DailyObjects - Retail Expansion Lead

DailyObjects is looking for a highly driven and entrepreneurial Retail Expansion Lead to spearhead our offline growth strategy across India. This role will be responsible for identifying, evaluating, negotiating, and executing new retail store opportunities, while ensuring alignment with the company's long-term growth and profitability objectives.

The ideal candidate should possess a strong understanding of retail, mall and high-street ecosystems, financial feasibility, lease negotiations, and project execution. The role requires close collaboration with founders, finance, operations, design, and business teams to successfully scale DailyObjects' physical retail presence.

The responsibilities involve:

1)Retail Expansion Strategy

• Develop and execute the retail expansion roadmap in line with business growth objectives.
• Identify new markets, cities, malls, and high-street locations for store expansion.
• Conduct market mapping and competitive benchmarking to identify growth opportunities.
• Build annual and quarterly store opening plans with clear timelines and milestones.

2) Site Identification & Evaluation

• Source and evaluate potential retail locations through brokers, developers, mall operators, and industry networks.
• Conduct catchment analysis, footfall studies, demographic assessments, and competitor evaluations.
• Prepare business cases and location feasibility reports for leadership approval.
• Recommend store formats based on market potential and customer profile.

3) Commercial Negotiations

• Lead lease negotiations with landlords, mall managements, and developers.
• Secure favorable commercial terms including rentals, CAM charges, revenue share models, fit-out periods, and lock-in clauses.
• Collaborate with legal teams for agreement review and closure.
• Manage end-to-end documentation and compliance related to store acquisition.

4) Financial Feasibility & Business Planning

• Develop financial models to assess store viability and expected ROI.
• Analyze occupancy costs, revenue potential, breakeven timelines, and profitability metrics.
• Present investment proposals and expansion recommendations to leadership.
• Track performance of newly opened stores against projected business plans.

5) Project Management & Store Launch

• Coordinate with design, procurement, operations, IT, and vendor teams for timely store openings.
• Ensure project execution within approved timelines and budgets.
• Monitor fit-out progress, statutory approvals, and handover processes.
• Drive seamless store launch readiness.

6) Stakeholder Management

• Build strong relationships with mall developers, landlords, brokers, consultants, and retail ecosystem partners.
• Represent DailyObjects in industry forums, retail events, and expansion discussions.
• Act as the single point of contact for all expansion-related activities.

7) Data & Reporting

• Maintain an active pipeline of prospective locations.
• Publish monthly expansion dashboards and project status reports.
• Monitor retail industry trends, rental benchmarks, and competitor expansion activity.

Desired Qualifications:

• 1) Bachelor's degree in Business, Real Estate, Retail Management, Commerce, or related discipline. MBA preferred.
• 2) 10+ years of experience in retail expansion, business development, retail real estate, or store development.
• 3) Experience working with consumer brands, lifestyle brands, fashion, electronics, D2C, or retail organizations is highly preferred.
• 4) Strong understanding of mall leasing, high-street retail, and commercial negotiations.