Retail Wine Manager (Wine Jobs: Wine Retail & Sommelier)

This person is responsible for managing the entire retail wine business: sales, inventory, and operations. This will include: leading by example in sales; representing the Sotheby’s Wine retail business internally and externally; overseeing the inventory; handling all local purchasing-related activities; working closely with the Global Fine Wine Buyer to ensure correct inventory is sourced; as well as overseeing the warehouse and distribution. This role will also assist the Head of Sotheby’s Wine, Asia & the Business Director with business development and financial reporting.

The person should be experienced & knowledgeable in the fine wine market, be very organized and have excellent communication, business development and leadership skills. The person also needs to be personable, proactive, outgoing, friendly and energetic. They need to understand and promote the overall Sotheby’s Wine concept - both the wines we sell and level of service we provide, to be a leader and ensure growth and development of the business.

• Manage the Hong Kong retail wine business P&L to meet or exceed planned net income for 2019, by meeting growth targets, planned sales and margin
• Manage the sales team to deliver the growth and expand the client base
• Contribute to the sales growth through personal sales
• Assist the Global Fine Wine Buyer in buying wines from trusted sources – including selecting and pricing wines
• Price wines to maintain margin as per annual plan while keeping market competitiveness
• Manage local wine purchases
• Manage the Retail Sales Associate overseeing the entire purchasing process and logistics. This includes:
  • Creating the SKUs in the system, including all scores and notes
  • Completing Purchase Order forms
  • Placing orders with suppliers
  • Proactive communication with warehouse to confirm arrivals
  • Inspection of inbound wines to ensure correct inventory is authentic and in good condition
  • Receiving the wine in the system
  • Ensuring that invoices are paid and tracking all credits / good relationship with Finance
  • Putting inventory on the web and making sure photos are available
• Manage the Retail Sales Associate with the following:
  • Monitoring low or out of stock items and providing inventory recommendations to Head of Wine, Asia and Global Fine Wine Buyer
  • Generating weekly, bi-weekly, monthly reports and making sure that accurate data are shown for business review
  • Ordering fulfilment process of all clients orders (web, direct sales & on premise sales) and that the wine is distributed and delivered to clients in the most efficient, timely and cost effective manner
  • Responsible for receiving all orders from the sales channels and ensuring that each is completed (picked, packed and released for delivery or stored) within 24 hours
  • Managing the responses to general client enquiries e.g. correspondence, phone, email enquiries etc.
  • Managing all store supplies (e.g. bags, boxes, tape etc.)
  • Maintaining department filing
• Work with Global Fine Wine Buyer on annual En Primeur campaign
• Work with other business areas to respond to client enquiries, resolve client issues and execute client transactions to ensure the highest level of client satisfaction
• Manage Retail Sales Team to achieve the monthly, quarterly and annual sales goals, maintain sales email calendar and creation of content in timely fashion, and maintain up to date client database and structured individual client portfolio and management, in order to hit sales goals
• Support Head of Wine, Asia to develop marketing plan and press for the retail business, including creating the retail price lists, executing on year-round marketing activities and contribute to retail marketing campaigns
• Assist with inventory reconciliations following bi-annual stock checks to ensure accurate inventory records
• Work closely with auction team on both the buy and sell sides

• Degree educated or equivalent
• WSET Level 2 and above preferred
• Experience in the fine wine business and sales
• Strong wine knowledge and market understanding of classic regions / investment grade wines
• Proven purchasing experience
• Excellent organizational skills including ability to multi-task, prioritize and meet deadlines
• High level of attention to detail
• Discreet, dependable and mature
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team-oriented environment, with a positive can-do attitude
• Highly motivated, proactive, enthusiastic about developing a new business
• Desire for long term personal growth in the wine business
• Flexible to work evenings and weekends with notice
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office particularly strong in Excel, Outlook, Word
• Strong communication skills
• Fluent in English, Cantonese and Mandarin (excellent written English and Chinese)