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Retail as a sector is one of the biggest graduate employers around and has a dazzling array of career options. There’s a lot more than just the shop floor, as we discover.

Mention retail as a career and for many people stacking shelves or standing behind a till are the first things that spring to mind.
But the truth is that the sector is one of the biggest employers in the country, promising a huge variety of career choices along with almost limitless potential and reward for the best candidates.
Retail is the industry in which goods or commodities are sold directly to the consumer, usually through bricks and mortar shops or premises, but also increasingly through the internet.
The figures alone make impressive reading. UK retail sales were nearly £250 billion in 2005, larger than the combined economies of Switzerland and Ireland, according to the British Retail Consortium.
More than a third of consumer spending goes through shops, and the industry employed 2.9 million people, as at the end of March 2006, equating to 11 per cent of the total UK workforce.
And whether it’s selling fashion or food, computers or cooking pots, retail as a career offers much more than a life on the shop floor for graduates. The industry has a huge variety of roles, positions and skills and these often come with speedy career progression, considerable financial and management responsibility, great pay packages and an impressive array of perks and bonuses.
Graduate starting salaries can be £20,000 or more, with store managers often earning £40,000 - £70,000 or more within five years.
If managing a team and a multi-million pound turnover in an individual store isn’t enough, there’s always the options of area management or head office work. Indeed, many of the larger retailers also have branches worldwide or buy direct from suppliers across the globe, so there’s often the potential for foreign travel or placements.
Skillsmart Retail, a not-for-profit organisation set up by the Government to identify and address skills needs in the retail sector, says the situation for graduates is now rosier than ever.
The organisation says: ‘In the last 10 years the sector has transformed. Retail is now as much about working in a financial institution’s high profile investment opportunity as an independent or chain run store.
‘As a result, large retailers now look for switched-on and motivated graduates, capable of driving forward the interests of their customers and shareholders through inspirational and innovative leadership in many fascinating and diverse roles.’
Indeed, there’s a bewildering number of jobs within retail, including management, sales, product buying, product design, research and development, human resources, marketing, IT, merchandising, back office support, training, customer relations and logistics. Indeed, it’s likely that whatever your background or interest, you’ll find an appropriate position with retail.
Mark Saunders, vice president of Retail at Levi Strauss Europe, says: ‘Retail is one of the most exciting sectors to work in. The good news for graduates is that, as an industry, we are always looking for creative and enthusiastic young people brimming with new ideas and talent.
‘Have a look at some job adverts on retail websites and within industry publications and think about where your skills and interests lie. This should help you get an idea of what avenue you would like to take within the industry.’
However, even when you know which part of retail interests you most, competition for the best jobs is extremely fierce, with top firms sometimes getting thousands of applicants.
The degree subject taken by graduates is usually not too important to recruiters, except for specific areas such as IT. Business studies or marketing qualifications can be useful, as can evidence of solid numeracy and literacy skills.
The class of degree achieved also isn’t as important as it is in other sectors, and some firms will even recruit those with just A-levels. Retailers are usually far more interested in a candidate’s personal qualities than their strict academic achievements. The ability to get on with people, find solutions to problems and be innovative enough to spot the potential for new ideas and products are all highly prized attributes.
Previous work experience of some part of the retail sector is a must have – even if it’s just working in the local corner shop or pub. Evidence of entrepreneurial flair – perhaps starting or managing some sort of small business or project – will also be welcomed.
Levi’s Mark Saunders says one of the best ways to get experience and also make crucial contacts within the industry is to do work experience.
‘Experience is always attractive to an employer but so is a genuine interest and talent,’ he says. ‘Internships are a good way to show your enthusiasm for an industry and get some experience, even if it’s just for a week or two.
‘Be prepared to start at the bottom and to roll up your sleeves if you want to make it in the retail sector though. So, send a CV and cover letter to a selection of companies you are interested in working for highlighting your interests and availability.’
With most of the big retail organisations, applications for graduate training programmes are initially online, followed by face-to-face interviews or attendance at an assessment centre.
If you’re lucky enough to get a position you’ll find that while the training can be challenging, career progression is swift compared to many other industries. For example, those starting in one of the major supermarkets or stores could start out a local shop in a variety of roles, before moving onto store or area manager job within five years.
Below we’ve outlined the graduate schemes for two of the biggest players – Tesco and Marks and Spencer – to give an idea of what major firms are looking for in potential recruits.

Tesco
Tesco is the country’s biggest private employer, and as such there’s a huge number of careers and job roles available. Qualifications needed for the graduate programme are a 2.1 degree,  240 UCAS points, A-C GCSE Maths and English
Opportunities on offer include Commercial, Corporate and Legal Affairs, Corporate Purchasing, Research and Analysis, Distribution, Finance, Information Technology, Marketing, Personnel, Property and Engineering, Tesco.com, Stores and Supply Chain.
Average starting pay is £21,500 minimum, but can be more depending on the department area. Benefits on offer include 10 per cent staff discount after a year, shares in success, share plans, 22 days holiday a year, leisure deals, personal finance discounts, pension and life assurance.
The graduate scheme lasts from between 12 to 24 months depending on programme, and schemes are generally modular with different placements in different areas for specified lengths of time. Typical office programme looks like two-week induction, eight weeks in store and two project placements.
For more information log on to www.tesco.com/careers

Marks and Spencer
Graduate jobs available within M&S are mainly management roles in store, along with some Head Office functions such as HR.
Any degree discipline is welcomed for selling and HR roles, although for the IT scheme the firm looks for a related degree.
After completing initial training at an M&S store, those on the scheme are expected to move to another store in the UK to take-up relevant development opportunities. Head Office roles will be based in central London and IT graduates work at Stockley Park, near Heathrow.
The programme is typically 12 months long, although this may vary slightly as different people progress at different rates. During that time trainees take on three or four placements, with a mixture of on-the-job training and classroom tuition.
Most of the firm’s graduates join in a store-based role, and are placed on a fast-track route into senior level retail management. If everything goes as planned then, within a year, they could be running their own small store or managing a whole department of a larger one.
Graduates will receive a starting salary of £22,000, plus up to £3,500 London weighting, and benefits include considerable discounts on M&S products, low-cost health and dental insurance and subsidised canteens.
For more information log on to www.marksandspencer.com/gradcareers

Boxes
Tips for getting into retail
•    Be a ‘people person’ – retail is a job where you have to be able to deal with everyone, including customers, suppliers, colleagues and managers.
•    You need to be customer focused and genuinely care about what shoppers want.
•    Be prepared for a fast-paced environment – retail businesses are highly competitive and don’t stand still.
•    Go into an interview with a thorough understanding of what your potential employer does – what it sells, how and to whom.
•    Get a good grounding on whatever industry sector you’re interested in, be it food, clothing, books or electrical goods.
•    Try to look for gaps in the market and how you can fill the niche.
•    Get good-quality work experience or an internships – preferably with the firm you’re hoping to eventually join.


Job specialities within retail
•    Management – either a store or a department within a larger store.
•    Buying – sourcing the best products at the best prices.
•    Marketing – making sure potential buyers know about the firm or product.
•    Human resources – including dealing with training and management issues
•    Head office and corporate work – including marketing and property areas.
•    Logistics – making sure the right goods go to the right place at the right time.
•    Information technology – covering all manner of stock, till, computer and security systems.

Further information
Skillsmart Retail - www.skillsmartretail.com
British Retail Consortium - www.brc.org.uk

Case study
Working in retail doesn’t just mean dealing with the buying or selling aspects – there’s a huge variety of careers on offer in the larger firms.
Rhys Davies, 24, has just been promoted to property manager at Tesco and is now based in Welwyn Garden City, Herts, having graduated nearly two years ago from University of the West of England. At UWE he studied real estate, valuation and management.
Rhys joined Tesco as part of the property graduate scheme during which he was sent on two one-month placements to work in-store to understand the customer experience.
He says: ‘I went into retail due to the opportunities it had to offer. It's such a vast element of the built environment that the variety of jobs and functions it has to offer would suit every interest.’
Having completed the graduate scheme, Rhys joined the development-planning team and was in charge of planning and checking new sites for feasibility in South England and Wales.
Rhys now looks after a number of properties, dealing with extraneous stores and residential property surrounding stores, such as flats above Tesco Metros.
He says: ‘Retail is a great industry to work in because you get immense satisfaction from delivering something which is appreciated by thousands of customers on a weekly basis. It can be fiercely competitive which makes every day a good challenge.’

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