Who is interested in retail education? The (mis)match between the leading universities’ offerings and job demand in the UK

Abstract

PurposeRetail management has acquired the attention of scholars and practitioners, with many international and prestigious journals specifically relating to the topic. Also, top-tier journals in other disciplines have proposed special issues on the new advances in retailing, with emphasis on the role of new and smart technologies. On the one hand, the research in retailing seems to be prolific; on the other hand, the interest in retail education (from a research and university perspective) seems to be more limited. The purpose of this paper is to capture the (mis)match between the leading universities' offerings and job demand in the UK. In this way, the paper identifies opportunities for educators and researchers to educate future career-ready professionals in retailing and improve research in retail education.Design/methodology/approachThe research evaluates the offer of UK retail education in terms of programmes/courses, focusing on the Russell Group universities for the academic year 2020/2021 (September starts) and the demand of certain skills and competences by the largest retailers in the UK. The study utilizes secondary data based on the courses/programmes specifically related to the retail sector and on the job opportunities through the leading UK grocery retailers.FindingsThe findings reveal the extent of the gap between the university educational offerings and the requirements from retailers.Originality/valueTo the best of authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first attempt to capture and compare multiple evidence bases related to academic curriculums and employers' requirements for specific retail competencies.