What is it like to work in the Retail Sector?

 The retail sector is the largest private-sector employer in the UK. Each year consumers in the UK spent somewhere around £378 billion, with over three million Britons working in retail. The industry is continually growing, contrary to specific newspaper reports that automation will affect many retail workers’ jobs soon.

Retail Overview

There’s much more to retail than just standing behind a cash register. We’ve listed some of the significant opportunities within retail below:

• Buying 
• Merchandising 
• Department management
• Store/area management
• Logistics and supply
• FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods)
• Customer services

Generally speaking, managers need to be the most well-rounded of employees as they’re involved in every selling process area. There are many different misconceptions about working in retail. For instance, it’s not a predominantly part-time role, nor is it a role dominated by younger people. 

Buyers 

It’s the Buyer’s job to successfully buy necessary goods and merchandise for the company, ensuring that the price and quality are suited to the consumer’s needs. 

Buyers must fully understand their target market and be commercially aware. Maximising profit is the main aim of any Buyer. It’s a role that requires you to prioritise and be organised in everything you do without much room for error. Deadlines are a large part of the job, as is the ability to work without constant supervision. ‘Soft skills include the ability to motivate, communicate and work as part of a team. 

Merchandisers

It’s up to the Merchandiser to ensure that products appear in the right store at the right time in the correct quantities. To do this, they work in conjunction with Buyers to plan stock levels, analyse industry trends and monitor performances. 

The Buyer’s job is to source the product lines whilst the Merchandisers decide how much money should be spent and what it should be spent on. For smaller businesses, the same person may take on both of these roles simultaneously. 

Managing Store Managers

Store Managers are responsible for looking after a single store. The ability to manage staff effectively and ensure customer satisfaction is vital. They need to ensure sales targets are met and day-to-day operations run smoothly. 

They have to coordinate and report to senior managers in the company and make sure the store is stocked, clean and functioning as it should. 

Most managers have spent years as Shift Managers or Customer Service Assistants before being promoted to a more senior level. Thorough knowledge of operations and the role of each member of staff is crucial to overall success.  

Area Managers

As the name suggests, Area Managers are responsible for managing several stores within a specific region. The role itself differs significantly from Store Manager; the primary responsibilities include taking on the overall responsibilities for managing all the stores, managing operations and increasing sales and efficiency.

They need to ensure that Store Managers and their teamwork to the highest possible standards and all procedures and best practices are adhered to. Due to the fact, their time will be split between different stores, and they will often have to juggle their time. 

However, this can prove to be difficult as different Managers may require different degrees of support at other times. Therefore the ability to adapt to change and keep on top of trends in the industry is crucial. Area Managers are often former Store Managers having worked for the same brand. 

Logistics

If you’re good at coordinating processes and value organisation and efficiency, then this could be the career for you. Logistics Managers are responsible for organising and distributing goods. 

Transportation, stock control and warehousing can all be parts of the job. Understanding the nature of the supply chain is crucial to the role. You’ll always be in communication with your colleagues in other areas of the business to ensure targets are consistently met. 

Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) 

The FMCG industry concerns any goods you buy in a supermarket or pharmacy that have a fast-approaching sell-by-date. These products are quick to leave the shops but are bought and sold, usually in bulk, at low prices. Any fast-moving household item can come under this category, so it doesn’t just refer to food, as some people mistakenly believe. 

There are good employment prospects within the diverse world of FMCG; job titles include Health and Safety Manager, Procurement Analyst, Stock Control Manager and Head of Sourcing.FMCG’s also becoming an increasingly popular route for graduates. 

Customer Services

Customer Service roles require you to respond to customer enquiries and concerns about products and services. Dealing directly with customers can be either over the phone, by email or face to face. 

Interpersonal skills are vital to this role, as they can organise workflows and manage customer databases. You’ll need to provide feedback to the store manager and have excellent product knowledge and attention to detail.

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Store Operations

The overwhelming majority of retail vacancies come under the category of Store Operations. This concerns the selling of merchandise and making sure everything in the store runs as efficiently as possible. 

Positions include, but aren’t limited to:

• Director of Operations
• Regional/Area Manager
• Store Manager 
• Assistant Store Manager
• Supervisor 
• Sales Assistant
• Customer Service Assistant 

The skills you’ll need

The skills you’ll need vary depending on what specific area of retail you’re aiming for. For instance, Buyers and Merchandisers need to be analytical, commercially astute and have good numeracy skills. 

Store Managers are involved in pretty much every aspect of operations. This means they need to be good leaders, salespeople and be able to prioritise multiple tasks.

Anyone who works in Customer Service has to have good communication skills and be customer-focused. If you’ve never worked in retail before, examples of these transferable skills will be critical to your application’s success.

Graduate opportunities

Retail is also a popular route for graduates, particularly in buying and selling. For a majority of graduate schemes, employers will consider any degree. According to The Guardian, the average starting salary for graduates in retail is £28,000.

However, it’s important to remember that positions are often competitive, and schemes usually require that you relocate. Specific graduate schemes can be incredibly lucrative, including at both Aldi and Lidl, which can offer salaries starting at over £40,000.  

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Who are the leading employers?

The major brands in retail are household names. Here’s a sample collection of some of the largest recruiters in the industry:

• Tesco
• Aldi
• John Lewis
• Marks and Spencers
• Boots
• Dixons
• Amazon
• Morrisons
• Argos 
• Currys 

Due to the market being incredibly competitive, managerial positions, in particular, will increasingly be sought after in the next few years. 

This is because customers increasingly want to combine more traditional services with new technologies. In a consumer-driven industry, the effects of this led to e-commerce, app building and in-store collection.  

What kind of salary can you expect?

Using data extracted from the WhatJobs database, below you can find the typical salaries you could expect to earn in these popular retail roles*: 

• Director of Operations – £49,400
• Regional/Area Manager – £40,000
• Store Manager – £25,000
• Assistant Store Manager – £18,500
• Supervisor – £17,000
• Retail Assistant – £14,600
• Customer Service Assistant – £15,400

Salaries will, of course, vary depending on the company you work for. If you’re a recent graduate, you can apply for one of the many schemes advertised by the big brands. 

WhatJobs is updated with thousands of new retail jobs weekly. If you look at our Advanced Search feature, you’ll be able to find a range of salaries advertised for each specific retail-based role. 

If you’ve had no previous direct retail experience, consider what transferable skills you could bring to the role. For example, do you have experience working in high-pressure environments? Do you have good interpersonal skills? Can you manage or work as part of a team?

*These are examples of average salaries taken from job vacancies advertised on WhatJobs.