Jobs in Retail
By Jayne Coppin, Management Development Trainer, Le Riche’s Stores
From fresh fruit to jewellery, from designer suits to play stations, people love shopping. That is why retail has become one of the fastest-growing industries in the world.
Despite dramatic growth over the last few years, the retail sector is usually not the first choice of someone entering the job market; it can often be a last resort! Why is this? Retail in many people’s eyes has become associated with low pay, unsociable hours and complaining customers. Employers have not used their considerable expertise in selling to market the very wide range of careers that exist in the sector or to advertise the opportunities and rewards available to those who are employed in a successful retail business.
Retail has evolved to become more dynamic and fast moving in order to meet the needs of the changing marketplace. The requirements for joining a retail business are very variable depending at what level you join, whether it be on the shop floor or in a management role.
More and more retail organisations are embracing the concept of training and development to enable employees to be better prepared for dealing with a wide range of tasks. The benefits in return to the business are clear: they have a motivated, dedicated team of people who are able to drive the business forward. This can also be reflected in profits. By rewarding your team and recognising achievements you can often see sales increase because customers enjoy visiting a store where they are treated in a professional and polite manner. It enables them to feel "special" and most of us, as consumers, enjoy this experience!
In the Channel Islands, organisations are discovering that by offering a culture whereby staff are encouraged to learn, they can in return aid problems encountered with staff retention.
Those wishing to join the retail sector and develop a career are finding that it is not all based on the shop floor. There are many other areas of work such as: store operations, IT, finance, human resources, marketing, buying, supply chain management or distribution logistics.
Retailers are not necessarily looking for highly qualified staff to join their company. As long as you are an adaptable team player with commercial awareness, good communication skills and the energy to work in an intense environment, they are prepared to develop you, often looking at fast tracking those who want to get on.
With the aid of succession planning, training can start very early on, usually with the basics such as inductions, customer service and then leading into a structured management development programme.
Qualifications available are:
Foundation Degree – These usually take two years and involve part-time study. Successful students have the option of transferring to the final year of a university degree course.
Retail Degrees – The first retail degree course was launched in 1985. There are now 28 universities offering 42 specific retail degree courses.
Postgraduate Retail Degrees – The main courses available are MSc Industrial Logistics, MSc Logistics, MSc Clothing, MSc Planning and Supply Chain Management, and Postgraduate Certificate in Food and Grocery Industry Management.
Graduate Training Schemes – This is an increasingly competitive route as places can be limited. Companies who offer these awards are finding that they are very beneficial and can form part of a structured development programme for those wishing to go into more senior roles.
There are also training and development opportunities within other sectors of retail: Finance, HR, marketing and IT all offering means whereby an individual can study for a range of qualifications - starting with the basics and then working up to a degree equivalent.
In conclusion, it is fair to say that retail is not just about bananas!
There are many opportunities available to those who want a challenging and diverse career.
To find out more about working in retail please visit the following websites:
The British Retail Consortium – www.brc.org.uk
The Institute for Grocery and Distribution – www.igd.com