Retail : Typical employers

Big players

Many of the larger retailers offer graduate schemes. Graduate schemes are structured to give the graduate experience across many different departments in the company, including head office and in-store. The training schemes generally last between one and three years.

• The books, news and stationery area has a number of large retailers, which includes WHSmith, Borders and Waterstones.
• Clothing is another major area of retailing. The current leaders are the Arcadia Group (including Topshop, Dorothy Perkins and Burton), Primark, Inditex (Zara) and Next.
• Department stores are traditionally based in town centres and are large retail formats dealing with a wide range of products. Examples include John Lewis, Marks & Spencer and Debenhams.
• The DIY and gardening sector has previously benefited from the trend in house price increases but, with a weaker housing market it is ‘price competitive’. Retailers include B&Q (Kingfisher Group), Wickes and Homebase.
• The electricals area of the sector is sensitive to changes in technology and is under increasing competition from large grocery stores. Firms include DSG Retail Limited (includes Dixons, Currys, PC World), Carphone Warehouse and Sony.
• Food retailers form a major part of the retail industry, worth over £100billion. Although still primarily selling food, the largest companies have diversified into non-food products. The biggest companies are ASDA (owned by the largest retailer in the world, Wal-Mart), Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Lidl and Aldi. The major drinks retailer in this area are Majestic Wine and Oddbins.
• There are a small number of large retailers that have a major share of the furniture and floor coverings market. The biggest firms are Ikea and Dunelm Group.
• Boots is the leader in the health and beauty section of the industry, with Holland and Barrett and Superdrug also having a major presence in the high street.
• Home Retail Group, which includes Argos and Homebase, leads the mail order area of the retail sector. Littlewoods, Freemans and Grattan are also key players.
• The leading online retailer is Amazon, followed by Argos and Play.com.

Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)

SMEs are organisations with less than 250 employees and an annual turnover of no more than £26million. Working for a smaller company can be rewarding because you are more likely to forge a path for yourself within the company, although opportunities to try other departments may be limited.

SMEs are unlikely to use the testing and assessment techniques of larger companies, or follow lengthy recruitment procedures. SMEs are more likely to advertise their vacancies through the local press, university careers service bulletins, local graduate vacancy listings, jobcentres, and word of mouth, rather than rely on their reputation and a presence at graduate recruitment fairs.

Your university careers service should have listings of jobs with small firms. See also the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).

Self-employment

Retail is often seen as a stepping-stone for entrepreneurs to start up in other business sectors. For those wishing to set up on their own, it is important to appreciate the level of commitment involved. Take independent advice and consider taking a course in setting a business up. If you are hoping to open a shop, some previous retail is essential. Internet selling or market stalls can provide a starting point for a fairly low outlay. If you are in a position to purchase your own outlet, one option is to acquire a franchise. In doing so, you are buying into an established name and may be provided with training and support. Remember though, that the franchiser will take a percentage of the turnover. See the British Franchise Association (BFA)  for more information.

Find out more about self-employment.