CAREER PROSPECTUS IN RETAILING

CAREER PROSPECTUS IN RETAILING
There are wide opportunities offered by companies like Reliance India, Pantaloons, RPG Group, Titan, Raymonds, Westside, Brista, Bata, Caffe Coffee Day, Cross word, Food World, Nilgiris and Trent are some of the big Indian companies who have opened retail chains in India. This had been created huge employment opportunities for trained retails management professionals. Jobs of department managers, assistant store manager’s buyer trainee, merchandising assistant, customer service representative, and management trainees are available in the retail sector. Multinational companies like Macdonald’s Pizza Hut, Dominos, Levis, Nike, Adidas, Beneton, Sharp, Kodak and Sony are recruiting retails management professionals as Store managers, Customer Care Executives, Merchandise Officers, Public Relations Executive, Store Managers Inventory Monitoring Officers, Marketing and Sales Executives.

To cope up with these growing demands, there are a number of institutions in the country, which are offering bachelors, Diploma and certificate course in retail management. The candidates with +2 or degree can apply to the courses. The curriculum on retails management provides detailed information on supply chain management, marketing information, finance management, accounting in retails, electronic retailing merchandise management, marketing and business communication, sales promotion with public relation, inventory management, customer relationship, business ethics, retail brand management, business communication, psychology of retail shoppers, management and organizational behavior, quantitative methods in retailing etc.

The Retailer Association of India (RAI) is one of he major player in these regards as it has conceptualized a number of course to make up the manpower crunch in the sector. An organized retail in India is in the growth phase and is facing a manpower crunch, especially at the store level. The accredited course will help companies in getting readymade trained manpower, saving on costs, time and training. RAI is conducting the Common Admission Retail Test (CART) on a national basis for admission to the RAI’s Postgraduate Program in Retail Management (PGPRM) offered in 15 institutes across the country. The objective of the test is to assess the candidate’s aptitude for retail management education, including Quantitative Aptitude, Logical Reasoning and Consumer Comprehension. Candidates applying for CART must hold a bachelors degree of any recognized university with minimum 50 per cent marks. RAI also offers a two months ‘Certificate Course in Professional Retailing Skills’ as part of its Growing Managers’ Retail Awareness Initiative. ( for more details log on to http://www.rai.net.in)

The Indian Retail School, headquartered at New Delhi, is the first-of-its kind retail education and research center in India, formed to respond to the nique needs of modern retial industry. Professional Progrmme in Retail Bying and Merchandise Management, Retail Store Operations, Management, Retail Marketing and Cutomer Relationship Management, Merchandinsing and Space Planinning, One yer Year Advanced Programme in Retail Mangement, One Year Advanced Programme in Retail Entrepreneurship, Two-year Programme in Lifestyle Retailing are the courses offered by the school.

Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management (IISWBM), Kolkata, one of the oldest business management institutes is offering a two-year post graduate programme in retail management in collaboration with retailing major Pantaloon retail (India).

Gobal Retail School (GRS), Mumbai, is an another major player in these scene, had been conducting a number of courses in affiliation with Annamalai University, including one year diploma in Retail Management, Six months Professional certificate course in Retail Selling and Management and in retail visual merchandising and space planning, in retail supply chain management, in retail management and store operations, three month certificate course in retail customer relations management.

The Institute of Management Education and Training (IMET) Chennai is also conducting PG/Diploma/Certificate course in Retail Management.

Where to Study Retailing?
1. Birla Institute of Management Technology, New Delhi (www.bimtech.ac.in)
2. Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research, Mumbai, (www.welingkar.org)
3. K.J. Somaiya Institute of Management Studies & Research, Mumbai, (www.simsr.somaiya.edu)
4. Institute of Retail Management, Kolkata (email: amalc@cal3.vsnl.net.in)
5. Global Retail School (GRS), Mumbai (www.globalretailschool.com)
6. Indian Retail School, New Delhi (www.indianretailschool.com)
7. IILM Institute for Higher Education, Gugaon (www.iilm.edu)
8. Academy of Retail Management, Chennai (www.armtheretailers.com)
9. Mudra Institute of Communications Ahmedabad (MICA) (www.mica-india.net)
10. Metropolitan Institute of Management, Pune (www.mecindia.com)
11. Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management (IISWBM), Kolkata (www.iiswbm.edu/)