Careers

Location

Northampton, MA, US

Job Term

Full-Time

Company Website

We are looking for a General Manager to manage a heritage business, WEBS - America’s Yarn store, that is part of a multinational crafting company. WEBS was founded in 1974 and has a special place in American crafters’ hearts. This is a unique role based in Northampton MA. Crafting knowledge is not a prerequisite, however would definitely be a huge benefit in this role. As part of the LoveCrafts Group, you will be working with an international team primarily based across the UK and US with a few locations in between.

The WEBS General Manager is responsible for driving the commercial performance of WEBS retail properties and for leading the local WEBS team, which includes a retail store, warehouse operation, and some central functions in Northampton, MA. Reporting directly into the CEO at LoveCrafts Group HQ in London, this person will work closely with the international central teams as well, namely marketing, retail, supply & demand and our program director. This is an opportunity for a professional, highly organised, all-rounder who thrives in a dynamic retail environment and is a strong people manager and problem solver.

 

What you will be doing

  •     Managing trading performance & promotional calendar to drive WEBS’ financial results and profits
  •     Working closely with the global marketing, retail and supply & demand teams to bring the promotional strategies to life in our marketing communications and ensure they’re supported with key product
  •     Overseeing the Website team in delivering a great customer experience and driving the promotional plans to optimise trading results
  •     Overseeing the performance of the physical retail locations (WEBS - MA & String - NY) to support the store managers and their teams in delivering exceptional customer service and strong results
  •     Overseeing the Education & Events programming and support the team in executing retreats, classes and other events
  •   Overseeing the customer service team in ensuring our customers have an excellent experience
  •     Partnering with the LoveCrafts team to continue successful delivery of integration benefits for WEBS & LoveCrafts
  •     Partnering with the US finance team to manage costs effectively for the local office & retail stores
  •     Managing the administration of the local office
  •     Acting as a cultural ambassador and key stakeholder supporting successful implementation of company-wide change and initiatives

 

You will have

 

  • Senior level experince in a team in an entrepreneurial environment, where you have held a leadership role and have taken on general management, people management and / or project management duties. We welcome applicants from a range of professional backgrounds, but retail experience is a plus.
  • Excellent IT literacy: highly confident with MS Office and learns quickly with new systems and processes
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills
  • Confident and personable with a high affinity for building strong working relationships
  • You will be curious – a desire to understand what makes people tick, how things could work better, and what the future could look like will go a long way in making you effective in the role
  • You must be a self-starter – we’re a fast-paced, lean team that always delivers to a high standard
  • Be entrepreneurial - you’re flexible, proactive, passionate about your workplace and engaged in the shared company mission
  • A ‘safe pair of hands’: You will be someone who can be trusted to finish the details, never leaves a task half done
  • You will have an eye for detail and high standards when it comes to your surroundings – you are someone who likes to work in a clean, safe working environment, and knows what needs to be done to achieve it
  • Some experience of / appetite for crafting (particularly knitting and crochet) is always a benefit!

 

What we’re offering

  • The chance to join our journey in becoming the global craft destination - no biggy!
  • Competitive salary to reflect your skills and experience.
  • Flexible working with a core hours model - we trust our team to do the work needed in the way that suits you best.
  • Lots of other great benefits including stock options, 401(k) plan, medical, dental and vision insurance, employee discounts and more!
  • 25 holiday days pro rata + a day off for your birthday, because nobody should be working on their birthday!
  • Smart colleagues and supportive team who uphold our smart, kind, maker values. We don’t mean to boast, but you will genuinely find a fantastic team of really bright, motivated, and driven individuals who will support you at every stage of your journey.

 

A little about Lovecrafts Group

At LoveCrafts we’re building an online community for crafters: a home for makers where they can find inspiration for their latest projects, learn new techniques, easily source all their supplies and share their creations with like-minded makers around the world.

Since launching in 2012, we’ve grown incredibly quickly. We've graduated from the Future Fifty, were 20th place on the FT’s list of fastest growing European companies, all thanks to the hard work of our team of smart, kind makers based across the globe with hubs in London, Kyiv and in the USA. We’ve been fuelled by investment from Europe’s leading venture capital firms; Balderton Capital (LoveFilm, The Hut) funded our Series A round, followed by Highland Europe (Photobox, WeTransfer), Scottish Equity Partners (Skyscanner, Matches Fashion) and most recently BGF (Unruly, Gousto).

In 2020 we acquired WEBS, also known as America’s Yarn Store, the largest online knitting, crochet and weaving business and most recently in 2022 we acquired some of the Deramores assets, including its yarn stock, digital assets, patterns and tutorials. The acquisition of the successful family-run business WEBS and the important UK crafting site Deramores marks a significant milestone in our journey to becoming the end-to-end destination for craft enthusiasts around the world.

We’re playing with the very best in web, mobile, social, commerce and media technology as we create the perfect digital business for all things craft related. Our team is filled with ambitious, curious, entrepreneurial and occasionally kooky makers. We hire and nurture inquisitive, creative minds looking to flourish in a supportive and collaborative environment.

Diversity is important at LoveCrafts. We aim to attract the widest range of talent into our business to enable us to create an inclusive working environment, and to reflect and understand our customers and their needs. We welcome applications from all individuals, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexuality, social background, religion and/or belief. We aim to create a modern, flexible work environment that supports everyone to do their best work and therefore, we are open to having conversations about flexible working for all roles, unless operational requirements prevent otherwise. We are committed to providing a working environment where everyone’s individuality and unique contributions are recognised, valued and respected and where all of our employees have equal opportunity to grow and attain their full potential.

Apply now