{{B}}ACAREERIN RETAILING
Keeping the customer satisfied is central to the retail business. But how much job satisfaction can workers in the retail trade expect? Five people who work in retailing talk about their careers.{{/B}}
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Steve Cain{{/B}} is deputy director of trading for a large supermarket. He says, "When I moved into the retail sector I found it offered more tangible achievements and rewards than my previous business consultancy work. The power base has changed in the industry, and it's the retailers who are now driving things forward. Before, buyers waited for the product to come in and negotiated the price with the manufacturers, but now in food retailing, it's the retailers themselves who are developing their own brands and fixing prices, so that makes it an exciting field to work in."
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Virginia Clement{{/B}} is support and development manager for a large clothing department store. "This means I am responsible for all the buying and merchandising. This demands teamwork, and for me this is one of the most attractive aspects of working at head office. You have a lot of contact with people, from shop floor staff to suppliers. We work in a very open environment and we're very team orientated. Each team is responsible for getting a particular product to the store on time and in the right quantities."
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Tim Edlund,{{/B}} who works in buying for a large clothing store, says, "The buyer has to have some flair for design, but balancing that, you need a strategic view and business acumen. There are numerous factors influencing a buyer's choice of product range for each season. I have to be aware of current trends in the suppliers' market, competitors' activity and both local and global customer demand. I go all over Britain to keep abreast of this information. Working hours are very irregular, so it's the complete opposite to a 9 to 5 job. It can be extremely exhausting, but I love it."
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Diane Maxwell{{/B}} is buying controller for women's wear for a home shopping catalogue company. She says that, despite the hard work, her job remains varied and satisfying. "I've gained a huge range of skills with the company in all kinds of fields, both through formal courses and by means of on-the-job training. The scope of the buying role is extremely broad. It's not just about the product. The focus of the job is on producing a profitable range and that requires extensive business knowledge."
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Jan Shaw{{/B}} is personnel director of a supermarket. She says, "What we really want to do in our company is take on people with a real interest in trade rather than managers who only want to complete a job as fast as possible. Our new graduate recruitment programme aims to do exactly that. The induction programme introduces all aspects of working for our company, giving early responsibility and first-hand experience of the company's working culture. Career development within the company is based on general management skills rather than pecialisation, so whatever department they are in, employees will focus on similar aims."