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From food to fashion and cooking pots to computers, we all need to go shopping - whether it’s for daily necessities or once-in-a-lifetime luxuries. Retail is very big business. Nearly 300,000 retail operations in the UK take more than £260bn a year – that’s about £4,500 for every man, woman and child.

The industry is the largest private sector employer, with nearly three million people employed across the UK – one in nine of the total workforce. Graduates are perfectly placed to take advantage of the huge opportunities and rewards that a career in retail offers. Indeed the industry accounts for about 6.5 per cent of all graduate vacancies. There’s a wide choice of employers, skills and job functions, giving the industry unrivalled fl exibility.

Kellie Bowdery, graduate development coach at specialist electrical retailer DSGi, says: “It’s a fast-paced, exciting and challenging environment and there’s no better way to get close to the customer
and see how they are thinking. It’s an innovative and progressive industry with lots of prospects, there are opportunities to move up the career ladder quickly, and it’s so diverse that you can fi nd roles that use
all of your best skills.” Ability and skill are rewarded well in retail and promotion can be swift. Indeed, graduates could eventually be managing their own store or department and be responsible for hundreds of staff and in control of multi-million pound budgets.


GRADJOBS’ TOP TIPS FOR GETTING INTO RETAIL
• To work in retail requires dedication to the cause and the motivation to provide a good service
• Be a ‘people person’ – retail is a job where you have to be able to deal with everyone including:
-customers
-suppliers
-colleagues
-managers
• You need to be customer focused and genuinely care about what shoppers want.
• Important skills in retail include:
-strong numeracy
-being commercial astute,
-excellent problem-solving
and analytical skills
-a flair for negotiation
-top-notch communication skills.
• Be prepared for a fast-paced environment – retail businesses are highly competitive and don’t stand still.
• Landing a place on a graduate training schemes can be very competitive so cast your net far and wide.
• 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 fi ll the niche.
• Get good-quality work experience or an internship – preferably with the firm you’re hoping to eventually join.

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