It's not just about playing shop, it's about running a business
From stacking shelves to choosing ranges, the UK's retail sector has plenty of jobs on offer.
There aren't too many professions where personality really is more important than experience. But in the retail sector being bright and bubbly counts far more than your CV.
According to Kate McCarthy, managing director of McCarthy Recruitment, jobs in the retail sector range from sales assistants — for which no previous experience is needed — to buyers or directors at head office.
"Once you get into it, it's not just about playing shop, it's about running a business," she says. "It's good grounding for being an entrepreneur... and it's a great way to learn how to manage and build teams. Plus there's the buzz of it, working with upbeat, friendly people."
McCarthy says retailers look for people who are energetic, enthusiastic and passionate about customer service. Being an Australian, New Zealander or South African is no barrier to scoring a UK retail job.
"We want more [people of these nationalities] to apply, they've got the right personality!" McCarthy says. While retail is often associated with working the tills or stocking shelves, the UK's massive retail sector means there are plenty of opportunities up the ladder.
These can range from being a floor manager in Harrods to supervising the process of goods getting from the supplier to the store. Further up the chain, you can be part of choosing which goods end up on the shelves.
For those starting out, sales assistant jobs typically pay about £12k-13k per year, while store managers' annual earnings can be anything from £20-£70k.
"It's one of the best industries to move up in. Retailers have clear training and development plans," McCarthy says.
While the boom in online shopping is changing the way the sector works, and the credit crunch is hurting sales in some stores, retail still remains one of the most important sectors of the UK economy. Three million people in the UK work in retail, and in 2006 the sector made about £255 billion worth of sales.
And with 300,000 shops, there should be one out there for just about every taste.
» See www.inretail.co.uk or www.mccarthyrecruitment.com
Sold on it
From working as a carpenter in Wellington, New Zealand, to managing the sound, vision and computing departments at the most famous store in the world, Jeremy Webb has truly embraced the world of retail. Webb, who arrived in the UK five years ago, used to be a manager at Harrods.
However, that proved to be "a bit over the top and not really my style. The hierarchies there were a bit too much," he says. These days he's the general manager of a Maplin Electronics store in Camden Town, while overseeing seven other branches. "I love it," he says. "You're never on your bum for too long.
"A lot of interesting people come through the store. Sometimes you turn off the sales [persona], and just find out what people are about." As well as training new staff, he also enjoys the "geek factor" of the job.
"I like gadgets and new technologies, and keeping my finger on the pulse of all that," he says.
