Hermès Store Director
- Employment
- Full-Time
- Seniority
- Director
- Compensation
- $120,500–134,500/year
- Department
- Retail & Boutique Operations
- Industry
- Fashion, Apparel & Leather Goods
- Posted
- May 26, 2026
About Hermès
John Lobb is a heritage Maison renowned for bespoke and ready-to-wear men’s shoes, combining generations-old handcraftsmanship with premium materials. Part of the Hermès Group, the brand operates a bespoke workshop in Paris and a Northampton manufacture in England, and maintains a selective global retail footprint of boutiques and authorised retailers.
John Lobb seeks a Store Director for its Chicago flagship—lead sales, P&L, team development and client experience at the Maison in Chicago.
Role & Responsibilities
- Lead all commercial and operational activity for the Chicago flagship, including P&L ownership, budget preparation and monitoring, and delivery of annual sales targets.
- Define and implement the store’s short-, mid- and long-term retail strategy in alignment with regional Retail Management; manage buying in partnership with the Commercial Office.
- Drive exemplary client experience and clienteling: grow and activate the local client portfolio, host in-store events, and ensure the boutique acts as a true brand ambassador in the city.
- Supervise, coach and develop the store team (direct supervision of sales staff), set individual and team KPIs, run weekly retail meetings and lead recruitment and on-boarding.
- Control inventory and shrinkage through proactive stock management, cycle counts and stocktakes; optimise merchandise assortments to meet demand and sales objectives.
- Ensure operational compliance with company procedures across sales administration, after-sales service, merchandising, maintenance and internal controls.
- Manage store communications and local PR efforts in collaboration with the Communications Department; maintain and update an accurate customer database.
- Set the standard for personal presentation and client service on the sales floor; act as escalation point for complex client situations and ensure health & safety and legal compliance.
Qualifications
- Tertiary education (bachelor’s degree or equivalent) with formal training or proven competence in retail management.
- Minimum five years of progressive management experience in luxury retail, including demonstrated P&L responsibility and team leadership.
- Proven experience as a brand ambassador and leading retail manager in a luxury environment; experience opening or launching a boutique is a plus.
- Exceptional interpersonal, communication and networking skills; able to build relationships across cultures and with high-net-worth clients.
- Strong commercial acumen with solid analytical skills and the ability to define and monitor quantitative and qualitative KPIs.
- Excellent spoken and written English; additional languages are advantageous.
- Impeccable personal presentation reflecting the Maison’s standards.
Skills
Experience
Minimum five years of progressive management experience in luxury retail with direct responsibility for sales targets, P&L oversight and team leadership; flagship or store opening experience preferred.
Education
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent tertiary education; relevant retail management certification or training preferred.
Workplace
This position is based in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Compensation
The base compensation for this position ranges from USD 120,500 to USD 134,500 per annum.
Benefits
Commission and bonus incentives based on sales performance; Medical, Dental and Vision; Life Insurance and Disability; Paid time off (15 days annual vacation, 11 company holidays, 3 floating holidays, 2 wellbeing days, sick & safe time); Paid parental leave and transition time; Voluntary benefits such as flexible spending accounts and voluntary life insurance; Product discount and EAP resources; Access to Family Building Support.
Culture
John Lobb combines deep artisanal heritage with a refined, service-led luxury retail culture. As part of the Hermès Group, the Maison values meticulous craftsmanship, understated elegance and a human‑scaled workplace where colleagues collaborate to deliver highly personalised client experiences.
About Cerulean
Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.
Frequently Asked Questions
The luxury industry is characterised by a diverse and nuanced nomenclature. Esteemed houses frequently employ proprietary terminology, and even within a single organisation like Hermès, titles may vary across global markets to reflect local conventions. To ensure absolute clarity, Cerulean assigns a standardised, industry-coherent canonical title to every listing. However, it is worth noting that this role is functionally synonymous with «Boutique Director», «Flagship Store Director», «Retail Store Director», «Head of Boutique Operations», and other variations. Our sophisticated search architecture anticipates these variations, ensuring that inquiries using related terms will seamlessly yield the exact roles you desire.