Careers in the Retail Industry
Todd Davis
College Recruiter
Elder-Beerman Stores Inc.
The Industry
There are more than 1.5 Million retail
establishments accounting for 3 Trillion dollars
in annual sales
They employ over 20 Million people and will
increase to 24 million by 2005
This includes department stores, specialty
stores, and online retailers
Why choose retail?
Entrepreneurship
“It’s like having your own business
without all the risk”
Responsibility
Within 3 years you can be responsible
for Millions of $ in volume
Challenging
Every day you are presented with a challenge
Opportunity
You can have many different positions in retail
What kinds of positions are
available?
Merchandising
Buying (Buyer/Assistant Buyer)
Responsible for:
Financial Plans
Planning (Analyst or Planner)
Promotional strategies
Responsible for:
Negotiating with vendors
Unit plans
Merchandising Strategies
Store plans
Selecting Product
Placement of Merchandise
What kinds of positions are
available?
Store Management
Store Manager/Area Sales Manager
Responsible for:
Driving sales
Developing a selling team
Location operations
Implementing Merchant plans
Selling Credit Accounts
What kinds of positions are
available?
Advertising and Sales Promotion
Design
Copywriting
Special Events
Information Systems
Tracking
Networking
Human Resources
Training and Development
Recruiting
What are the characteristics of
people in retail?
Entrepreneurial
Leadership qualities
Managerial skills
Good Communicators
Multitasking ability
Conflict resolution skills
Calculated risk taker
Summary
Retail is an industry that rewards and
promotes performance
The opportunities are endless
You can move up quickly
Every career in retail is what you make of it,
you are in control of your own destiny