Distribution

What is it?

The Distribution function provides a crucial link between head office and our stores. Distribution interacts with Merchandising, Buying, International trading, Logistics and Retail Operations, aiming to ensure the best possible use is made of the latest season's stock. Distributors are actively involved with making key product decisions for the business.

Distributors work within one of our brand teams, keeping the stores fully stocked with the latest merchandise and trends. The teams analyse trends, branch and stock performance, ensuring the stores meet their weekly targets.

Career path

A typical career path for a -graduate joining Distribution is as follows. Entry into Merchandising via Distribution is also actively encouraged.

Profile

Kirsty Hudson
Distributor - Evans, joined September 2007
University of Glamorgan - B.Sc Forensic Science with Criminology & Criminal Justice

At the University of Glamorgan I completed a degree in Forensic Science with Criminology and Criminal Justice. I really loved the course, but at the end of my three years I wasn't sure what kind of career I wanted to pursue. Throughout College and University I worked in retail for Evans. I loved working in store as the people were really friendly, I enjoyed the customer interaction and working in retail was always so busy. I returned home from Uni and decided to work full time for my local Evans store whilst I worked out where I wanted to go with my career. After a year, I had gained so much experience and developed different skills - it was fantastic. I decided that I wanted to stay within the retail industry but felt my skills were more suited to a Head Office role. As a result, I researched the different positions on the Arcadia website.

After talking to my Area Manager and researching on the internet, one role in particular stood out - the role of a Distributor. The idea of still working with the stores but managing stock control, the analytical side of the role mixed with the interaction with lots of different departments really caught my attention. A couple of weeks later a Distributor vacancy in Evans became available. I wasted no time in applying via the website with my CV and covering letter.

Only two weeks later I started my new role. I'm loving it; there is so much to learn. I am working with my Distribution manager as well as doing different training courses and workshops online to get me up and running. The role is a lot more involved than first I thought, and there are so many different aspects to the job. I can envisage there will be many challenges along the way, which I love. I am constantly analysing the current sales and predicting future sales in order to allocate the correct stock, to the right store, at the right time. I liaise with the Distribution Centre to make sure all the deliveries are on time and communicate with the stores to ensure they are receiving the correct stock package to maximise their sales and exceed targets. I also review the different store product packages, as each store has different needs, depending on where they are located geographically and their customer target market. All the teams are so supportive and the people extremely friendly. The atmosphere in the brand is busy, passionate and really inspiring.

I am very pleased with my move from store to Head Office. The experience I gained in store has been invaluable and I am also utilising the skills I gained from University in my new role. Evans is such a great brand with so many exciting new plans going on; I'm really looking forward to my career ahead in Arcadia.

Salary & Benefits

If you are successful and offered a position as a Distributor/Allocator you can expect to receive the following:

Structured training and development
Starting salary of £17,500
22 days holiday
25% discount on all brands
Season Ticket Loan
Participation in Company Bonus scheme
Contributory Pension scheme

What we are looking for

Arcadia's Distributor positions are very sought after. In order to make your application as strong as possible, we suggest that you read the profile of one of our current graduates and also all the relevant information available on our website. Also it's important to look at Arcadia's corporate website as well as each of our brand websites.

What are our education requirements?

Distributors require analytical skills, a talent for communicating and team working abilities to succeed.

You need to have achieved or be studying for a degree or HND (or equivalent) in any numerate subject.
You must also hold 5 GCSEs (or equivalent) including Maths and English at grades A to C.

How to apply

In order to apply for the position of Distributor please upload your CV and covering letter by clicking on the link below. Please ensure your covering letter details why you want to work for the Arcadia Group and why you would like a career in Distribution.

There is no closing date for this role as we recruit for Distributors all year around.

If you have the right to work in the UK and you're confident that you fulfil all our requirements, please click below to complete the application form. This could be the first step towards your future career.

http://www.peoplebank.com/pbank/owa/AdLink.Process?a=68942.473075994625