subject: Career Opportunities In Wholesale/retail Sectors [print this page] If you are interested in the Merchandising Industry, then a career in Purchasing, Retailing, Merchandising or Wholesale may be the right career move for you.
There are thousands of opportunities within this sector of Industry for both people with experience and graduates/trainees.
The retail world offers many Job roles ranging from Sales assistants, Concession managers, Buyer, Visual merchandiser and Store managers. If you have studied fashion and design at university, you may want to consider entering the retail clothing industry as there are thousands of both high street and designer shops to choose from. This is a great start and will give you a good insight into retail. You must be prepared to work unsociable hours. Many stores are open until 7pm and you will generally be required to work on a rota system over the weekend as this is often the retails busiest period.
A career as a buyer is a perfect choice for lovers of fashion. A fashion buyer purchases the clothes to sell in a retail clothing company. Your goal is to build a department or store that provides its consumers with the best products in its particular category. In addition to ordering the merchandise you will also be responsible for analyzing complex sales reports to help predict the future of your market. The buyer is also the liaison between the suppliers and store management. You should work to create a good relationship with suppliers and designers and be able to negotiate prices. It is also important to be sure that your orders are being fulfilled and delivered properly.
Many fashion buyers have often come from a sales background, having gained experience in selling the products, window dressing and improving your customer relation skills. A background in a fashion qualification would be a good bonus, particularly a degree in fashion merchandising which is a popular course.
If you have a broad knowledge of the business, after several years retail experience, then you may want to consider a role as a Store/Retail Manager. This will require good sales and marketing skills, PR skills, good leadership and interpersonal skills and someone who is willing to travel, as you may be required to travel to other branches if you are working for a large chain store.
There are several Internet Job boards and Jobsites available that focus on advertising vacancies in the Wholesale and Retail Industries both in the UK and Worldwide.
