Retail Growth & Performance Specialist - Toronto

Role Summary

We’re looking for a hands-on, commercially minded Retail Growth & New Store performance Specialist to drive local market impact across Canada.

Reporting to the Area Director of Canada, this role is responsible for building brand presence at a grassroots level — leading community engagement initiatives, executing local activations, supporting new store openings, and developing strong partnerships that fuel long-term retail growth and drive KPI achievement for new & existing stores. 

This role plays a critical role in market seeding for new stores, building structured pre-opening and post-opening marketing & product seeding plans.  Working closely with Regional Managers, store managers, and the support office team, this role will ensure each new store is set up to thrive.

This is a highly collaborative, fast-paced role suited to someone who is organised, proactive and confident engaging stakeholders at all levels.  Based in Toronto, this is a hybrid role, working out of our GTA area stores on a weekly basis and travelling across our other regions in Canada to support stores and new markets. 

Key Responsibilities & Duties

Retail Growth & Local Area Marketing

• Build and manage a structured 6-month pre-opening in-market plan for new stores.
• Develop and implement a 12-month post-opening growth support plan.
• Develop and execute Local Area Marketing (LAM) plans for stores needing support as needed.
• Identify local marketing and sponsorship opportunities to drive awareness, traffic and sales.
• Monitor competitor activity and local market trends to inform strategy.

Community Engagement & Activations

• Support and execute community-based brand activations and events.
• Identify and secure relevant local partnerships aligned to the brand.
• Coordinate market seeding initiatives to build early awareness and advocacy.
• Partner with marketing team to develop local assets and toolkits for stores.

Partnerships & Stakeholder Management

• Build and nurture strong relationships with store managers and regional managers.
• Coordinate marketing support requests from new stores.
• Work closely with support office marketing teams to leverage brand assets and budget.
• Identify and negotiate local advertising or promotional opportunities.

Brand & Operational Support

• Ensure consistent brand execution across local marketing initiatives.
• Manage timelines, budgets and activation logistics.
• Track performance of initiatives and provide recommendations for optimisation.
• On a weekly basis, work in and alongside the store teams, generating and booking eye exams and introducing customers to the brand.
  
  

Knowledge, Skills & Experience Required:

• 5 years’ experience in marketing, retail marketing, retail performance or a similar role
• Post Secondary degree or certificate in marketing or business
• Deep understanding of store performance drivers from KPIs to P&Ls
• Experience tracking competitor activity and local trends   
• Highly organised with strong attention to detail
• Hands-on, proactive and self-motivated
• Comfortable juggling multiple projects and deadlines
• Strong stakeholder management skills and confidence engaging people at all levels
• Commercially aware with an interest in retail growth and brand building
• Based in the GTA & willingness to travel across Canada as required. Must have a valid driver's license and vehicle.

Our Ideal candidate:

• Commercially curious - you are naturally interested in what drives sales & foot traffic.  You track competitor activity and local market trends and you’re always asking “ how do we make this store perform better?”.
• Relationship Builder - you genuinely enjoy connecting with people and are able to build trusting relationships quickly.  You can work with anyone at any level inside & outside the organisation.
• Action oriented & hands-on - you don’t wait for instructions, you take ownership not just of the tasks but the outcomes of your initiatives.  You are a “roll up your sleeves” kind of person and make sure events & activations are executed to perfection. 
• Confident Communicator - you are clear and persuasive when presenting ideas and you don’t shy away from negotiating opportunities.
• Resilient & Adaptable - retail is unpredictable but you roll with the punches.  Store timelines can shift and plans can unravel, but you keep calm under pressure and you can pivot plans to ensure the end goal is always met.