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Retail manager: Career development

Most companies tend to review employees performance annually and retail is no exception. Appraisals are an opportunity to discuss your progress with your line manager and consider what you want to achieve in the year ahead. Development is a two way process, and you will also be expected to make a contribution to your own career development. Promotion often requires mobility, and if you are working for a smaller chain there may be fewer promotional advantages.

Typical progressions may include: moving to a larger store, possibility in another part of the country; managing a larger department; or moving to an assistant store manager role. With some organisation, graduates are running their own department within weeks and manager of a smaller store within 18 months.

Within three to five years, you can potentially move onto senior retail management positions. You may use this store experience to manage larger and more complicated store environments or to progress into area of regional management. The flexibility and size of many retail organisations means that it is possible to move into more specialist areas of the business and head office functions, such as customer service, training and operations management. You can also move between different types of retailers or to a wholesale supplier.

AGCAS

Written by Lorraine Pitman, Robert Gordon University

Last updated:

August 2009

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