Retail, sales and customer service

Retail, sales and customer service

There are lots of different jobs that you can do in retail, from junior customer service roles right up to area manager, responsible for several key stores. In Worcestershire there are lots of organisations that offer retail positions. All the towns and cities in Worcestershire have retail stores such as large supermarkets like Tesco, Aldi and Asda. 

There are also superstores like Home Bargains and many independent shops. A few examples of other retail companies in Worcestershire based on turnover and employment local to us could be Boots LTD, H&M LTD, and Poundland LTD.

The Retail industry is responsible for the buying and selling of goods, from a chocolate bar to a car. It’s one of the largest industries in the UK, covering entertainment, fashion, food, health & beauty, homeware, sport & leisure, and technology. 

Although there has been a move away from people buying on the high street to buying online, there are still many people employed in retail. Whether you fancy selling clothes, fresh fruit and vegetables or pet supplies there are lots of opportunities to work face to face with the public providing goods and services. 

These jobs can be at all levels and often provide flexible working and part time opportunities too.

In Worcestershire, the demand and interest for jobs in the retail, sales and customer service sector is everchanging. We have gathered data from the last 6 months to highlight the supply and demand within this sector, the demand for apprenticeships and the top employers hiring in this sector.

Examples of careers in retail

• customer service (handling customer enquiries and complaints and resolving problems).
• developing people (recruiting, developing and training staff).
• finance (financial management, administration or IT).
• management (responsible for the effective day-to-day operation of the organisation).
• merchandising (deciding what products and lines shops should stock and how to display them).
• operations (dealing with customers e.g. sales).
• product experts (working with specific products or lines like a demonstrator).
• sourcing (finding stock).
• stock management (planning and managing stock movement)

Get started on your future: what you'll need

You’ll need customer service skills, patience, the ability to work well with others, excellent verbal communication skills, a desire to help people and the ability to sell products and services.

Explore jobs in this sector

• Red - Formal Qualifications required – GCSE’s grades 4-9 , Level 3 Qualifications , A levels, or Degree
• Amber - Some Formal Qualifications may be required at Level 2 depending on the employer this will vary depending on the organisation and position
• Green - No formal Qualification required

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