What are the most sought-after skills in distribution?

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The retail sector is constantly changing to adapt to customer needs. What's more, the Covid-19 effect and the crisis have changed consumer behavior, with increased use of online shopping. This implies new ways of working and a adjustment of skills. What skills are expected today in distribution? Which are the most sought-after?

Assessment of the current situation.

Employment situation

To cope with the health crisis and competition from e-commerce, major food retailers have adapted by offering drive-through services, click & collect systems and home delivery. With the multiplication of these drives and equivalent systems, logistics jobs have grown, requiring more order pickers. Whether in warehouses or stores, or to fill centralized functions, retail chains are recruiting.

However, generally speaking, the sector is encountering difficulties in filling certain positions and lacking manpower. Lack of attractiveness, staggered working hours, arduous work... partly explain the market tensions, but also the drop in apprentices trained.

It's not all about apprenticeships.

Trades in which distribution is recruiting

Distribution is sorely lacking in manpower, and many trades are in short supply. The mouth trades are still facing recruitment difficulties. For example, chains are looking for butchers, bakers, fishmongers, pastry chefs or fresh produce managers. Craftsmanship is highly valued and increasingly rare to find.

Other professions for which job offers are regularly found include self-service employee, shelf manager, HSE manager, buyer, logistics manager, after-sales manager or even(assistant) store manager.

What kind of profiles?

The sector, which is particularly dynamic, with 42% of employees under the age of 35, is open to different types of profile, and is often accessible to young people on sandwich courses. Some chains are above all looking for a personality, rather than a diploma, and if the results are there, career progression follows.

A bac pro, accompanied by significant experience in sales, may be enough to take up a position as floor manager, via internal promotion or professional mobility. To move into this type of position more quickly, a BTS or DUT specialized in sales techniques or a degree in management are preferable.

Soft skills in pole position

A study carried out for LSA shows that recruiters give priority to fit with thecompany values (94%) over experience (82%), knowledge of the retail world (78%) and level of education (48%). In addition, behavioral skills are significantly more highly valued (8.6/10) than technical skills (6.9/10). Among the soft skills prized are the ability to work in a team (76%),adaptability (55%) anddiscipline (54%). Here, in detail, are the most sought-after skills:

As for managers (floor managers, department directors...), often appointed through internal promotion, they need to be able to take a step back to anticipate needs, new services to be provided and innovate. In addition to proven management skills, they must possess aperformance culture, because they are also the guarantors of sales.