Retail Careers

What is retail?

Take a moment and look at the clothes you’re wearing or the food you had for lunch - all are products of the retail sector. Practically every product we interact with in our daily lives can be attributed to retailers and consumers.

There is a wide range of roles on offer in retail, such as…

• Buying. A buyer’s role is to find new and inventive suppliers and negotiate the purchase of their products. Often, they will also be responsible for the delivery, whether that be to the store or warehouse.

• Merchandising. Merchandisers work behind the scenes and are responsible for what products and goods are on display on the shop floor at different times. Their purpose is to maximise the value and profits of stock.

• Retail Management. Retail managers are in a senior position, responsible for the day-to-day running of the store or specific departments. They will constantly have their eyes on the day’s sales targets, ensuring high levels of customer service are maintained.

• E-commerce. You would be involved in the process of buying and selling products and services online, mostly through the internet. This includes tasks like managing online stores, handling customer orders, processing payments, and providing customer support.

• Digital Marketing. Digital marketers create and manage digital content, running advertising campaigns, optimising websites for search engines and analysing data to improve marketing efforts. 

What is it like working in retail?

Meet the retailer crowned "Happiest Place to Work" by the Retail Trust: Aldi

Aldi is more than just your weekly food shop. They’re actually one of the UK’s most exciting and highest-paying employers for young people. Whether you’re about to finish school and want to dive straight into work or are at university and have started your placement hunt, Aldi has opportunities no matter where you are on your career journey.

Why work for Aldi?

• 95% of our student community would recommend Aldi to a friend

• They’re one of our Top Employers for apprenticeships and small to medium-sized undergrad schemes

• You could earn up to £30,000 per year, depending on the programme

• Opportunities all over the UK

What roles can you do?

There's more than one way in at Aldi. Here's where your journey could start:

Ready to get your career started at Aldi?

What’s it really like to work for Aldi?

Here’s what our student community says about their time at Aldi:

Before my placement, I had very little experience in managing people or processes or being a leader. Throughout the entirety of my placement, I have been able to develop my leadership skills and learn how to become an effective manager. Retail Management Placement Student

Aldi is an amazing company to work for. My store has great structure and has been welcoming since day one. Management has fully supported my apprenticeship and motivated me to the fullest since joining the team. Store Apprentice

I enjoyed it very much. I learned how Aldi maintains or aims to be as environmentally friendly as possible, such as the solar panels on delivery trucks. I learnt to operate on MHE. I developed multitasking skills, such as the pick and clean role, where I picked orders and cleaned and maintained a safe working environment. Warehouse Apprentice

See why students love working at Aldi

From the day-to-day to behind-the-scenes moments, Aldi’s socials give you an inside look at what working there is actually like.

Aldi’s top application tips

Aldi are super passionate about their early careers roles, and want you to have the best shot at acing the application process. Check out their hints below:

1. Do your research before applying, understand the role you are applying to and why you want to work for Aldi

2. AI can be a great tool to help you prep your applications, but Aldi wants to hear your own voice, ideas and experiences. Not just what AI suggests might be the right answer.

3. Think of examples you can draw on from work, education, and your personal life to use at each stage of the process

4. Be you! They want to see your personality throughout the recruitment process, so remember to bring this to each stage.

Interested? Click below to find out more

How do I get work experience in retail?

During retail work experience, whether it’s an internship or apprenticeship, you’ll be placed in a position of responsibility, meaning you’ll be able to learn a lot in a short space of time, like how to manage others, deal with pressure and work in a fast-paced environment.

Retail expertise will set you apart from your peers who haven’t got practical experience to draw upon, giving you a better chance of success when applying for graduate positions at some of the UK’s biggest companies, like John Lewis Partners and ASOS.

Click below to find out more about each opportunity.

What can I do with retail work experience?

Once you have all that amazing experience and skills from working in retail, the world is at your fingertips. 

There are loads of areas you can get into. Here are some examples:

• Marketing, Visual Merchanding, Social Media

• Logisitc, Supply Chain, Buying

You could also get jobs like:

• Sales Manager

• Customer Support

• Office coordinator

Feeling excited? We have loads of retail jobs available right now! Get started below.