Retail Placements
Want to have a career in retail?
If you’re in your first or second year of university and thinking of doing a retail placement year, we've got you covered. Retail placements are the perfect opportunity to get work experience before you graduate.
Let’s get into retail in more detail.
What are retail placements?
Retail placement years usually last 12 months, but can be anything from 5 to 13 months long. You apply to a company during your second year of university and complete your placement before your final year. You'll return to university armed with work experience within the industry and loads of soft and transferable skills.
Business areas you may work in can include store operations, management, buying, merchandising, marketing and more. Typical roles advertised on Higherin include food product developer, trainee commercial manager, retail operations assistant, retail marketing and business placement programmes.
You’re paid a full salary like any other employee, get to work on real-life projects and gain invaluable work experience on your CV. What’s not to like?
Here's what one placement student thought about their year with L’Oréal.
"I am deeply grateful for my placement experience. Being here, I got the chance to understand and learn from a dynamic and constantly evolving industry. I am grateful for all the professional and interpersonal skills that I have developed and to have been surrounded by highly creative individuals and learning from them too." Retail Operations Placement Student, L’Oréal
If you're unsure about taking a year out of university, a summer internship is an option to consider.
Lasting one to four months during the summer holidays, these shorter work experience schemes let you gain a taste of the retail sector, as well as valuable experience on your CV. Click below to find out more about retail internships.
Why should you do a retail placement?
There are so many reasons why you should do a placement in the retail sector. Here are some of note:
Develop essential skills
Think communication, customer service, teamwork and leadership.
Real business exposure
You’ll be able to learn how the business operates from the ground up and how things like stock management, profit margins and promotions work.
Understand consumer trends
If you want to continue into marketing, sales, UX or business strategy, this insight will be super helpful
Networking
You will meet loads of people in the company at all levels, so you can use this to your advantage later on.
Also, if all goes well during your placement, you might be offered a graduate job to come back to after you have graduated from university.
What companies offer retail placements?
There are hundreds of retail companies looking for students like you to work with them for a year. And many of them feature in our table of Top Placement Employers.
Here’s what a placement student said about their time with Lidl:
‘I thoroughly enjoyed my placement year and am very sad to have come to the end of the experience. I am looking forward to applying for Lidl’s graduate scheme as I enjoyed the placement so much. I am looking at staying at Lidl part time in my final year of study which demonstrates how much I love working for the company.’ Retail Placement Student, Lidl
How much do retail placements pay?
An amazing bonus to doing a placement year is that you will be earning a wage.
What this wage will be will depend on your location and employer. If you’re based in London, you can expect a little more due to the increased living expenses of living in the capital city.
On average, based on the student-written job reviews on Higherin, you can expect between £19,000 and £26,000 per year. However, it's always best to check the job listing to specifics. Remember: as a full time employee, you'll also be eligible for company benefits, such as gym membership or healthcare plans.
How to apply for a retail placement
Placements in the retail sector tend to go live in September, with register your interest roles emerging as early as August the year before the placement starts. We have a placement application timeline you can download to get a better idea of the process.
Do your research. This is so important; if you don’t do your research, you have a high chance of applying to a company you don’t have any interest in. Work out what you would want from a placement and then find what companies can make that happen.
Find your perfect placement. Higherin hosts 100s of roles every single year, so apply for a placement with us
Prepare for the application process. Make sure you have your CV and cover letter sorted, as quite often those are requested near the beginning of the application stage
Search for a Retail Placement
One Year Management Placement / Internship - Barrow in Furness
- Placement (10 Months+)
- Barrow-in-Furness
One Year Management Placement / Internship - Canterbury / Ashford / Dover
- Placement (10 Months+)
- Dover, Ashford, Canterbury, Cambridge
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