James, Town Manager – Brighton
Tell us about your career at Blacks.
I’ve been at Blacks for five and a half years. I was an Assistant Manager for two years, then a Store Manager, and this year I was promoted to Town Manager. This means that I’m in charge of three stores in Brighton – two Millets and one Blacks.
What does your role entail?
Basically it’s my job to make sure that all the stores are running smoothly and fulfilling their potential in terms of sales and profits. I take charge of sales budgets, cost budgets and stock counts, as well as performing regular staff reviews to make sure everyone who works in the store is developing as they should be.
What changes have you noticed in Blacks recently?
Blacks used to be quite cautious about promoting people. Now, if people have the skills, they get moved up far more quickly. There’s real scope for progression now – which makes people feel encouraged and involved.
There’ve been dramatic changes in the layout of the stores, too. We’re now arranging stock by brand, rather than by product as we did before. I think in a town like Brighton, with quite a large group of fashion-conscious consumers, this is a much more effective way of merchandising our stock.
What do you most enjoy about working at Blacks?
I think it’s the diverse range of products – and equally wide-ranging customer base. People who come into the shop can be of any age and from any background. There aren’t many shops on the High Street where that’s true.