Managers and directors in retail and wholesale — SOC 2020 1150
Retail and wholesale managers and directors plan, organise, direct and co-ordinate the operations of major retail and wholesale establishments in order to maximise business performance and meet financial goals.
Also calledShopkeeperManagerDirectorProduction managerCustomer trading managerHead of operationsand 79 more titles
Recruitment from abroad. 50 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026, most to people from Sri Lanka, India, Italy, ranking it 133rd of 313. Home Office
Who does it
ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
26%aged 55 or over
30%hold a degree
15%self-employed
37%women
Age of retail managers
Age profile of retail managers
n/p
20%
27%
23%
21%
5.9%
16–2425–3435–4445–5455–6465+
n/p: too few in the survey to publishShow as table
16–24
Not published
25–34
20%
35–44
27%
45–54
23%
55–64
21%
65+
5.9%
Highest qualification
Highest qualification held by retail managers
Degree or equivalent30%
Higher education below degree6.5%
A levels or equivalent28%
GCSEs or equivalent24%
Other qualifications5.8%
No qualifications4.2%
Show as table
Degree or equivalent
30%
Higher education below degree
6.5%
A levels or equivalent
28%
GCSEs or equivalent
24%
Other qualifications
5.8%
No qualifications
4.2%
Main employers: retail sale in non-specialised stores with food, beverages or tobacco predominating (19%), retail sale of clothing in specialised stores (4.7%), other retail sale in non-specialised stores (3.8%), retail sale of hardware, paints and glass in specialised stores (3.7%).
How to get in
Hold a degree
30%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
2
from level 4, including degree apprenticeships
Apprenticeships take
1 to 4 years
typically
Routes in
You can get into this job through:
University
You could do a degree before applying to join a retail company's graduate management training scheme. Most subjects are accepted but you may have an advantage if you study:
retail management
retail marketing
business management
business enterprise
It's useful to get some experience in retail during your studies. You can do this through part-time retail jobs, internships and work placement schemes.
Your university careers service can help you find suitable opportunities.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
College
You could do a college course, which would teach you some of the skills and knowledge you need in this job.
Courses include:
retail skills
retail management
management skills and knowledge
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for these courses vary.
Apprenticeship
You could apply to do an apprenticeship, such as:
Team Leader Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
Retail Manager Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship
Retail Leadership Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship
Other ways in
Work your way up
You may be able to start as a retail sales assistant and work your way up. Through on-the-job training and promotion, you could progress to supervisor or departmental manager.
You could also get into this job by switching from a managerial post in a related industry, like sales or customer service. You would be given training in retail to build on your existing management experience.
Other routes
You can become a retail manager by taking over an existing business or opening a franchise. You can also set up your own retail outlet on the high street, at a market or online.
It'll help if you've got some experience in retail, sales or business management.
You can find advice online about setting up and running your own business and through organisations like the King's Trust.
Registration and professional bodies
Career tips
If you're looking to run your own store, online selling is a good way to start. You could sell products from your own website or through other established trading sites.
This can be a useful way to gain experience and research your market, before opening a physical shop of your own.
Professional and industry bodies
You may find it useful to join the British Independent Retailers Association, for professional development, training opportunities and to make industry contacts.
Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for retail manager. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.
This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.
jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.
