Some of the retail sector’s biggest names spoke at Retail
Week Live about challenges facing the industry, particularly homing in on
key themes ranging from international growth to IT.
Peter Hobson, managing consultant at Cast UK, recruitment specialist in Procurement,
Buying & Merchandising, Supply Chain, Logistics, Warehousing &
Transport, takes a closer look at how these core areas are affecting
recruitment sector:
International strategies
Given the increasingly global nature of the retail industry,
as a recruiter of retail buying professionals, more emphasis is being placed on
understanding the evolving customer base in order for our candidates to be
successful. The key to success is to understand what customers are looking for
so the buying team can ensure they provide the products that customers’ desire.
One size fits all is rarely a successful approach.
The shopping
environment
Retail buyers are experts at creating the right shopping
environment. With so much competition, selecting a range that is attractive to
the consumer and having the products available in the right place at the right price
will help to create an environment where shoppers want to return.
IT is core for chief execs
It's great to see CEOs taking IT seriously. IT has
transformed our industry by enabling clients to react quicker and speeding up
processes to deliver cost saving benefits. Point of sale and point of supply
have increasingly become global. Control of data and information are key to
obtaining a competitive advantage, which is underpinned by strong IT systems
and processes. These projects are being driven by our candidates.
Innovation
Product innovation within retail needs to be led by the
buying team. In a competitive market, a pipeline of new exciting products should
be continuous to stay one step ahead of the game.
Need for reinvention
Candidates within the retail industry need to embrace
change. Omni-channel strategies are changing the face of the retail environment;
putting customers at the heart of everything. Those resisting change will be
left behind by newer, innovative entrants to the market.
Retail image problem
Working in retail doesn't mean simply working in a store. There
are many opportunities to progress across different positions and levels within
the retail sector. At Cast UK, we specialise in retail buying. Our candidates
have the opportunity to travel the world, work in a vibrant, dynamic
environment and progress their careers quickly. More needs to be done to bring
this to the attention of top graduates to make working in retail a more
attractive proposition from the outset.
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