11 May 2009
For an industry that is so reliant on frontline staff, retail has a poor record for nurturing that key resource.
Source: Matthew Valentine, Editor, Retail Bulletin
While head office staff in finance, property, marketing or IT tend to be highly valued and well rewarded, those at the sharp end can be excused for feeling left out.
So it was good to see such senior retail figures at the launch of the National Skills Academy for Retail this week. Charlie Mayfield of John Lewis, Justin King of Sainsbury's, Ian Cheshire of Kingfisher and Theo Paphitis from Rymans and Dragon's Den were all present and correct, along with many others. At last, there is the prospect of an industry-wide training scheme that can provide truly useful skills, with transferable qualifications that are recognised by all retailers.
As speakers at the event were keen to point out, the retail sector employs more than 3m people in the UK and is a massive contributor to the economy. But for too many, working in a shop is considered to be a low status job for those on their way to something better.
Let's not forget that, in the past, many of those guilty of such a view were senior managers in retail companies. The view that good staff worked in head office while those in the stores would never rise higher was one that could be heard, in whispered tones, in the boardrooms of many of the UK's larger retailers.
Few would express such a view now, and not just because they would create a PR disaster. With so many workers that only the NHS employs more, retail is of massive importance to the UK economy. The international expansion of UK retailers is seeing massive exports of expertise, knowledge and experience. The value of retail staff is more apparent than it has ever been.
So staff are finally getting some of the training they deserve. It may have been a long time coming, but the nation of shopkeepers is finally getting itself organised with more formal training schemes.