Elena Prokopets
Claire Briggs Webber, CPRW
Though ecommerce sales have significantly accelerated over the past two years, brick-and-mortar locations still remain the cornerstone for businesses. And any store needs a competent manager to operate it.
The median national salary of a Store Manager is $74,594. Though some employers in the manufacturing industry and national retail chains earn above six figures per year (plus benefits). However, to land the highest-paying retail store management jobs, you must prepare a compelling job application package.
This post provides a sample store manager cover letter you can easily adapt to your professional background, followed by actionable cover letter writing tips.
Store Manager Cover Letter Example (Word)
Store Manager Cover Letter (plain text)
Hello Marry Gilbert,
I’m reaching out after a conversation I had with Joe Stones, General Manager at Equestrian Fashion, who told me about the new position opening for a Store Manager. With over 6 years of experience in the fashion and retail industry, I believe that I have the skills and knowledge necessary to create a delightful shopping experience for your customers.
I started in the retail industry as a part-time floor clerk, working at the fulfillment department of Fashion Inc, an international ecommerce retailer. This experience taught me the basics of effective back-office operations — fulfillment, inventory management, and logistics. After obtaining my Associate’s degree from Utica College, I moved to the front office positions — first as a Junior Sales Associate, then as an Assitant Visual Merchandiser.
At present, I’m employed as an Assistant Store Manager at Demi’s Fashion Mall. In the past year, I have increased the top-line sales for sports garments by 18% through a combination of associate coaching and ecommerce merchandising strategy optimization. Staff management is my second main priority. I host regular group performance reviews and coaching sessions, as well as offer 1:1 mentorship to senior associates. Since I’ve taken the position, staff turnover rates on my team reduced by 35%.
In addition to my extensive retail experience, I am also an avid horseback riding fan myself and have been taking lessons since I was 6. My industry knowledge is complemented by my effective communication and team management skills, which make me confident that I’d be a great addition to your team.
Thank you for taking the time to consider my application. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Joanne Parsley
Need More Ideas? Check Other Retail Cover Letter Examples
How to Write a Store Manager Cover Letter
As a store manager, you already know how effective merchandising can change the odds of selling products. Your cover letter is a “merchandising asset” you can use to massively improve your odds of getting selected for a coveted position. But you must use it correctly.
Below are our three best tips for creating impactful retail cover letters.
Make an Inventory of Your Key Qualifications
A great cover letter shares several powerful statements about your most relevant work experience and/or aptitude to match up to the listed job requirements. These statements should be different than any bullet points on your resume, plus be customized to each job application.
To speed things up, create an inventory list of your core competencies and major bragging rights. For example:
- “Recruited, hired, and coached a team of 25+ sales associates for the district’s network”
- “Managed over $3.8 million in gross merchandise volume; profited monthly profit and loss reports”
- “Successfully eliminated over $80K in deadstock with an online archive sales event and partnerships with online outlet platforms”
If you need some prompts, check our big list of resume skills for retail.
Show That You Tick All The Boxes
The purpose of the cover letter is to provide a clear answer to this question: Why should we bring you, not the other person?
Use this question as a cornerstone for building your cover letter. First, refer back to the job description and note line-by-line what they expect from the ideal candidate. Put these requirements into the left column of a table. In the right column, add a list of key qualifications. It’s fine if not all of your skills overlap (no candidate is perfect). Your goal is to accentuate the areas where you’re the best fit.
For example, if the store manager job description says the company is looking for someone to “take lead on training and team development”, provide a quick example of how you did this in your last position.
Talk About Your Rationale for Applying
The retail industry has high employee turnover rates. So most employers look for people who’d be willing to stick around. Sure, good compensation and delightful workplace culture will have to do a lot with the employee’s decision to stay, but so do the intrinsic factors like your personal motivation, passion for the industry, and the type of work you do.
Therefore, it always helps to briefly state what drew you to the advertised role. Are you a fan of the company’s marketing or products? Do you resonate with their key values? Or perhaps there’s a more personal reason like passion for equestrian sports (as in the sample above)? Briefly explain why you’d prefer to have this job over the others (and your current one).
Final Tip: Align Your Cover Letter with Your Resume
Your cover letter and resume have to reinforce one another. If you’ve mentioned “great customer service skills” or “experience with CRM tools” in your cover letter, your resume should further elaborate on these skills and vice versa.
The two documents must present a consistent image of you as a well-rounded professional. It also helps if both are in the same visual style. So you might want to consider using the matching design templates for both!
