Wholesale Sales
UK and Republic of Ireland
We want our shoes to reach as many different customers as possible. That’s why we work with some of the UK and Ireland’s biggest retailers, including John Lewis, Brantano and Sainsbury’s. We also work with smaller independent retailers, as well as TV shopping channels like QVC, and catalogues such as Kays. We work closely with our Wholesale customers. We take the time to understand their individual needs. And once we know everything about their market and their customers, we help to select and build the Clarks product range that’s right for them. It’s important that we’re doing everything we can to help retailers drive sales, while providing them with our famed level of customer service.
International
You can already find Clarks shoes in over 170 countries. But really, that’s just the start. We want to be the leading global footwear brand and it’s our International function that’s leading the way and driving the on-the-ground delivery of our bold plans. Like everything we do, we pride ourselves on offering our international wholesale customers the best imaginable support, helping them to deliver outstanding sales.
We have teams all across the planet, some are Clarks people, some are people who work for partner organisations. This means that we have an exciting and powerful mix of Clarks retail expertise and local on-the-ground knowledge. Right now, we’re getting ready to open more than 100 new franchise stores every year right across the globe, in countries as diverse as Australia and Kazakhstan, Chile and Oman. That’s exciting - and a challenge on a massive scale.
Typical roles include ...
- National Account Managers
- Account Managers
- Sales Support
Spotlight on an ... Account Manager
You could say that our Account Managers are Clarks ambassadors. It’s their job to promote and sell the brand and shoes to retailers that aren’t Clarks stores. For us, and for you, it’s all about building strong relationships. Strong relationships with buyers from all our different stockists and retailers, as well as ones that we don’t work with yet. It’s about getting our shoes into the right retailers in the right places. As an Account Manager, you’ll also work with colleagues in Supply Chain to make that we can delivering what our retail customers want, when they want it.
You’ll also get involved in range reviews. That’s a really exciting part of the job. It means giving feedback to Range Managers on what’s needed for your particular market or area. You’ll talk to the Range team about what products are selling well and what you think is going to be the next big thing for our customers.
What makes an Account Manager role at Clarks different? There’s a few things. For one, we give our retailers and stockists an incredible amount of support, from refits, marketing and advertising, to after-sales support and training. We don’t go in for high-pressure selling either. It’s about relationships and adding value here.
Spotlight on an ... International Franchise Sales Manager
Today, Clarks has franchise partners all across the world, and it’s the job of our International Franchise Sales Managers to make sure that they’ve all the support, expertise and tools they need to drive sales and profit. The variety of work you’ll do is incredible. You could find yourself recruiting Area Sales Managers for a new territory, or helping a new retail team to smash their targets. To all intents and purposes, it’s like managing your own mini-retail business in a specific country or territory.
One piece of advice? Be prepared to travel. You’ll get out to see your Area Sales Managers, Territory Managers and franchise store team, wherever they are in the world. But you’ll spend time at head office too, working with colleagues in different support functions to develop ranges or sales strategies or marketing plans for your particular region. There, it’s all about sharing your on-the-ground knowledge, passing on the insight you’ve gained from your managers and teams in the field.
Currently, lots of our International Franchise Managers are focusing their energies on new territories, recruitment and developing new Area Sales Managers.