Retail and sales sector
Providing jobs for three million people, the retail sector is the UK's largest private employer. Find out about the main organisations and what areas of work you can enter...
Employment opportunities in retail and sales are grouped into:
The retail sector makes up approximately 10% of all employment in the UK. More than half of people work part time in the sector compared to less than a third across the whole economy.
The UK is the most international retail market with the highest proportion of international retailers trading.
For examples of job roles in the sector, see graduate jobs in retail and sales.
In clothing retail, employers include:
In home shopping, large companies include:
Other retailers:
Graduates entering the retail and sales sector can expect:
To find out more about typical salaries and working conditions in your chosen career, see types of jobs.
The high street has become empty as many businesses have ceased trading all together or reduced the number of stores. This is a result of both the decrease in consumer spending during the recession and the transition of some companies to operate predominantly online.
Many large retailers including Borders, MFI and Woolworths have suffered during the recession causing full closures. Others have gone into administration resulting in store closures and staff redundancies, for example Barratts, Carpet Right, Game, HMV and La Senza. Recently (between September and November 2012) companies going into administration include Comet and JJB Sports.
According to research by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES):
Explore the range of roles on offer in the retail sector to find out which jobs suit your interests and skills…
These job profiles are examples of graduate careers in the retail and sales sector:
To find graduate job roles that best match your skills and interests, log in to what jobs would suit me?
For job vacancies in the retail sector, search graduate jobs in retail and sales.
From work experience to graduate schemes, there are a number of ways to break into the retail sector…
Currently only a limited number of jobs in the retail sector require a degree and relatively few managers are qualified to degree level. However, most of the large retailers have graduate schemes which require specialist knowledge in IT, HR and finance.
If the continued technological advancement is to be managed effectively, there is a need for more graduates with higher level skills to enter the sector.
For information on entry requirements and relevant qualifications, see types of jobs.
Graduate recruiters in the retail sector require candidates with:
Many graduates will have worked in the retail sector at some point during their studies or through the summer holidays. Experience of having worked in the sector is looked upon favourably by graduate scheme recruiters.
As the majority of jobs in retail are part time with flexible hours, gaining work experience is easier than in some other sectors. If you go into your local retailer you will often find roles advertised on notice boards or if you're looking to work in a smaller independent retailer then simply enquiring in store will help you find out if a role is available.
To find work placements and internships in the retail and sales sector, search for work experience.
There are a number of graduate schemes available in the sector covering all functions of retail. Schemes often require a 2:2 or above in any undergraduate degree and many employers ask for some experience of working in the sector but this is not always essential.
You may find if you have worked with a large retailer part time during your studies that there are opportunities to train as a manager from within and you can apply as an internal candidate.
To find jobs and graduate schemes in the sector, search graduate jobs in retail and sales.
Discover the benefits of professional development and find out which qualifications could fast-track your career…
This depends on the type of role you're aiming for in the sector e.g. if you want to work in finance as an accountant then you will need to do professional training and this may be supported by your employer.
However, if you're looking to work as a store manager then postgraduate study may not be necessary but continuing professional development (CPD) may be an advantage to further your skills.
To find postgraduate retail and sales courses in the UK, search courses and research.
It depends on the type of job you're aiming for. For example, entry qualifications for some jobs are provided (or accredited) by professional bodies. Where this is the case, you might need to join the professional body to become qualified to do the job, which could mean membership is compulsory.
For other jobs, being a member of a professional body is voluntary and can be valuable for developing networks, CPD and generally keeping up to date. For more information, see types of jobs.