A typical department-store visual merchandising structure would be:

Senior visual merchandise manager/director

Responsibilities

To establish and oversee the creative look of the store.

To liaise with the buying director to ensure that the correct product is promoted.

To work closely with the operation director to guarantee that the store layouts are planned correctly.

To communicate with the marketing director to make certain that the visual merchandising team supports any store product promotions.

To control a payroll and visual merchandising budget.

To purchase relevant props and mannequins.

To recruit qualified staff.

To manage the store’s graphics and signage.

Visual merchandise manager

Responsibilities

To manage a team.

To liaise with buyers and marketing.

To communicate with the senior visual merchandise manager.

To design and implement in-store and window displays.

To interact with the graphics team.

To liaise with floor managers.

To know competitors.

To communicate with brands.

Senior visual merchandiser

Responsibilities

To mentor junior members of the team.

To act as a bridge between visual merchandise manager and floor manager.

To be aware of fashion trends and key looks.

To maintain retail standards.

To communicate with the graphics team.

To educate shop-floor staff.

To work closely with brands to ensure a consistent product representation.

Junior/dresser visual merchandiser

Responsibilities

To maintain retail standards.

To be aware of fashion trends.

To work closely with shop-floor staff to ensure visual guidelines are met.

To understand and be aware of brands.

To present merchandise both creatively and with the maximization of sales in mind.

In addition, a visual merchandising team will include an important support team whose members may include the following:

Carpenters

A carpenter’s role within a department store is not just confined to the making of props in the studio; he or she will be instrumental in installing and removing windows and in-store displays. Fully qualified and professionally trained carpenters will also know when a prop needs to be finished to a high standard because it may be placed where the public will scrutinize it up close, and when to compromise on overall quality because it may only be viewed from the front and through glass. Carpenters working in a visual merchandising team will often be able to extend their talents beyond working in wood and will be able to make props from a variety of media.

Painters

Apart from the obvious—painting windows—a painter working in a visual merchandising team may offer a variety of skills. Many are experts in paint effects, and—in conjunction with the carpenters—will be responsible for applying the finishing touches to eye-catching props and window schemes.

Porters

It may seem a luxury to employ porters. However, ensuring that valuable furniture and exquisite props enter and leave the windows in one piece is essential. Most porters will also be responsible for managing and maintaining the stockroom that houses props and mannequins.

Graphic designers

In-house graphics teams are now slowly being disbanded in favor of outside agencies that provide not only the ideas but also the equipment and skill to create a store’s artwork. The benefits of an in-house graphics team are, however, unquestionable. Unlike outside contractors, its members will be aware of the store’s overall image and, undoubtedly, having them on hand to produce samples that can be edited on-site saves a lot of valuable time. In or out of house, a graphics team is responsible for the consistent application of the store’s graphic design to price tags, banners, and promotional information.