they find something and always make a point of being honest.