Your learning journey

Retail Business Environment

This module introduces learners to the retail sector and seeks to embed the beginnings of a strong foundation of knowledge. Consideration is given to the external context in which retail organisations operate and introduces the concept of the retail journey (‘from farm to fork’). As potential Retail Leaders of the future, learners need to be equipped to understand the component parts of this journey, its relationship to the external environment and the variety and complexity it offers.

Retail Culture and Service Mindset

This module introduces learners to core topics and concepts of experience and service management, which are critical to the development of a positive and successful retail business culture. This includes the behaviour and management of people in work situations, customer interactions, and stakeholder relationships.

Digital Retail
The shift from ‘bricks to clicks’ has rapidly changed the retail landscape in recent years, leading to a proliferation of new opportunities and complexities associated with the advent of the omni-channel. The ‘always-on’ nature of modern retail is established and how retailers can adapt to technological advances is examined. The key focus of this module is to introduce the concepts and principles associated with the digitisation of the retail sector.

Retail Operations

The retail supply chain has developed in recent years to become a dynamic ecosystem, accounting for the optimum movement of goods from the point of production through to the point of consumption (from ‘farm to fork’). Making connections and building relationships within this complex ecosystem has led to best practice for the consideration of availability, and environmental issues. Technological advances have also opened-up retail supply chains to consumer influence and concerns, as well as the onset of internationalization, ‘just in time’ approaches and e-commerce.

Retail Marketing Strategy
The module builds on and extends the introductory principles and skills developed in Level 4 modules, specifically relating to the Retail Business Environment and Digital Retail. It has been designed to enable future Retail Leaders to understand and develop marketing plans for the medium to long term, aligned to corporate objectives, brand values and consumer needs.

Retail Insights and Customer Information 

What makes a product attractive to a consumer when they see it instore on a shelf or online? How do consumers make buying decisions and what can retailers do to maximise opportunities for successful selling to optimise the products, ranges, and points of purchase? In this module learners will take a closer look at consumer motivations and behaviours and how this has a direct impact upon product choices, ranges, merchandising and store / online formats.

Managing Retail Finance and Value

This module utilises and extends data familiarity and skills developed at Level 4 in the Retail Business Environment module to introduce future Retail Leaders to knowledge and application of the principles and key techniques of management accounting. This will support future Retail Leaders in planning, controlling and monitoring performance as part of their professional role.

Responsible and Sustainable Management

We live in an uncertain world. Uncertainty brings both opportunities and challenges. In the business world, organisations are grappling with the challenges of sustainability, social responsibility, wellbeing and diversity and inclusion and as key aspects of corporate strategy and are core to the way we encourage learners to consider their approach to business.

Retail Leadership and Transformation

This module builds on principles first introduced to learners in Level 4 Retail Culture and Service Mindset and addresses learnings from Level 5 about how retail businesses operate, to equip future Retail Leaders with the tools and skill required to operate in complex and rapidly changing environments.  Undertaking this module will prepare Retail Leaders of the future to sense disruption and change and to create an organisation that is able to respond accordingly.

Building Retail Strategy

This module takes a contemporary perspective on the retail landscape and seeks to equip future Retail Leaders with the skills and knowledge to lead and manage retail strategy development and operations in a fast-changing and technology driven world. This builds upon the strategic process knowledge developed at Level 5 in Retail Marketing Strategy and adds in current thinking and best practice in relation to technological developments and how they impact retail planning, consumers and operations. This includes review of the use of AI in delivery and fulfilment as well as using data and AI tools to predict the behaviour of customers.

Retail Project Development

In this module, learners will have the opportunity to integrate and apply their skills and knowledge accumulated from the programme so far into a 60-credit module that is focused upon preparation for undertaking and delivering an individual End Point Assessment (EPA). The EPA is required in order to complete the apprenticeship programme.

The purpose of this module is to ensure learners have the tools and techniques to propose and articulate a suitable work-based project, undertake a literature review, design a suitable data collection methodology, collect, analyse and present research findings, conclusions and recommendations.