Rituals Store Manager Interview Questions
& Process

My first interview was a video call that was pretty standard, mostly going over my CV. Then, I had a face-to-face interview for the Store Manager position. It was competency-based, with questions like 'can you give me an example of' and topics covering KPIs, team management, and handling underperformance. I was asked to prepare a 30/60/90 day plan and bring it with me. The area manager also briefly discussed a mystery shop I did and asked about my findings. The interview lasted about an hour. I noticed I wasn't offered a drink, which I usually do for candidates. I didn't hear back for weeks, likely due to the holiday season. When I applied for another role, the recruitment manager apologized for the delay and asked for feedback. I was told I wasn't the right fit for the initial store because I'm used to managing larger businesses. They then set up another interview with a different area manager for a different store. I had to travel to a different store in the area manager's region for this second face-to-face interview, costing me over 50 pounds. Again, I wasn't offered a drink, and I spent another hour discussing similar topics. When I asked about store targets, I was told the information was confidential. I expected at least a ballpark figure to gauge how busy the store might be, as I'm usually asked about store size and turnover in interviews. When I asked about hearing back, I was told within the week, but I still haven't heard anything despite a follow-up email. This lack of communication after taking the time to interview in person is really poor and shows a lack of consideration and courtesy, making me feel undervalued. It's been 4 weeks since the last interview and almost three months since starting the process, and the silence has left a sour taste, despite being a loyal customer. Their actions don't align with the brand's values.

It was a lovely, caring, and good-vibing interview process. I felt very safe during it. The people who interviewed me were lovely. The questions were good and complimented the process. I think Rituals has the best interview process I have ever been a part of.

Since I wasn't considered for the Area Manager position, the company met me halfway and proposed a job as Store Manager. A second personal interview took place with the Head of Retail. I was asked basic questions about the operations of a store. They also told me that they would elevate the stores to a higher level with me. Blah blah... I was given rough details about the store and that it was a new opening. I answered these questions quite basically because I felt they were asking me for details because I had worked in luxury and weren't interested in me as a person. Which in the end turned out to be true. Because to this day, Rituals can't even manage to reply to my emails. The main thing is that the conversation was filled with promises, and that too from a Head of Retail. One has to leave this as pathetic and question how he got his job. So much for 'we want to lead Rituals to a new premium level'. Learn to be premium first before you spout such nonsense in conversations.