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Press Release

BRC seeks Parliamentary support for retail job creation

29 October 2010

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) will use its annual Parliamentary Reception next Tuesday (2 November 2010) to highlight the vital role retail is playing in creating a wide variety of quality, private-sector jobs.

Business Secretary, Vince Cable, will deliver the keynote address at the event which is expected to attract more than 200 MPs, MEPs, Peers and retail industry figures.

And the BRC is to launch a new report "Retail in Society: Britain's Favourite Job" at the event. The report demonstrates that retail is the UK's biggest private-sector employer and a gateway to the world of work and successful careers for millions. It features a set of company stories cataloguing the investment being made by a range of BRC member retailers in developing their people in a broad range of retail careers including fashion buyers, store managers, vehicle fleet managers and food technologists.

At the same time, the BRC's latest Retail Employment Monitor, published yesterday (Thursday), shows that in the three months to September, retail employment was up by 12,750 compared with the same period a year ago - confirming retail's position as the UK's biggest private-sector job creator.

British Retail Consortium Director General Stephen Robertson said: "The retail sector is one of the biggest creators of jobs in the UK. Our report shows retailers investing massively in developing those jobs into successful careers. With nearly half a million jobs set to be shed from the public sector, retail's role in creating quality employment has never been more important.

"Retail employment has now risen year on year for ten months in a row. We need politicians of all parties to help us continue that trend by restraining their regulatory urges and holding back on imposing new costs."

Notes:

The BRC's Annual Parliamentary Reception will be held on Tuesday 2 November. It will be hosted in partnership with the All Party Retail Group in the House of Commons Terrace of the Palace of Westminster. Speeches will begin at 7:30pm.

The BRC press office will be releasing copies of ‘Retail in Society: Britain's Favourite Job' on Wednesday 3 November.

Photographs of the event will be available from the BRC press office on Wednesday 3 November.

- The BRC-Bond Pearce Retail Employment Monitor showed a 2.1 per cent rise in retail jobs year-on-year to the third quarter of 2010 – equivalent to more than 12,750 new full time jobs.

- Employing 3 million people nationally, retail is the UK's biggest private sector employer.

- Over 40% of the adult population has worked in the retail sector

- Just under a third of retail employees are aged between 16 and 24, illustrating the crucial role which the sector plays in providing first working opportunities, particularly important at the current time when youth unemployment is a key concern.



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British Retail Consortium

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