Store Manager, Retail & Store Manager

Position: 9531 - Store Manager
Brief Description

About LidsU and The COOP

Lids Sports Group brings sports, fashion, culture, and collegiate pride together through licensed products and memorable retail experiences. LidsU extends that expertise into campus and university retail, pairing enterprise retail capabilities with locally relevant assortments, service, and community engagement.

This position supports The COOP retail experience serving the Harvard and MIT communities, including students, faculty, staff, alumni, members, visitors, and fans. Team members are expected to respect The COOP’s heritage and brand while helping create a consistent, modern, and locally relevant experience across its Harvard and MIT stores.

Position Summary

Own the daily performance of an assigned campus store, including sales, customer experience, people leadership, operations, merchandising, inventory, and local campus relationships. The Campus Store Manager ensures the store reflects both LidsU operating standards and the specific needs of the community it serves.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities People & Leadership

• Recruit, onboard, schedule, coach, and develop a customer-focused store team.
• Set clear sales, service, task, and operational expectations and follow up consistently.
• Plan staffing around the academic calendar, campus events, tourism, promotions, and seasonal peaks.
• Address employee needs promptly and partner with Human Resources when additional support is required.

Customer & Campus Experience

• Deliver an inclusive experience for students, faculty, staff, alumni, members, visitors, and fans.
• Build awareness of campus rhythms, events, traditions, and customer needs to inform service and execution.
• Resolve customer concerns promptly and professionally.
• Support The COOP membership experience and any Harvard-, MIT-, or store-specific programs, discounts, tenders, and service expectations.

Sales, Product & Merchandising

• Achieve sales and profitability goals through effective selling, staffing, merchandising, and inventory management.
• Oversee emblematic merchandise, trade books, supplies, technology, convenience, gifting, and other categories assigned to the store.
• Maintain compelling displays, accurate pricing, strong in-stocks, organized back-of-house areas, and timely product flow.
• Partner with centralized merchants and category partners while providing local feedback on assortment and demand.

Operations

• Manage opening and closing, cash controls, payroll, scheduling, facilities, safety, loss prevention, and store technology.
• Maintain accurate inventory through receiving, transfers, markdowns, counts, damages, returns, and audit preparation.
• Coordinate readiness for commencement, orientation, reunions, campus events, and other high-volume periods.

Required Knowledge, Skills And Experience

• 5+ years of retail experience with progressive leadership responsibility preferred.
• Experience in collegiate, bookstore, specialty, high-volume, or multi-category retail is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to lead people, drive sales, manage inventory, and maintain operating standards.
• Strong interpersonal skills and comfort working with campus and community stakeholders.
• Flexible availability, including evenings, weekends, holidays, and peak academic periods.

Physical Demands and Requirements

• Ability to remain standing and move throughout the store for extended periods.
• Ability to frequently communicate with customers, team members, and business partners.
• Ability to operate point-of-sale, inventory, and other retail technology systems.
• Ability to occasionally lift and move merchandise and supplies up to 50 pounds and use ladders safely.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Additional Information Employment Requirements

Candidates must possess the experience, skills, physical abilities, and qualifications, with or without reasonable accommodation, to perform the essential duties of the role and must be able to meet all applicable employment standards. Being legally authorized to work in the United States is a pre-condition of employment for this position. Current or future employment-based visa sponsorship is not available for this role.

Equal

Employment Opportunity

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status,…