Beth Coburn
Employer: House of Fraser
Area of work: Store management
Qualifications: BA management, University of Leeds
I’ve been working in retail since the age of 16 and really like the fact that you get to meet so many people every day. I chose to work as an in-store manager because I wanted a customer-facing role rather than a desk job at head office. I’ve been working with my current employer since I was 18, at weekends and during university holidays. I saw the management training programme advertised internally and my manager encouraged me to apply. The structured programme allowed me to develop my skills and reach my current position within three years.
My job
I’m manager for the womenswear department in our Birmingham store, which is the third largest in the UK. I’m responsible for a turnover of £7.5 million a year, which I have to achieve by driving sales. This means that I have to maintain an excellent standard of customer service throughout the department. I spend 80 % of my time on the shop floor, helping customers and managing my team of 50, who I regularly observe, train and motivate. As I’ve progressed in my career, I’ve taken on greater responsibilities. I now attend regular managers’ meetings to discuss new sales and business initiatives, and have started to organise promotional activities. My usual hours are 9.30 am to 6.00 pm, five days a week, which includes one weekend day. In busy trading periods I will stay longer if I’m needed.
A competitive environment
One of the things that I like about my job is the competitive element, whether that’s friendly interdepartmental rivalry or competing with other retailers. I also get a lot out of providing customer satisfaction. I’ve always enjoyed working in retail, but the more responsibility I’ve taken on, the more I get out of it. There’s plenty of scope for career progression, which is a real driving force for me.
