Food Retailer – Job Description

Food retailer works in businesses large and small – from the biggest supermarket chain to the humblest corner shop or greengrocer.

At the lower end of the scale, you’ll be serving customers, unloading stock and stacking shelves. You could then work your way up into a position where you’ll be ordering and buying stock, working on displays or checking a delivery’s quality. Retailers have jobs for managers, delivery drivers, specialist workers such as butchers or fishmongers – and food retail is a big employment sector.

General attributes include practical, hygiene and customer service skills, good maths and excellent knowledge of the products you’re selling.

As in many retail sectors, there’s not a great need for qualifications as much of the work is learned on the job. Previous experience or evidence of your passion for food is just as important as a piece of paper with some grades on it.

However, many employers like to see a CV that includes a foundation or basic food hygiene certificate. It’s a course that takes just a day, but speaks volumes for a candidate’s drive to get a job in the food retail sector.

Browse our current vacancies in:

Sales, Retail and Business Development
Other recommended resources:

British Retail Consortium
A trade association, representing members of the retail industry, which provides an array of information, news and events.

Institute of Grocery Distribution
A research and education resource providing up-to-date information about the food and consumer goods industry.

The Grocer
A digital news resource for all the latest in the food retail industry.

Food Retail World
A online information resource offering access to a wealth of free material about the food retail industry.

Food Standards Agency
The Government body responsible for standards of food throughout the retail process, they offer a wealth of information about food retail policy and control.