Director Retail Benelux

As Rituals expands globally, we seek an experienced Director of Retail to lead and elevate our Benelux retail business, a key strategic market. This role involves translating long-term ambitions into results: sharper execution, strong commercial performance, engaged teams, and customer-returning stores. You will lead the entire Benelux retail organization (180 stores), ensuring operational excellence, service consistency, and a performance-driven culture. Drive growth, safeguard profitability, and build supported, developed, and inspired teams to deliver their best work daily.

Must Have

• Report directly to the Managing Director Benelux
• Manage and mentor Heads of Retail
• Collaborate with CHO & LHO
• Work with Business Control, Real Estate, HR, Training, and Marketing
• Translate global retail strategy into market-specific plans
• Develop and adjust annual retail performance plans
• Inspire Heads of Retail to enhance store operations
• Implement improvement programs for sales and engagement
• Minimum Bachelor's degree or equivalent
• 12+ years of retail leadership experience (Benelux essential)
• Proven P&L responsibility
• Experience leading large retail organizations (3,000+ employees)
• Proven track record in designing and implementing retail initiatives
• Excellent communication skills in English
• Experience coaching, inspiring and developing high-performing leaders
• Willingness to travel frequently across Benelux

Good to Have

• Dutch and/or French language skills

Perks & Benefits

• Build something that matters
• Work alongside smart, driven colleagues
• Opportunity to challenge old habits and invent new ones
• Company cares deeply about people and customers
• Supportive and motivating environment for growth and success

Job Description

As Rituals continues to expand across the world, we’re looking for an experienced Director of Retail to guide and elevate our Retail business in the Benelux: one of our most mature, strategically important markets. You will play a key role in translating our long-term ambitions into real results: sharper execution, strong commercial performance, engaged teams, and stores that customers want to keep returning to.

In this role, you lead the entire Benelux retail organization (180 stores), ensuring operational excellence, service consistency, and a performance-driven culture. You’ll drive growth, safeguard profitability, and build teams who feel supported, developed, and inspired to deliver their best work, every day.

Your accountabilities:

Working 40 hours per week, you will bring focus, clarity and ambition to a growing retail environment. You will: You:

• Will report directly to the Managing Director Benelux and be part of the Retail Line of Business and Local Management Team (MT).
• Manage and mentor Heads of Retail, Flagship the House of Rituals and indirectly supervise Area Managers.
• Collaborate with CHO & LHO as the key stakeholder for the Retail line of business in the Benelux market.
• Work with Business Control on sales targets, Real Estate on new locations, HR on People Plan initiatives, Training on overall training requirements, and Marketing on the commercial strategy.
• Translate global retail strategy and Rituals culture into market-specific plans.
• Develop and adjust annual retail performance plans in collaboration with the Managing Director and Business Control.
• Inspire Heads of Retail to enhance store operations, performance, and personnel engagement.
• Implement improvement programs to drive sales, smooth operations, and boost employee engagement.

Where you’ll make impact

Your market

You set ambition and direction for the Benelux. You translate growth targets into reality, accelerate expansion through new stores, and ensure Rituals service and performance standards are consistently delivered across all locations.

Your team

You lead, mentor, and develop Heads of Retail (and indirect Area Managers). You develop talent and successors.

You build a high-performance environment where people feel trusted, supported and motivated to grow and succeed.

Your Rituals

You balance global and local needs, bringing market insights to global teams and turning global strategy into actionable plans. You use data and customer trends to unlock improvement opportunities. You implement scalable programs that strengthen operations, improve performance and build engagement. You equip leaders with tools and guidance while fostering a results focused culture that celebrates progress and delivers excellence.

Qualifications

You are energetic, pragmatic, collaborative and confident (but without ego;)). You enjoy scaling a business that keeps getting better because of the work you do. You’ll also have:

• Minimum of a Bachelor's degree or equivalent in a relevant field.
• 12+ years of retail leadership experience (Benelux experience is essential).
• Proven P&L responsibility and experience leading large retail organizations (3,000+ employees).
• Proven track record in designing and implementing retail initiatives in dynamic environments.
• Excellent communication skills in English; Dutch and/or French is a strong advantage.
• Experience coaching, inspiring and developing high-performing leaders.
• Willingness to travel frequently across the Benelux region.

Why Rituals Benelux?

Because here you can build something that matters. You’ll work alongside smart, driven colleagues who are comfortable challenging old habits — and inventing new ones. We think big, move fast, and care deeply about our people and customers.

If you’re a strategic retail leader who thrives in dynamic environments and believes in building strong teams, we would love to hear from you.

Interested?

Please note that only applications via our career website will be considered. The initial selection is handled by SDH Executive Search, our partner for this position.

Grow with us! The next steps are:

• SDH Executive Search will contact you for a first interview
• 3 on site Interviews at Rituals follow, including an assessment
• In the event of a positive outcome, we are good to go!

Any questions about the procedure or the role? Please contact Recruitment via britt.groothuis@rituals.com.