Case Studies

Retail Store Managers

Success Story: Convenience Store Managers

Issue: A very large convenience store chain was changing the nature of the store manager job. The traditional district-region structure had been flattened and much more emphasis had been placed on the store manager. In the changed role, the store manager performed more complex tasks, solved more problems and shifted from being just a service provider and work scheduler to driving sales.

Solution: After conducting a job analysis, we determined that good store managers needed a strong customer service and sales orientation, an ability to organise and manage people and things, and a willingness to work hard and ethically. With this understanding, a customised version of SELECT for Entry Level Management was developed and validated on a sample of 250 managers.

Results: Results from the validation study showed SELECT to predict store sales performance, management and leadership skills, organisation and task accomplishment, as well as future potential in higher level jobs. Most impressive was the prediction of sales performance. Managers with Performance Index scores in the "OK" and "Better" ranges increased sales, on average, by more than 33%, in year-to-year comparisons, over those with scores in the "Avoid" range.