A look at some of the UK's retail recruitment hotspots

Whether the employer is looking for the best place to be based and to recruit staff with the highest level of suitable sector expertise, experience and qualifications, or whether candidates want to know where to live to maximise their chances of breaking into their chosen field, it can be useful to be aware of the UK's retail recruitment hotspots. Here, Webrecruit (http://www.webrecruit.co.uk) looks at a selection of them.

As the UK's undoubted economic centre, London will always be an obvious place to look for retail roles and recruitment opportunities, with major department stores like Debenhams, Fenwick of Bond Street, Harrods and Harvey Nichols all being based here. However, there are also many larger shopping centres and more unique, specialist shops. With the capital also being a major student destination, there is a ready supply of motivated and skilled graduate and not-yet-graduated talent.

Across a wide range of shopping areas like Oxford Street, Regent Street and Carnaby, London retailers interface with many other specialities and industries, from personal shopper services to department store cafes, restaurants and bars and even opportunities for luxurious spa and beauty treatments. This all enables retailers recruiting staff in these areas to access high quality, flexible candidates with wide-ranging skills.

However, London is far from the only regional focal point for retail recruitment, others including Bath, home to the likes of Mee, Vintage to Vogue and Pink Stripes, while in the pretty Clifton Village area of Bristol, distinctive boutiques, including the vintage shop Bees & Graves and Mele - with its leading collection of Betty Jackson - thrive. Prospective employers and candidates alike are also attracted to Brighton for its more bohemian retail scene.

Further north, Newcastle upon Tyne has also firmly embraced retail to power a local economy that can no longer depend on heavy industries like coal mining and ship building. National retailers like Marks & Spencer and Next retain and train local graduates in store management, merchandising and buying. The size of the retail sector here is further indicated by the MetroCentre in nearby Gateshead being the largest shopping centre in Europe.

Crossing the border into Scotland brings one to Glasgow, which combines a retail sector said to be the equal of any outside London with a local passion for design and creativity. The city's festivals, theatres, museums and galleries, together with the fine buildings of local art nouveau artist and architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh, attract many visitors who also take in distinctive boutiques like Watermelon, Authentics and Felix and Oscar.

Naturally,  high street shopping, out of town shopping centres and online shopping - not to mention more specialised elements, like pop-up shops - are all integral to the retail landscape, and the exact staff recruitment requirements of retailers. With the help of the Webrecruit (http://www.webrecruit.co.uk) recruitment agency, retailers can attract the right talent so much faster, wherever they are in the UK.

Editor’s Note: Webrecruit (http://www.webrecruit.co.uk) are represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Email: info@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.