Assistant Manager - Business Development

Role & responsibilities:

1. Retail Expansion & Network Development

• Develop and execute the annual regional expansion plan aligned with business growth objectives.
• Identify and evaluate new store opportunities across malls, high streets, transit locations, and emerging retail hubs.
• Build and maintain a robust pipeline of prospective sites to support future expansion.
• Achieve annual store opening and network growth targets.

2. Site Evaluation & Feasibility

• Conduct detailed market assessments, catchment analysis, competitor benchmarking, and location evaluations.
• Prepare comprehensive feasibility reports, including sales projections, ROI, occupancy cost analysis, and payback assessments.
• Recommend investment decisions based on commercial viability and strategic fit.

3. Lease Negotiation & Portfolio Optimization

• Lead commercial negotiations for new stores, renewals, relocations, rightsizing, and restructuring opportunities.
• Drive improvements in Rent-to-Sales ratios and occupancy cost productivity.
• Identify opportunities for portfolio optimization through closures, relocations, conversions, and store resizing initiatives.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with developers, landlords, brokers, and mall management teams.

4. Legal & Due Diligence

• Ensure thorough legal and commercial due diligence before execution of agreements.
• Review property documentation, approvals, ownership records, and statutory compliances in coordination with legal teams.
• Mitigate location and contractual risks through structured evaluation processes.

5. Project Coordination & Store Delivery

• Collaborate closely with Projects, Legal, Commercial, Finance, and Operations teams to ensure seamless project execution.
• Monitor project timelines and proactively resolve bottlenecks to ensure stores open as planned.
• Track project milestones and drive accountability across stakeholders.

6. Performance & Portfolio Management

• Monitor performance of existing stores against productivity and profitability benchmarks.
• Recommend strategic interventions including rent renegotiation, relocation, rightsizing, or closure where required.
• Support management reviews through data-driven insights and portfolio performance analysis.

Preferred candidate profile

Commercial & Analytical Skills

• Strong understanding of retail economics, occupancy cost management, and store profitability metrics.
• Expertise in feasibility modelling, ROI analysis, and payback calculations.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel and data analysis.

Negotiation & Relationship Management

• Proven track record in lease negotiations and landlord relationship management.
• Strong network within the retail real estate ecosystem.
• Ability to influence stakeholders and drive commercial outcomes.

Project Management

• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously while maintaining quality and timelines.
• Strong planning, prioritization, and execution skills.

Communication & Leadership

• Excellent presentation, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work effectively across functions and management levels.
• Self-driven, entrepreneurial mindset with a strong ownership orientation.