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Shopping is one of the UK’s favourite pastimes. We spend billions of pounds each year in thousands of outlets and the retail industry provides more than 3 million jobs. Could a career in this dynamic industry be for you?
Although some of us might not like to admit it, we’d struggle to live without shops. It’s not that we’re all secretly shopaholics, but everyone needs to pick up groceries and get new bits and bobs for their wardrobe from time to time. The UK retail industry is vast, and you don’t have to be mad about shopping to see that this means great opportunities for people with the right skills. With an increasingly expert workforce and great financial rewards, retail has a lot to offer.When someone talks about going shopping, you probably assume they’re buying food or clothing. The money spent in these kinds of stores makes up a large amount of the nation’s annual retail spend, but it’s clear that there’s much more to the industry than that, from the huge variety of different shops on the UK’s high streets to the equally wide range of online retailers. Different types of retailer offer different job opportunities, and careers in this sector range from the creativity of arranging window displays as a visual merchandiser to office-based human resources roles, and from global retail chain stores to small boutiques. You’d be surprised at what’s available when you start shopping for a job in this sector. IT’S ALL ABOUT PERSONALITY When it comes to a career in retail, personality and outlook can be just as valuable to employers as professional qualifications. Having the right attitude, especially if you’re going to work in shop floor positions or management roles, is really important. If an employer sees that you’re motivated and passionate about shopping, with good people skills, then you could soon find yourself on the path to success in the retail sector. Of course, some elements of retail – such as retail finance and IT – require technical skills and qualifications, but aspects such as merchandising, buying, marketing and even management can be realistic long-term options for school leavers. A flexible outlook, the ability to work in a team, customer service skills and commercial awareness are ideal personality traits to have if you want to enter this fast-paced industry. Because of the variety of work available, an incredibly diverse range of people are employed in the retail sector. It’s quite a young industry, with many employees entering jobs in retail on a part-time basis while they’re still studying or full-time after leaving school. Some people move into the sector from an entirely different job, and others enter the industry with a degree. A number of universities and colleges offer courses that will prepare you for a career in retail, for example Robert Gordon University runs a BA in Retail Management and the University of Dundee provides a BSc in E-Commerce Computing. If a high-flying career in fashion interests you, London’s recently opened Fashion Retail Academy could give you a great start if you don’t mind studying south of the border or, if you’d rather stay in Scotland, Adam Smith College runs an HND in Fashion Business. Many retailers – such as Tesco, Boots and John Lewis – offer graduate training schemes which are usually open to graduates with any degree discipline. These don’t necessarily lead to professional qualifications, but on completion of a graduate programme you could find yourself working as a store manager or in another challenging area of the industry such as merchandising, marketing, buying or human resources – as Skillsmart Retail (the sector skills council for the retail industry) states, the sector offers “an exciting and rewarding career choice for the brightest graduates.” A FOOT IN THE DOOR Of course, you might prefer to enter the retail industry straight from school, and there are plenty of ways to get your foot in the door. A Saturday job at a local shop might lead to full-time work, giving you the chance to climb up the promotional ladder. Or you could opt to take part in a training scheme or work experience programme designed especially for school leavers. Marks & Spencer and Arcadia (which owns high street stores including Topshop, Miss Selfridge and Burton) are just two large retail groups offering opportunities to young people leaving school, giving participants a flavour of a career in the industry. High street favourite Marks & Spencer gives school leavers the opportunity to spend a two or four-week placement at one of its stores or offices as part of Marks & Start. This programme provides structured training and a buddying scheme to give participants the skills and confidence to progress further in a retail career. The company also runs a two-year management training programme for students who have completed Highers or equivalent. Participants learn on the job, getting to grips with different departments and aspects of a store’s operation, and could have the opportunity to become a commercial manager in less than two years. Arcadia’s Retail Management Trainee Programme is for post-Highers students with an interest in a fashion retail career. The programme offers a good grounding in many different aspects of retail including customer services, visual merchandising, networking and marketing, as well as providing personal development training in skills such as team motivation and planning for future commercial success – vital if you want to be a good manager. It also offers a good starting salary (from £13,350 to £15,350 per year for 2007) and discounts on clothes. The financial rewards of a role in retail vary depending on the kind of position you’re in, where you work and how much experience you have. According to figures from Careers Scotland (www.careers-scotland.org.uk), a sales assistant can earn from £180 per week, which could rise up to £310, and a retail buyer can earn in the range of £16,500 to £19,000 a year, rising to £29,500 with experience. Managers start on £13,500 to £17,000 a year, with the highest earners making around £42,000 a year. In addition, a career in retail often provides other attractive incentives such as end-of-year bonuses and pension schemes. With a diverse range of positions, the opportunity for fast promotion and the chance to work in a lively environment with people who share your passion, a retail career is a great option. If you have the motivation and the people skills, you could soon be reaping the rewards of retail. WHAT CAN I DO? Roles in the retail industry include… • Shop floor (dealing with the customer face to face as a customer service advisor, personal shopper or product demonstrator, for example). • Management (overseeing the store’s or company’s general operations, managing staff and liaising with different departments, such as finance and human resources, to ensure the smooth running of the business). • Merchandising (monitoring the income and sales within departments, choosing products which will sell most effectively). • Marketing (looking at what people buy, targeting customers according to their shopping habits and promoting products, services and brands). • Buying (sourcing products, liaising with suppliers and predicting trends). • Human Resources (recruiting, training and developing staff, supporting corporate policies and handling employment issues). • Finance (managing budgets, controlling costs, analysing income and dealing with tax matters). • Plus many more! LOTS OF OPPORTUNITIES Chris Cowan is 18 and works at the Perth branch of Marks & Spencer on their management training scheme for school leavers. The programme lasts for two years, during which time he’ll work on textiles and foods, as well as completing courses on human resources issues and store operations. While he was still at school, Chris worked evenings in the food department at his local Marks & Spencer. He found out about the trainee management programme when he spotted a poster on the store’s career opportunities notice board. He was attracted by the structured career path and opportunities on offer. “The application was initially testing with some difficult maths and Englishquestions, however the interview was a great experience,” says Chris. “It was held in London and we were put up in luxury accommodation. On the day itself there was a group discussion, a presentation, an interview and a role play session. It was great to meet new people and the facilitators made you feel at ease.” Now that he’s in the job, Chris finds that no day is the same. Helping to plan the Christmas gift shop from scratch and seeing it up and running successfully has been one of the most rewarding parts of the job, and Chris has also made a lot of great friends through the programme.However, working life has taken some getting used to: “I came into theprogramme straight from school, where I had a relatively easy life and not much pressure. By comparison, a full-time job has a lot of responsibility.” After completing the two-year training programme, Chris hopes to become a commercial manager and eventually a store manager. He offers the following advice to people who are interested a training programme like the one offered by M&S: “Just go for it! I would especially recommend it to anyone who doesn’t fancy university. It’s hugely encouraging to know that some of our directors and area managers came up through the school leaver scheme – it shows that there are lots of different opportunities and longevity in an M&S career.” FIND OUT MORE Adam Smith College 0800 413 280 www.adamsmithcollege.ac.uk Arcadia www.arcadiagroup.co.uk/recruitment Dundee University 01382 384 160 www.dundee.ac.uk Fashion Retail Academy 0207 307 2345 www.fashionretailacademy.ac.uk Marks & Spencer 0845 300 3725 (recruitment information) www.marksandspencer.com/careers Robert Gordon University 01224 262 728 www.rgu.ac.uk Skillsmart Retail 020 7399 3450 www.skillsmartretail.com |