Sarah Ward is a highly motivated retail management professional with over 15 years of experience, including 10 years as a Store Manager. She is currently the Store Manager at Matalan in Telford, where she oversees a staff of 50 and manages an annual turnover of £4.2 million. In this role she is responsible for achieving sales targets, managing employees, ensuring compliance, and providing excellent customer service. Prior to her current role she held various management positions with increasing responsibilities at retailers such as Matalan, Superdrug, and Marks & Spencer.

1. SARAH WARD
7 TWYFORDS WAY, SHREWSBURY, SHROPSHIRE. SY2 5XN
Tel: 01743 625170 Mobile: 07958 007523 Email: sazzle250@gmail.com
Date of Birth: 3rd
May 1976 Additional: Full Clean Driving License & Car Owner
PROFILE
A highly motivated graduate with fifteen years experience in Retail
Management who possesses excellent motivational, administrational and
communication skills.
EMPLOYMENTHISTORY
November 2009- Current
Store Manager, Matalan, Telford, Shropshire.
(Acting Store Manager February 2009-November 2009)
 Store Manager for Store with annual turnover of £4.2 million on 26000
square foot with approximately 50 employees.
Key Accountabilities
 Achieve sales targets and manage profit and loss.
 Active Duty management.
 Manage all employee relation issues.
 Comply with due diligence to achieve audit and health and safety requirements.
 Lead by example by giving excellent Customer Service.
 Managing the payroll model and the effective deployment of resources.
 Manage stockroom and delivery standards.
 Recruitment, training and development and retention of employees.
 Commercial reviews to maximise sales and profit.
 Create store plans following phase layouts and visual merchandising guides.
 Implementing the POS strategy.
 100% promotional and sale implementation.
 Active promotion of the company loyalty card.
 Self development.
 Meeting with Store Team forums and delivering daily team briefs to actively engage
and involve staff in the business.
 Communicate with Area Manager, Area Field team, Head Office and all visitors to the
store.

2.  Coaching and development of the Management and colleagues in store to deliver
the company strategy and policies.
 Review the management team to aid development and succession planning.
 Inspirational leadership to all team colleagues of the business.
 Clear communication of business objectives via line management to the individual
store departments.
 Ensure conduct regular reviews of key reports to deliver all KPI’s.
 Profit Protection, Health and Safety and fire procedures, providing a safe working
environment.
 Conversion of the customer from a browser to a buyer through Customer
engagement, visual standards and availability.
KEY ACHEIVEMENTS
 Winning first prize in Christmas Incentive for achieving best sales versus
target for the 12 weeks of Christmas. This was a holiday for 3 nights in Rome in a 5
star hotel for two.
 Achieving 72% bonus based on Sales and Profit and Loss, one of the highest in our
Area.
February 2006-February 2009
Deputy Manager, Matalan, Shrewsbury, Shropshire.
(Acting Store Manager Oct 2007-June2008)
 Deputy Manager for Store with annual turnover of £5.5 million on 35000 square foot
with approx 60 employees.
Key Accountabilities
 To support and act as the Store Manager in their absence in the Store Manager
Accountabilities.
 Deployment of staff in line with the payroll model, ensuring the right person is in the
right place at the right time.
 Ensuring the 6 key objectives are implemented - BMS, Model Stockroom, Visual
Standards, Availability, Customer Service and Duty Manager.
Key Achievements
 Whilst being in the role of acting Store Manager, increasing sales by 8% lfl.
 Receiving a personal bonus, out of just a handful of managers, in both 2008 and
2009 chosen by the Regional Manager.

3. June 2004- February 2006
Sales Manager, Matalan, Shrewsbury, Shropshire
 Sales Manager for the Menswear and Childrenswear Departments.
 The departments had an approximate annual turnover of £2.8 million on approx
15000 square foot.
 Previously the Sales Manager for the Homeware Department.
 The Homeware department had an approximate annual turnover of £1.2 million on
approx 8000 square foot.
Key accountabilities
 Supporting the Store and Deputy Manager to achieve Store KPI’s.
 Duty Management in the absence of the Store and Deputy Manager.
 Effective and Efficient handling of all stock to maximise availability, aid
replenishment and avoid unnecessary loss.
 Commercial reviews of my departments, using this to increase Sales and to control
Stock levels.
 Follow VM guidelines and implementation of phase layouts and POS.
 100% promotional and sale implementation.
 Performance Development reviews of store team.
September 2003-June 2004
Store Manager, Superdrug Stores plc, Bridgnorth, Shropshire.
 In this role, I was in charge of managing the store, which employed approximately 14
staff.
 Main responsibilities were to meet the company and Store KPI’s.
 Completed auditable documentation, booking in store invoices and cross referencing
all debits and credits to the weekly analysis.
 Managed staff deployment in line with payroll budgets.
 Coaching and development of all staff.
 Utilised in store documentation to implement store planograms and visual
merchandising to increase sales.
 Stock Control, communicating with Area Manager and Head Office.
 Reporting of all maintenance issues.
 Legislative responsibilities including price checking date coding and fire alarm tests.

4. October 2000- September 2003
Deputy Manager, Superdrug Stores plc, Shrewsbury, Shropshire.
 In this role, I supported in managing the store, which employed approximately 20
staff.
 Main areas of responsibility were cash and administration.
 Other responsibilities were as the Store Manager role.
July 1998-October 2000
Relief Deputy Supervisor, Marks andSpencer, Shrewsbury, Shropshire.
 Part of the ladies casual wear section, running two departments.
 Utilised store documents and in house computer systems to plan the sales floor
layout, ensuring each department had the appropriate amount of footage.
 Responsible for stock control, planning moves, communicating with Store
Management and other members of the casual wear team.
 Managed the shop floor, motivating and leading a team of up to 20 people per day.
 Led the early morning fill to ensure the sales floor was clear for store opening.
 Created deployment planners for five textile departments of approximately 120 staff
on a weekly basis.
 Responsible for customer service by using the customer ordering service, taking
payment for goods, manning the fitting room and keeping the general tidiness of the
store.
 Promoted from Sales Advisor in November 1999.
EDUCATION
Staffordshire University 1995-1998
 BA (Honours) Business Studies and Information Systems Grade 2:1
Staffordshire University 1994-1995
 BSc (Honours) Business Decision Analysis
Shrewsbury SixthFormCollege 1992-1994
 A-level – Pure Mathematics and Statistics, Economics and General Studies
Shrewsbury HighSchool 1987-1992
 9 GCSE’s Grade C and above including Maths and English
REFERENCES

5.  Excellent references available on request.