Retail manager
Retail managers are responsible for running stores or departments to meet a company’s targets and policies. The aim of any retail manager is to maximise profit while minimising costs. Retail managers ensure promotions are accurate and merchandised to the company’s standards, staff are fully versed on the target for the day and excellent customer care standards are met.
Depending on the size of the store, and company structure, retail managers may also be required to deal with human resources, marketing, logistics, information technology, customer service and finance.
Depending on the size of store and the area of retail, typical work activities may alter, but tasks typically involve:
Although this area of work is open to all graduates, an HND/degree in the following subjects may increase your chances:
However, there may be exceptions where the retailer is a specialist in its field and a more relevant HND/degree may be preferred.
A pre-entry postgraduate qualification is not usually required, although a proportion of retail managers do undertake relevant postgraduate study.
Entry without an HND/degree is possible.
Retailers look for certain personal qualities during the recruitment process, such as people skills, confidence, enthusiasm and good customer service values. These traits tend to be favoured over academic qualifications.
Many companies expect applicants to have some retail experience whether acquired through part-time or holiday work. Alternatively, larger retailers offer placements for students, which frequently lead to job offers.
Candidates will need to show evidence of the following:
If you want to work within the retail industry it is advisable to get some work experience. As well as paid employment, you may also wish to consider voluntary work at local charity shops or similar experiences. You may be involved in a variety of different roles like stock management, pricing, merchandising, finance and customer service.
Alternatively, if there is a specific retailer you wish to work for, contact the local manager to request work shadowing, although be aware that many managers are very busy and may not be able to accommodate your request. Others may offer you another level of management to shadow, such as a supervisor or an assistant manager.
Remember all experience is good experience and if you later apply to the organisation the manager may be involved in the recruitment process.
Competition is steep, with some companies having thousands of applicants for several hundred spaces. Be aware that closing dates for some training schemes can be as early as December or January to start the following September (some close earlier when they have reached their applicant quota), so you will need to prepare early. Selection techniques in the industry are generally sophisticated and often based on online application procedures and assessment centres, which usually involve group exercises, presentations and psychometric testing. You may find it worthwhile to try speculative applications to smaller and independent companies.
For more information, see work experience and internships and search courses and research.
Many of the larger retail companies have dedicated training stores. Graduate schemes are often well structured and cover all areas of retailing within the store. You may be assigned a mentor who is an experienced manager and will oversee your training, offering support and guidance.
Training programmes are normally in-house and combine practical on-the-job or work shadowing experience with supplementary courses and workshops.
Short courses may offer:
Training programmes aim to give you an overview of the company through exposure to the various retailing areas. The length of training varies between nine months and three years. Many training programmes are flexible and can be tailored to your requirements; you will be expected to drive your own future in accordance with the needs of the business.
Companies may also support trainees in gaining further professional qualifications related to specific disciplines.
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 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.
Within the United Kingdom, retail is the largest private sector employer with over 2.5 million employees. Approximately 18% of retail staff are managers or senior postholders. According to Skillsmart Retail , the number of people employed in the UK retail sector is expected to rise by 6% by 2017.
Retail recruitment agencies are increasingly important. You can find details on the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) or via Retail Human Resources .
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