Retail Manager - Old Forester Distillery

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Quote from Hiring Manager:
At Old Forester Distillery, we’re not just selling bottles—we’re crafting a world-class guest experience that brings our brand to life. We’re looking for a passionate retail leader who thrives on strategy, creativity, and team development. If you’re excited by the idea of blending tradition with innovation in a fast-paced, high-profile environment, we’d love to have you on our team!
 

Meaningful Work From Day One:
The Retail Manager oversees all aspects of Old Forester Distillery’s retail operations, focusing on profitability and delivering a premium brand experience. Develops retail strategy and serves as the primary buyer and product developer. Responsible for retail P&L, sales forecasting, inventory, and vendor relations. Collaborates across departments to ensure a cohesive guest experience and supports eCommerce initiatives. This role also manages direct reports in the retail space and is responsible for standard operating procedures, compliance, customer service, and other operational duties.

What You Can Expect:

• Holds full financial accountability for the Old Forester Distillery retail budget and P&L, developing monthly and annual reports to inform leadership and guide data-driven decisions.

• Leads the retail department, managing staffing, performance evaluations, coaching, and team development to ensure a motivated and well-trained workforce.

• Develops and executes retail strategy aligned with brand goals, including promotional calendars, premium bottle release planning, and visual merchandising.

• Oversees inventory management through quarterly counts, spot checks, and reconciliation with accounting, ensuring accuracy and transparency.

• Serves as the primary liaison for vendor relationships, sourcing new partners, ensuring compliance, and managing merchandise selection and procurement.

• Collaborates with Homeplace Leadership and the Direct to Consumer Specialist to align in-store and eCommerce strategies, including product releases and promotions.

• Manages customer service operations, addressing escalated complaints, supporting guests on the sales floor, and ensuring a hospitality-first experience.

• Approves and maintains standard operating procedures, ensuring legal compliance and operational consistency across front and back-of-house functions.

• Coordinates with IT and POS vendors to troubleshoot and resolve software and hardware issues, ensuring smooth retail operations.

• Participates in daily team meetings, management sessions, and training programs to foster communication, professional development, and operational excellence.

What You Bring to the Table:

• 5+ years of retail management experience, including direct staff supervision, with at least 2 years in visual merchandising and inventory management involving reconciliation, auditing, and adjustments.

• Ability to develop and implement multi-year sales strategies and growth plans.  Proven experience managing budgets and full P&L responsibilities.

• Demonstrated leadership in team-based environments, with strong skills in scheduling, directing, and providing performance feedback.

• Excellent communication, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities, with a high level of accountability and attention to detail.

• Proficient in spreadsheet tools such as Google Sheets and Excel, including chart creation, graphing, and data reporting.

• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret sales trends, budgets, and performance metrics.

• Technologically savvy, with the ability to quickly learn and manage various software systems and tools.

• Must be STAR certified (or willing to complete certification upon hire) and at least 21 years of age.

• Physically capable of lifting up to 50 lbs regularly and occasionally over 100 lbs with assistance.

• Must be able to work weekends, holidays, evenings, and overtime as needed.  Current schedule is Tuesday-Saturday.

What Makes You Unique:

• Consumer brand homeplace experience.

• Knowledge of the Brown-Forman organization and its business.

Who We Are
We believe great people build great brands. And we know there is Nothing Better in the Market th