Why Retailing?

Careers in retailing are fast-paced, require constant innovation and creativity and provide opportunities for personal and professional growth and development throughout your career.

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Winston Retail display for REI

You interact with retail on a daily basis, from apparel, grocery, electronics, home improvement and many, many others. From direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands, local retailers to Fortune 500 companies, retail is a cornerstone of our communities and of our culture.

While retail's landscape is ever-changing as consumers change how they research, interact and purchase, retail's growth is evident. It provides large companies the chance to innovate and create great experiences and provides entrepreneurs and start-ups a platform to find success.

Retailing jobs are much more than sales in a store. They span from design and creative to merchandising to supply chain to purchasing to marketing and sales. And while there is now so many opportunities for online sales, brick-and-mortar also provide opportunities for experiences and interaction that are apart of building a customer base.

Check out these facts about the Retail Industry:

  • Retail managerial, professional, and technical careers are both rewarding and highly-paid, and demand for employees is growing
  • 46 of the Fortune 500 are retailers
  • Retailing professionals working for almost every major company and consulting firm -- from Macy's and Ross to Kroger, Amazon, Sephora - and more
  • Retail is one of the best performing industries in the USA and globally
    • In 2018, U.S. retail sales increased by over 4%— the fastest growth in the past three years and the second strongest year of growth in the past decade
    • The Dow Jones U.S. Retail Index outperformed the Dow Jones Industrial Average in 2018 and in 2019
    • The retail industry is the largest employer in the United States and directly represents 10% of total employment in the United States
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4 images depicting retailing

 

Do you have what it takes?

To learn more about the opportunities in retail provided by the Terry J. Lundgren Center for Retailing, check out our programs and get involved today!