As retailing employment is not concentrated in a particular region or locality, it is seldom acknowledged as being a key employer.  However, the retail sector accounts for more than 10% of jobs in England and Tesco is the UK’s second-largest employer after the National Health Service.

Retail is a fast moving and highly competitive sector where customer demands are constantly changing and intensifying.  Globalisation, new technologies, demographic shifts and changing lifestyles mean that retail must constantly re-invent itself to stay ahead.

Retail is a major engine of employment growth in the economy and between 1996 and 2001 created an average of 100,000 new jobs per year.

Over half of jobs in retail are part-time.  Self-employment in the sector is low and declining.

In 2002 there were 2,777,000 people employed in the retail sector with this figure predicated to rise to 2,869,000 in 2005, and continued growth forecast through to 2012.

Over a quarter of a million new jobs are expected in the sector through to 2012.  However, replacement demand (i.e. the need for new entrants to replace those leaving the sector) is predicted to be five times this figure, with sales and customer service occupations alone needing almost half a million people to replace those leaving the sector.

Sources: Working Futures 2004, Skills in England 2003, Harris and Church 2002 and Skillsmart 2002