Career as Retail Manager

Last Updated On 21 Apr, 2020

How to Become a Retail Manager

About Retail Manager

A retail manager or store manager is responsible for every aspect of the day to day supervision of retail outlets/stores. He/she takes care of sales, employees, manages budgets, supervises, maintains statistical and financial records, oversees pricing and resources management. In short, the role of a retail manager is to run the store successfully. He/she is also liable for ensuring that his/her colleagues provide the best customer service. While working on the store floor, retain managers remain constantly in touch with customers and employees.

Eligibility to become Retail Manager

  • Candidates should have passed their graduation degree in any discipline with an aggregate of 45% marks from a recognised university/institute.

  • Candidates are also required to qualify entrance exams like CAT, MAT, CMAT, XAT, GMAT etc.

  • Candidates holding certificate/ diploma/ PG management course from a recognised university/ institute are also eligible.

  • There is no restriction in terms of educational qualification. Candidates of any background/stream can pursue a career in Retail Management.

Types of Job Roles Retail Manager

Once you have completed the required qualification to become a retail manager, there are various job opportunities that you can target based on your interest and skills. Choose a job profile that brings out the best in you and boosts your CV to become a Retail Manager.

Following are some job options that you may explore in the retail sector:

  • Retail Buyer: A retail buyer is responsible for developing, sourcing, and presenting product chains according to its stores and customer base.

  • Retail Merchandiser: The role of a retail merchandiser is to ensure that the right amount of goods are available in the store and sold at the right price.

  • Supply Chain Distributor: The role of a distribution manager is to plan and manage the movement of goods in a supply chain.

  • Marketing Executive:  A marketing executive is a person whose goal is to maximise profits by matching the needs of customers and promoting products, services or ideas through the development of sales strategies.

  • Customer Service Executives: The role of customer service executives is to answer the calls from customers for various reasons/purposes such as taking orders, answering inquiries, providing information and resolving complaints.

  • Warehouse Manager: Warehouse managers are responsible for maintaining safe and efficient receipt, supervising employees and transmitting warehouses.

  • Department Manager: A department manager is the one who is responsible for all the tasks of the sales department, supervises the staff and builds strategies to increase productivity.

Employment Sector/Industry for Retail Manager

There are various employment opportunities available in the market for Retail Management. The list of employment opportunities in different areas are given below:

  • Departmental stores

  • Education sector

  • Retail outlets

  • IT and BPO

  • Healthcare product manufacturers

  • Export houses

  • Manufacturers

  • Sports equipment and sports gear manufacturers

  • Financial institutions for marketing

Top Recruiting Companies for Retail Manager

Let's take a look at some of the major companies that have good job opportunities for retail managers:

  • Pantaloon Retail

  • Reliance Group

  • Piramal Group

  • ITC Retail

  • Bharti Walmart

  • Lifestyle International

  • Aditya Birla Group

  • K Raheja Group

  • Tata Groups

  • Landmark Group

  • Spencers

Planning to choose Retail Manager as your career?

Pay Scale/Salary of Retail Manager

The salary of a Retail Manager may differ according to his/her educational qualifications and experience. It usually increases with knowledge growth and time. Here are some relative salary figures for different types of retail managers:

Job Profile

Starting Salary per annum (in INR)

Mid Level Salary per annum (in INR)

Senior Level Salary per annum (INR)

Retail Buyer

279,774

526,187

1,282,223

Retail Manager

178,793

489,436

998,811

Warehouse Manager

181,739

409,319

1,067,797

Marketing Executive

134,532

247,899

491,279

Retail Merchandiser

 144,696

358,463

683,140

Department Manager

223,443

335,834

542,426

Note: The above-mentioned figures are an estimate and may vary from individual to individual and company to company.

Books & Study Material to Become Retail Manager

To be prepared for a career as a Retail Manager, you will need a professional management degree from a reputed B-School for which you might need to appear for entrance exams such as CAT, XAT, MAT, etc. You may refer to the study material required for preparing for these entrance exams. To prepare for a career in Retail Management, one has to follow the curriculum provided by management institutes.

Pros of becoming a Retail Manager

  • There are many foreign retail chains from countries such as Germany, the UK, and the USA that are opening stores in India every year. This has generated many opportunities for jobs in the field of retail management.

  • Generally, the retail systems are very colorful and exciting. People in this industry get the opportunity to have extensive exposure and interaction with different types of people.

Cons of becoming a Retail Manager

  • Some retail companies hire individuals who are just graduates and do not ask for a postgraduate degree or any specific qualification in retail management. This may lead to inconsistencies in a student’s career.

  • Some retail chains that don’t perform well in the market usually cut down on their manpower. This a risk factor, which is often associated with the retail business.

Career path for Retail Manager

In order to become a Retail Manager, applicants need to plan their career from the Class 12 and should have also attained the minimum academic qualification as described below.

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FAQs about Retail Manager

I am pursuing P.G.P.M. (Post Graduate Program in Management) to become a Retail Manager. What other career options do I have ?

You could become a Human Resource Manager , a Digital Marketer , an Operations Manager , a Management Consultant , an Entrepreneur after studying P.G.P.M. (Post Graduate Program in Management).

I am pursuing P.G.D.M. (Post Graduate Diploma in Management) to become a Retail Manager. What other career options do I have ?

You could become a Digital Marketer , a Sales Manager , a Human Resource Manager , an Entrepreneur after studying P.G.D.M. (Post Graduate Diploma in Management).

I am pursuing M.B.M. (Master of Business Management) to become a Retail Manager. What other career options do I have ?

You could become a Management Consultant , an Operations Manager , an Entrepreneur , a Human Resource Manager after studying M.B.M. (Master of Business Management).

I am pursuing M.B.A. (Master of Business Administration) to become a Retail Manager. What other career options do I have ?

You could become a Sales Manager , a Digital Marketer , a Human Resource Manager , a Banker after studying M.B.A. (Master of Business Administration).

I am pursuing B.B.S. (Bachelor of Business Studies) to become a Retail Manager. What other career options do I have ?

You could become a Human Resource Manager , an Entrepreneur , a Management Consultant , an Operations Manager after studying B.B.S. (Bachelor of Business Studies).

I am pursuing B.B.M. (Bachelor of Business Management) to become a Retail Manager. What other career options do I have ?

You could become a Human Resource Manager , an Operations Manager , an Entrepreneur , a Management Consultant after studying B.B.M. (Bachelor of Business Management).

I am pursuing B.B.A. (Bachelor of Business Administration) to become a Retail Manager. What other career options do I have ?

You could become an Entrepreneur , a Human Resource Manager , an Operations Manager , a Management Consultant after studying B.B.A. (Bachelor of Business Administration).

I am pursuing B.A.M. (Bachelor of Applied Management) to become a Retail Manager. What other career options do I have ?

You could become an Entrepreneur , a Human Resource Manager , a Digital Marketer , an Operations Manager after studying B.A.M. (Bachelor of Applied Management).

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