Brompton Academy

Retail Industry

Sector Outlook The retail industry is a broad sector, which means that as well as work in store there are oppor tunities in buying, marketing, administration, human resources, information technology and marketing. Almost three million people work in the industry with the largest employers being supermarkets and department stores, the majority of retail outlets employ less than five people. If you’re interested in a retail career, the majority of vacancies are located in London and the southeast although others may be found in most town centres, retail warehouse parks and major airports. Opportunities may also exist in company head offices throughout the United Kingdom, particularly in the East Midlands. Keep an eye out for vacancies in your local area because between 2007 and 2017 a total of 214,000 new retail posts are expected to be created in UK. Household name stores such as Sainsbury’s, Tesco, ASDA, Lidl and Poundland have promised approximately 41,000 new jobs. What’s more, with high turnover being typical of the sector, a further 1.2 million jobs will need to be filled. Watch out also for the rise of value retailers such as Primark. The sector overall is dominated by a young workforce under the age of twenty-five and most employees are female. To improve your chances of finding work, it’s worth noting that many employers are in need of people who can demonstrate excellent customer service and good oral communication skills. The demand for such skills is closely linked with the business goals of many stores to promote customer loyalty. Equally important is the need for personnel who display leadership qualities, think strategically and adopt a ‘can do’ attitude. Vacancies within online sales are expected to increase for customer service personnel, technicians and delivery staff. Competition for some posts, however, remains high. Marketing is a case in point where candidates need to have a proven track record from relevant work experience. Recent years have seen the development of a few more major shopping centres, including one near the 2012 Olympic site in London and another in Leeds. Others are scheduled for development but progress may be slow due to the need for planning permission. Elsewhere, you could consider group buying and co-operatives if you want to set up shop with friends or business partners. Alternatively the growth of contact centres abroad could lead to overseas opportunities.