Party Center Manager

Purpose:

The primary purpose of this position is to provide high quality service, knowledge, salesmanship, and events to establish Dierbergs as the store of choice to shop for wine, beer, and spirits. Further to oversee and ensure vendor participation in maintaining the highest department conditions including properly stocked and merchandised product.

Essential Job Functions

Management Department Operations

• Maintains Dierbergs' standards on a consistent basis
• Maintains Party Center by overseeing vendors and merchandisers, ordering, stocking and merchandising product, slotting of new product, resets, and building displays.
• Work with Category Manager on ordering products and inventory controls
• Communicates with core management and other party center managers
• Maintain a high degree of product knowledge for wine, beer and spirits
• Keep up to date on market trends and products
• Tastes wine and beer in a controlled environment to learn characteristics
• Assists with implementation of company directives
• Merchandise department to maximize sales
• Develop a cross merchandising plan for the store
• Event planning involving local wine-makers, chefs, and vendors for store events, i.e. bottle signing, food & wine paring, partnering with the Culinary Event Center
• Sales of wine accessories, books videos, publications, etc.
• Adhere to federal, state, and local laws and regulations, and Dierbergs policies as they pertain to sales and sampling of alcohol products
• Maintains a safe and secure work environment, and continually builds safety awareness
• Counts all loads to ensure proper billing
• Maintains excellent attendance and punctuality

Customer Service and Customer Relations

• Monitors total store for ideal conditions
• Ensures that customers' needs are met and exceeded daily
• Leads by example emphasizing the importance of Dierbergs' "Extra Step" Philosophy
• Initiates customer contact
• Smiles and has good eye contact and is enthusiastic with customers
• Assist customers in wine and food suggestions for meals and party planning
• Provide recipes and product use information
• Educate customers on the differences in taste profile, pairings, etc.
• Plan and facilitate wine, beer, and spirits educational classes to customers and partners
• Promotes, maintains and ensures customers receive high service levels
• Demonstrates "sense of urgency" in maintaining proper service levels at all times
• Empowers Associates and vendors to service the customers
• Follows through on customer concerns and special orders

Management of Associates and Vendors

• Leads, directs and supervises store vendors
• Holds vendors accountable for their performance
• Responds to and resolves vendor issues
• Coaches and mentors vendors and Associates
• Provides a positive environment, motivating others to succeed
• Welcomes all new and transferred Associates to the store
• Provides honest and timely feedback and recognition
• Adheres to Dierbergs premium policy

Financials

• Understands all variables affecting store overall profitability including workers' compensation, inventory control and operating expenses

Job Requirements

Qualifications:

• Superior knowledge and experience in sales of a large selection of wine, beer, and spirits
• Knowledge of local restaurant wine lists and promotion
• Minimum of 2 years working directly with customers in a retail and /or customer service environment
• Organization and planning skills, event planning
• Experience in merchandising and vendor relations
• CSW and/or CSS preferred but not required

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to be able to stand on your feet for up to eight hours
• Ability to be mobile throughout store for extended periods of time
• Ability to operate electric pallet jack, high lift, baler, hand jack and safety cutter
• Ability to lift products weighing up to 70 lbs. (ex: floor to waist, waist to shoulder); occasionally lift up to 40 lbs. over head
• Ability to push or pull 6-wheel stock carts with loads weighing up to 250 lbs. and 2-wheelers with loads weighing up to 175 lbs. used to transport cases of product

Key words: wine, liquor, beverage, manager