South Yorkshire retailers brace themselves for Valentine's Day retail rush!

13 February 2008

South Yorkshire retailers are bracing themselves for the Valentine's Day rush as amorous men and romantic women hit the shops to buy special gifts for their loved ones.

The retail industry is a major growth industry in South Yorkshire, and is one of the fastest growing sectors in the UK. Valentine’s Day offers the first post-Christmas boost in the retail calendar and many different types of outlet profit from it. According to figures from the British Retail Consortium, in 2007 more than 25 million cards were sent, and more than £467 million was spent on jewellery, £262 million on flowers, £95 million on chocolate and £87 million on lingerie*.

In South Yorkshire 10% of the workforce is currently employed in retail and across Yorkshire and the Humber employment in the sector is forecast to grow by 10,000 before 2010. This burgeoning local industry needs to recruit a workforce to match the growth, and new vocational qualifications in Retail are giving local youngsters the vital skills and experience necessary to sustain this workforce.

Alison Firth, Marketing Manager at South Yorkshire Education Projects said: "For young people aged 14-19 who are interested in this growing industry, vocational qualifications in Retail give real hands-on experience of the workplace, as well as broad-based skills for life and for future employment. The employment prospects in this sector are excellent in our region and as forecasters predict even more growth in the future this offers great potential for the region's teenagers. The lead-up to Valentine's Day, one of the busiest times of the year in the retail calendar, is a great example of how much fun a career in this varied industry can be!"

In South Yorkshire in 2007 there were 3,270 retail enterprises including 570 in Barnsley.** Some large national retailers also have their base in South Yorkshire, including Maplin Electronics Ltd. in Barnsley, DFS Trading PLC in Doncaster and The Furnishing Place in Rotherham, all with a turnover of more than £1million and employing more than 1,000 staff .***

More information about vocational qualifications and careers in Retail is available to students and their parents at www.voced.co.uk

* Figures from the British Retail Consortium
** Figures from the ONS report UK Business: Activity, Size and Location – 2007
*** Figures from Retail Directory