Going in for the skills

There was a time where retailers were interested in little more than knowing their shopfloor staff could do one thing - sell. But thanks to the internet shoppers are increasingly knowledgeable about what they buy. A sales assistant role is no longer simply about making the sale, but also helping the customer understand how to get the best use of their products.

The trend is most significant in the fast-moving IT sector but is applicable across all sectors and all levels of retail - from shopfloor to head office. Last month, Sainsbury’s boss Justin King bemoaned the lack of technical and specialist skills required in food retailing at the IGD Conference - particularly in areas such as food technology, which is largely dominated by overseas students rather than homegrown talent.

But the necessity for product experts starts at the shopfloor if customers are truly to have confidence in the brand. For retailers such as Morrisons with its market street concept, the ability of its in-store butchers or fishmongers to deliver authoritative product knowledge to customers is key - rather than shoppers simply seeing such staff as a sales assistant with a baker’s hat on.

The grocer’s specialist staff are either recruited through external websites or trained internally through its Craft Apprentice Scheme. The scheme requires staff in specialist areas such as butchery and bakery to complete a nine-month course. Last year more than 300 apprentices completed the programme and a further 260 are working towards the qualification, says Morrisons apprentice and trainee scheme manager Vera Foreman.

Foreman says the programme helps to fill possible specialist skills shortfalls. “Each year we identify any shortfall in these skills within stores or areas and recruit candidates onto the Craft Apprentice Programme accordingly.”

At Asda most specialist-area employees are also trained internally with a 12-week programme. Asda head of resourcing Vikki Gartside says: “For areas or subjects that we are unable to train, we outsource to specialist providers, for example fish counter colleagues who complete an external fishmongers’ training course in addition to their internal training.”

The legal and professional requirements of pharmacy and optical employees means they are also not trained internally.

Sainsbury’s head of resourcing Jackie Hallums says retailers need a clear strategy when recruiting for specialist skills. “Building a pipeline of talent is essential. Maintaining a presence in the employment marketplace using targeted media options is key, as is the ability to offer well-structured training and development programmes,” she says. An example of this is the retailer’s Bakery Apprenticeship Programme where recruits are offered full training at its Bakery College in Wellingborough.

Ensuring that the requisite specialist skills are prevalent on the shopfloor may be a challenge for retailers to deliver, but being able to train a member of staff that is both a salesman and a product expert really does help toward ensuring a happy customer and a thriving business.