Retail: A Career in the Retail Industry

Arguably one of the country’s largest employers is the retail industry with a huge number of large and small outlets selling everything from groceries, books and clothing to electrical goods and furniture. The industry has enjoyed further expansion and diversification since the introduction of the Internet where companies, such as the leading supermarkets Sainsbury’s, Tesco and ASDA, can offer an even greater selection of products to their customers at the most competitive prices.

It is essential for retail outlets to continually offer new products and services in order to remain ahead of their competitors and to ensure the loyalty of their customer base. However, this has had an unfortunate impact on smaller, independent traders who are simply incapable of competing with the larger organisations. As well as the general high street stores and supermarkets, there are also leading department stores, including Debenhams, John Lewis and Fenwicks, which offer their customers an even broader product offering under one roof.

Retail roles

The ultimate aim of a Sales Assistant is to ensure that the highest standards of customer service are delivered at all times. This can be achieved through handling product enquiries, restocking shelves, carrying out till transactions and ensuring that all public areas are clean and tidy. Retail Managers are involved less in general customer service and more in the overall running of the store or a specific department. They are accountable for the achievement of store targets and objectives, for ordering from suppliers and for dealing with any human resource issues that may arise.

Entry requirements

Entry level positions are readily available within the retail industry with little or no formal qualifications required. Experience in other customer-facing environments is, however, considered to be advantageous although, again, not necessarily essential as training is generally provided. Fast track store management routes are also available for those with considerable retail experience or for recent graduates.

Available qualifications

There are a number of vocational qualifications available in the retail sector and these include NVQs in Retail Operations, Customer Services and Sales as well as a BTEC First Diploma in Retail. Extensive training and qualification is also provided as part of the management training schemes offered by the larger retail chains where management experience can be acquired in both store and head office operations.

Skills requirements

An outgoing personality is one of the most essential requirements for such a customer-facing role along with:

• Excellent communication skills
• Strong product knowledge
• A passion for customer service and target achievement
• The ability to work effectively as part of a team as well as on own initiative
• A smart appearance

Future opportunities

Promotion prospects within the retail industry are generally very good with the opportunity to progress to Store Manager and Area Manager (in larger organisations), or to specialise in areas such as HR, training, merchandising and marketing. The industry is highly competitive and understandably influenced by changes in economic trends and consumer opinion but continues to be a popular industry with vacancies always available.