Retail industry 'will continue to boom'
06/02/2008(15:57)
A government organisation has said that the retail industry will carry on booming despite claims of large job cuts, reports a source.
Skillsmart Retail, the government sponsored Sector Skills Council for retail, has said the industry is still the biggest employer in the private sector and has a wide range of opportunities.
The council admitted that jobs may well drop over the next few months but that the future is not all bleak.
Karen Charlesworth, head of research at Skillsmart Retail, said: "The retail industry continues to boom in a number of areas with huge new developments around the country."
A number of the job losses may be due to a move towards online sales, rather than a general downturn in recruitment, claimed Ms Charlesworth.
Training for managers was cited as an area that needs to be concentrated on if companies want to remain competitive in future years.
Richard Hyman, Verdict Consulting managing director, has predicted that over 100,000 jobs will be cut in retail in the next two years.
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