Store management: Antony Maguire

Name: Antony Maguire

Job: Trainee store manager

Employer: Boots

Area of work: Store management

Qualifications: BA politics and history, University of Sheffield

I’ve worked in retail since I was 16 and I’ve always enjoyed it. After I graduated, I started working for my employer as a team manager and was promoted to small store manager before applying for the graduate scheme. I chose store management as I enjoy being involved in the day-to-day operations.

Working in store management

I’m responsible for the healthcare and baby sections of our Oxford Street store. I oversee the day-to-day details to keep the store running smoothly and make the experience as good as it can be for the customer. This includes checking that there’s enough stock on shelves and sufficient people on tills, looking for potential problems and finding out what’s selling well. I also get involved in planning: deciding which seasonal products to promote and arranging product launches. One of my other tasks is to look for opportunities to grow the business – in central London, for example, there are opportunities in dispensing. I’ve also arranged for specialists in reflexology, homeopathic medicine and skincare to spend time in store, providing advice and helping people to make decisions. If you can come up with schemes to drive business, retail can be as challenging as any graduate career. 

Seeing a difference

This is my fifth store after nine months on the graduate scheme, and I’ve not had a dull day so far. I can go into work with a list of things to do but end up doing completely different tasks. It can be frustrating when there’s not enough time to do everything. I love working with the team, although it can be tricky to manage people who have issues in their home life. Seeing the difference my work makes to people’s lives is a great experience. If the pharmacist has recommended medicines or helped a customer, they’ll come back and say so. I love seeing people leave happy.