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  • Shropshire
    Permanent

    Work with the Head of Buying to expand one of the companies sub categories

    This is a hugely autonomous role and needs someone to take the lead on all aspects of growth and development

    • Addition to the team due to growth

    • Online Retailer

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  • Greater Manchester
    Permanent

    I am working with an exciting online fashion retailer who have seen rapid growth this year. They are looking for a Buyer with experience in Fashion to join their team based in Greater Manchester

    • An opportunity to join a business who has seen substantial growth this year

    • Be a part of an online retailer with an expanding team

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  • Manchester
    Permanent

    My retail client based in Manchester are looking to appoint a buyer into their team. After a restructure, they are looking to bring someone in to manage one of their largest categories within the business. You will be sourcing product from the FE / China so should be experienced with travel and factory visits along with working in a dynamic E-commerce environment.

    • Well Performing E-commerce company

    • Have seen great growth and performance during the last 8 months

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  • Manchester
    Permanent
    £30,000

    To deliver a cost saving programme across their categories, manage supplier costs, drive improved working capital opportunities. Manage suppliers effectively and professionally, continuously working collaboratively to drive continuous improvement.

    • Experience in a fast-paced multi-site environment

    • Ideally CIPS qualified or working towards

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  • Hertfordshire
    Permanent
    £35,000 - £40,000

    Buyer needed for a growing Omni-Channel Retailer in Hertfordshire. The buyer will be responsible for selection and sourcing of their own product range, the majority of which will be from the Far-east - therefore Far-East Experience sourcing experience is a must have!

    This buyer would cover multiple general merchandise and home product categories, so this would also be a plus!

    • Brand New Position - Growing Omni-Channel Retailer in Hertfordshire

    • Chance to be part of a true retail success!

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  • South Yorkshire
    Permanent

    A purchasing role within a stockist and distribution business

    An exciting opportunity for an experienced Buyer

    • Exciting opportunity to join a fast growing busines

    • Lead, develop and manage all procurement

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  • South Yorkshire
    Permanent

    Working on the purchasing team in a growing business

    Effectively build on supplier relationships

    • A fantastic opportunity in a growing business

    • Competitive package

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  • Scarborough
    Permanent
    £40,000

    To ensure the activities in the purchasing function are carried out professionally, effectively and efficiently

    • Must have Far East sourcing experience

    • 6+ years purchasing experience essential

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  • Featured Job

    Technical Buyer - Manufacturing company
    Greenford
    Permanent



    Strategic purchasing role supporting the NPI Buyer Manager to build a supply chain which is of high quality, reliable, flexible and value adding for the companies new product development projects.

    Proactive role where you will need to hit the ground running

    • Promotes personal development and growth

    • Enhance your procurement and sourcing skills

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  • Leeds
    Permanent
    £25,000 - £29,000

    Our client, based in Leeds, are a manufacturer of products which are supplied into a huge range of industries. They now present this exciting new role of Buyer to the market.

    • A small, growing manufacturer in Leeds is looking for a Buyer

    • This is a real opportunity to make a role you're own

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  • Merseyside
    Permanent
    £35,000 - £45,000

    My client is a renowned manufacturing organisation based in the North West that are adding headcount to the procurement function and are looking for a talented Buyer to join the team on a permanent basis.

    • Buyer - Projects

    • Indirect Procurement

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  • London
    Permanent
    £35,000 - £44,000

    End to end buying role within the Software Category, developing and implementing category strategy in an autonomous environment.

    • An opportunity to work for a multi-award winning Procurement function

    • Excellent development and growth opportunities internally

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  • Leicestershire
    Permanent

    Are you currently a Digital Campaign Executive ready for a new role? Would you like to work for a premium retailer?

    • Digital Campaign Executive-Retail

    • East Midlands

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  • Marlow
    Permanent

    The Senior Buyer will be responsible for covering the Mechanical category for the aerospace business unit. Working with relevant internal stakeholders and suppliers to drive procurement excellence.

    • Senior Buyer

    • Senior Buyer, Operational Procurement, Strategic Procurement, Global Business

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  • Nottinghamshire
    Permanent
    £45,000 - £55,000

    My client are looking for a Site Buyer - Ingredients to lead the site procurement strategy for ingredients and packaging, following key processes to support the delivery of the wider business agenda.

    • Fantastic opportunity to join a true market-leader within food manufacturing

    • Opportunity for an experienced food/ingredients Buyer, based in Nottinghamshire

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  • London
    Temporary
    £45,000 - £50,000

    Working alongside a strong design team, responsible for creating the strategy and the implementation of a new fashion accessories (handbags/suitcases/weekend bags) arm to the business, as well as strengthening the existing homewear ranges.

    • Opportunity to work for a growing homewear brand moving into new product areas

    • To work as part of a small dynamic team having huge success within their market

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  • West Yorkshire
    Permanent

    My retail client in W. Yorkshire are looking to appoint a beauty buyer into their expanding team. Off the back of some great performance over the last 6 months, they are looking to appoint a beauty buyer to head up the category and work closely with the head of buying.

    • Great company to work for, a very strong benefits package

    • Role has been identified as a real area of growth for the company

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  • Liverpool
    Permanent
    £22,000 - £25,000

    My client is a leading renewables organisation that are undergoing a period of growth in the procurement function and are looking for a talented Junior Buyer to join their team.

    • Junior Buyer

    • Indirect Procurement

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  • Southampton
    Permanent
    £35,000 - £38,000

    Indirect Procurement Buyer | Southampton

    • Indirect Procurement Buyer | Southampton

    • Flexible Working

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  • Warrington
    Permanent
    £35,000 - £38,000

    This is a critical role supporting the management of overall Indirect spend across the business, working closely with the Procurement Manager to develop sourcing strategies and working collaboratively with stakeholder groups.

    • High performing team, leader in its sector.

    • Wide portfolio of spend in remit of the role

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  • England
    Permanent
    £40,000 - £45,000

    We are currently supporting one of the world's leading chemicals and agriculture company's recruit a Senior Buyer Indirects and Packaging

    We are looking for a procurement professional who achieves the highest level of contribution to profit, growth, and competitive advantage by demonstrable best in class procurement performance and by leveraging global scale and skills in all areas of spend.

    • Global business based in Manchester

    • Excellent financial performance during pandemic

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  • Merseyside
    Permanent
    £45,000 - £55,000

    My client is a renowned household name in their field and are looking for a talented Senior Buyer with solid experience in heavy engineering projects reporting into the Head of Procurement on a permanent basis.

    • Senior Buyer - Projects

    • Indirect Procurement

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  • City of London
    Permanent
    £35,000 - £45,000

    Exciting end to end highly strategic Procurement Buyer role looking after the Telco & Infrastructure category. High level autonomy with a support network in place to foster development and training.

    • Industry leading training and development

    • Award winning Procurement team and leadership

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  • City of London
    Permanent
    £35,000 - £44,000

    Exciting end to end highly strategic Procurement Buyer role looking after the Professional Services category. High level autonomy with a support network in place to foster development and training.

    • Award winning Procurement function

    • Excellent growth and development opportunities

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  • England
    Temporary
    £20 - £25 per hour

    Capex procurement specialist required with working knowledge of SAP.

    • Capex Procurement specialist required

    • Outside IR35

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  • Bristol
    Permanent
    £60,000 - £65,000

    This is an opportunity to join this rapidly growing, specialist retailer to oversee the operational processes through their growth.

    • Retail Business in Growth

    • Customer Centric Business

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  • Uxbridge
    Temporary
    £45,000 - £50,000

    This is an excellent opportunity for an open minded, procurement professional who is passionate about the food FMCG industry.

    • A procurement opportunity within a large FMCG food business.

    • The business offer a flexible, diverse and inclusive culture.

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  • Leeds
    Permanent
    £60,000 - £90,000

    This is a real gem of an opportunity. This business is growing rapidly and looking for someone to join them to drive forward the white goods (specifically built in kitchen) area of the business.

    • Brand new role for a growing business

    • Great progression opportunities

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  • Greater Manchester
    Permanent
    £45,000 - £65,000

    An exciting opportunity has become available at a growing retail business. This role will suit a Marketing/Senior Marketing Manager who is looking for career progression. If targets are hit, this role will develop in to a Director level position over the next few years.

    • Brand new role for a growing business

    • Great progression opportunities

    Save job View job
  • Telford
    Permanent

    Are you a Senior Digital Marketing Manager looking for a new opportunity?

    • Senior Digital Marketing Manager

    • Shropshire

    Save job View job

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Our Retail insights

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Market update video: How consumer behaviours are shifting demand for specialist skills
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The new normal for customer experience in retail: How it will impact hiring
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Speed to consumer: Luxury to necessity
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A guide to retail jobs

Retail careers can vary greatly but all typically provide services to either both businesses and individual customers or specialise in products specific to one or the other. Retailers normally have their staff working in teams and those teams can be located within stores, an office, or even a warehouse. Working times are usually allocated on a shift basis and will vary depending on the specific products and/or services being provided. The type of products that retailers sell can vary, they may sell very specific products or offer a diverse range of merchandise. For example, a retailer might specialise in selling electronics, produce, entertainment or clothing while some larger stores might offer a mixture of these. Good customer service is a key part of any retail sales success and most retailers now have an online presence that bridges the gap between online sales and the high street shops.
 
Michael Page Retail & Fashion have forged strong relationships with our clients over the past 40 years. The jobs we recruit for range from positions within traditional stores to multiples and department stores, as well as multi-channel operations, online retailers, mail order and TV shopping channels, covering food, non-food and general merchandise.

Retail jobs we recruit

  • Assistant Store manager
  • Head of Merchandising
  • Buyer
  • Technologist - retail
  • Retail Store Manager
  • Merchandiser
  • Sales Advisor
  • Retail Customer Services Manger
  • Sales Consultant - retail

Key retail tasks

  • Greet customers as the first point of contact.
  • Deal with customer refunds.
  • Handle customer complaints.
  • Work within established guidelines, particularly with brands.
  • Receive and store stock deliveries.
  • Set up displays and POS material.
  • Assist customers in finding the products they are looking for.
  • Process cash and card payments.
  • Stock shelves with merchandise.
  • Report any problems or discrepancies.
  • Provide customers with advice and guidance on product selection.
  • Balance cash registers with receipts.

Key retail skills

As a retailer, good communication skills are a must when dealing with queries and executing a sale. If the customer can’t understand you or if you fail to get your point across, that oversight could impact any potential sale. You need to be comfortable working directly with members of the public because sales roles require regular interaction with customers, whether that’s on the phone or face-to-face. You also need to possess a confident demeanour, not only will this improve a customer’s confidence in you as a sales representative but it will also increase their association with the brand or product you are selling to them. A shy and uncertain sales person might discourage a customer from making a purchase. 
 
Being helpful and polite, while possessing a comprehensive understanding of your area of sales is a must. The better you know your product, the more confident you will be in selling it and similarly your potential buyer will have more confidence in you. Finally, a person that works within retail needs to be able to work effectively as part of a sales team which would include getting point of sales (POS) items ready, filling in if a colleague is away, completing a sale on behalf of a colleague or helping a colleague by persuading a customer that the product that they’re considering is the right one.
 

Qualifications and experience

Retail jobs have no formal educational requirements. However, most employers look for what you already know. For a lot of retail jobs, experience is learned while training on the job, although some large stores have training programs for new hires. If you have any prior experience with the products you'll be expected to sell it will be a plus, such as IT experience when applying for a sales position at a computer or electronics store. Prior experience will help boost your initial salary.
 
However, if you’ve set your sights on long-term career progression then there are various levels of qualifications available for you to choose from and these qualifications enable employers to make better informed decisions during the crucial recruitment stages. The levels range from entry level through to level 8. The higher levels begin from the City &Guilds Higher Professional Diploma in Retail Management (level 4) and the BTEC Higher National Diploma in Retail Management (level 5) and are reserved for those that want to be leaders in their field, e.g. managing directors.  The topics covered do these courses range from customer service, managing retail operations, finance, managing retail environment, to consumer behaviour, supply chain, and retail marketing. Westminster Kingsway College and the University of Brighton offer diploma courses too, like the Access to Higher Education Diploma Business level 3.
 
If you're interested in undertaking a foundation degree then there are courses available, supported by Skillsmart Retail – the sector skills council. There are higher education institutes that also offer courses including Manchester Metropolitan University, the University of the Arts London, and Leicester College. The degree courses offer a more specialist focus like fashion retailing, retail marketing or buying. There are also postgraduate degree options that include retailing MBAs.
 
A few big employers are also offering workplace-based courses which allow flexibility to students and provide valuable hands-on experience to better equip them when they progress with their career.
 
If you would like to discuss your career options, get in touch with our team of specialist retail consultants. Alternatively, if there is a specific position you are interested in contact the listed consultant directly.
 
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