Wowgloucestershire – job sector factsheet Prospects 2012 ©
RETAIL BUSINESS: CURRENT JOB MARKET
· Nationally, the retail industry employs around 3 million people, the largest private sector employer in the UK
· Retail is worth billions to the economy. Currently, the UK food and grocery market alone is worth over £150bn
· Supermarkets and department stores are the largest individual employers. Excluding these, the vast majority of shops have fewer than 5 employees
· The retail industry offers many more opportunities than simply store-based jobs. Areas include buying, marketing, administration, human resources, information technology and marketing. Staff in these sectors are often based in a company’s head office
· Headquarters of retail organisations are situated throughout the UK, although some areas of the country, such as the East Midlands, have a particularly high number
· According to Skillsmart Retail, staff turnover within the industry is usually high
· The highest proportion of retailers in Englandis in London and the southeast
· For a number of years there has been a decline in retail in small town centres (along with a decline in the number of small retailers). However, town centres in general are still major locations for the retail industry
· Other centres include retail warehouse parks (e.g. do-it-yourself outlets, furniture stores), airports e.g. London’s BAA Heathrow Airport has thousands of retail staff and shopping centres
· The UK is a major trading nation and, as the global market is expanding, there are increasing opportunities for importers and exporters
· There are around 300,000 LGV drivers in the UK. The industry has been affected by the recession and there are currently fewer vacancies for qualified drivers
· Competition for marketing positions is high. Most enter marketing after gaining related work experience
· Apart from in the distribution sector(where men account for around 7 out of every 10 jobs) women predominate
· Contact centres are often sited on business parks outside city and town centres. Some companies base their contact centres abroad so there may be opportunities to work overseas, setting up centres and training local staff
· A third of all those who work in the retail sector are below the age of 25
· Many retailers are under pressure and many well known companies have been taken over or collapsed in the last few years – generally online sales and discount shops haven't been hit so badly
· Skills shortages include customer handling and oral communication skills
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Wowgloucestershire – job sector factsheet Prospects 2012 ©
RETAIL BUSINESS: FUTURE TRENDS
· With customers having less disposable income, it is likely that discount retail stores will increase their share of the market
· Online sales are also set to rise, but marginsand profits are being cut as more and more companies move into the business– where they are recruiting, online companiescould require anything from sales and customer service staff, to technical and delivery staff
· Technology is important for online retailers and store retailers – one trend is for proximity marketing: customers who have signed up, will get a text when they are near the store to tell them about new offers
· The trend for customers to act as their own check-out operators is set to continue – it frees up store staff to do other work, although it could lead to redundancies
· On the other hand, as businesses try to attract and keep customers, retailers are aiming to make shopping more of an old-fashioned, relaxingexperience – some stores are set to open in listed (traditional) buildings and avoid too much obvious technology
· Both store and online retailers will depend increasingly on customer loyalty, which means staff have to offer excellent service – customer service skills will continue to be extremely important for job applicants
· The increasing cost of raw materials, including food stuffs, will mean less profits for retailers
· The illegal downloading of music and movies could lead to fewer opportunities in entertainment retail
· A few major shopping centres have opened recently, including one near to the 2012 Olympics site in London, which has so far attracted many customers.More are being planned (including a£350 million project in Leeds which is due to open in 2013). However, of the various shopping centres planned, Retail Gazette say that only 4% are 'under construction' – most are still waiting to get permission to build, or haven't yet asked for permission. Some experts believe that many of the shopping centres planned will not actually get going for at least a fewyears
· If the trend in some areas for locally-produced products, organic merchandise and personal service continues, it may allow small, independent retailers to compete with larger businesses
· Group buying and co-operatives are also likely to offer opportunities for friends and business partners to set up in business
RETAIL BUSINESS: THE PICTURE IN GLOUCESTERSHIRE
· The retail industry in Gloucestershire employs around 42,000 people
· In common with the rest of the UK, only a tiny percentage of employers have more than 50 staff
· The largest individual employers are the supermarkets, a few of which are open 24-hours and which will therefore have the greatest need for staff
· Town/city centres such as Cheltenham’s (e.g. High Street, Beechwood Shopping Centre and Regent Arcade)and retail parks (such St Oswald’s in Gloucester) have the most opportunities. Many shops in smaller towns and rural settings have fewer opportunities, and may rely heavily on tourism for their business
· Gloucester's 'Railway Triangle' site has recently been given permission to build a new supermarket (Morrison's) and petrol station. Also, Tesco's have applied to re-build their St Oswald's store, which they say will lead to morejobs (although the competition could lead to fewerjobs in competing shops), whilst bothSainsbury's and Asda have applied to build superstores in Cinderford
· The continuation of Gloucester Quays revamp is also getting closer. The outlet first opened in 2009 and according to This is Gloucester, has provided around 1.000 jobs for retail workers
· Business and industrial parks can be a good place to find warehouse jobs
Examples of retail business employers/locationsin Gloucestershire
· Debenhams, Cheltenham
· Downton (logistics), Moreton Valence
· B& Q, Dunbridge
· Creed Foodservice (wholesale food distribution), Cheltenham
· Gloucester business parks – information on Gloucester City Council’s website
· Tesco, Gloucester
· House of Fraser, Cheltenham
· Exploration Logistics Group, Mitcheldean
· Matalan, Gloucester
· Wincanton (logistics) - sites in Gloucester and Bristol
· G-TEKT (manufacturing firm – also logistics), Gloucester
· Warner's Budgens Supermarkets (local supermarkets)
· Aktion Express (logistics), Stroud
· Hacklings Transport (logistics, warehousing), Bourton on the Water
· Howard Tenens Associates (logistics), Stroud
· Steinhoff UK (furniture/household retailer head office), Cheltenham
· SuperGroup (fashion retailer head office), Cheltenham
RETAIL BUSINESS: FINDING OUT MORE
www.skillsmartretail.com
The Sector Skills Council for retail
www.skillsforlogistics.org
The Sector Skills Councils for logistics
www.motor.org.uk/
The Institute of the Motor industry
www.cim.co.uk
The Chartered Institute of Marketing
www.cips.org
The Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply
www.ciltuk.org.uk
The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport
www.export.org.uk
Institute of Export
www.dsa.gov.uk
Driving Standards Agency
www.rha.uk.net
Road Haulage Association
www.ukwa.org.uk
United Kingdom Warehousing Association
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