From shop floor to head office: a journey into NEXT's trainee programme

Meet Ella, originally a NEXT Sales Team member and now one of our newest members of the NEXT Trainee Programme. In this interview, we sat down with her to explore her journey from Retail to Merchandising at NEXT's Enderby Campus. Read on to hear more about the skills needed to take on the role, and how she's found the transition from retail to corporate life.

1. Ella's careers so far

When I was 17, I got my first job working as a Sales Consultant for Jaeger. I absolutely loved it, and fell in love with fashion and the retailing world! After working at multiple stores including Boots and Ted Baker, I secured my place at University and began working at NEXT as a Summer temp in 2019 before becoming a permanent member of staff and working there part-time alongside my studying. I loved it! After transferring to a different store, I was given more opportunities to develop skills in different departments. I graduated from University in May 2023 and continued to work in store as a Sales Assistant and a Person in Charge, until I made my way to NEXT's Enderby Campus in March 2024!

2. The journey into Merchandising

While at University, I determined that a job that required the analysis of data was the area I wanted to end up in. I knew I had a good eye for detail and was very organised so wanted to enter into a career that would harness these skills. A few months after graduating, I began to look for jobs at our Head Office. I really loved working for NEXT and was keen to stay within the business. After finding the Trainee Merchandising role, I applied straight away. The programme combined my love of fashion with my experience of working in retail, and would play to my skills developed at University. When I got offered an interview, I was over the moon!

3. What to expect on the NEXT Trainee Programme

I have had such a great experience so far. The programme is laid out really well, with plenty of guidance given on what to expect, what you will learn and how long they expect it to take for you to learn. I have been enrolled in multiple training courses, both in person and online. There is a great group chat where you can chat to other trainees, receive guidance and discuss your experience with people going through the same thing as you!

4. A typical day as a Trainee Merchandiser

The first week was super daunting; so many different things to learn and systems to process but, after a few weeks, everything starts to click and make sense! I have been given regular weekly jobs to complete, which has helped me navigate around the systems and get used to the different information required by each brand. Contracting stock for brands and communicating with them via email. I am already starting to tick things off my training list, and feel confident in things I thought would take months!

5. Support and training from your teams

I have really landed on my feet in terms of the team I’ve joined! I’ve felt so welcomed by both the Merchandising and Buying teams. They have all been so supportive, teaching me things at a good pace and in enough detail. It’s been a really positive experience for me! I enjoy being around and working with other trainees on the team as you can ask them questions about their experience and give you tips and tricks to joining the business!

6. The biggest differences between retail and corporate working

Working in a store is very customer service driven. You’re working with the general public most of the day and, in my store, it was mainly NEXT brand focused. Since arriving at Enderby, I have been able to work with so many different people across the business, and interact with so many of our other premium brands. I have had the opportunity to see the planning that goes into an item being able to be shopped by the customer. It’s been so interesting and I feel like I have learnt so much, even in this short space of time!

7. One piece of advice for someone looking to scale their career with NEXT

Having prior experience working in the business really helped me understand how the brand is run and who the NEXT customer is so, if you have worked in a store, or are working there currently you definitely will find so much of your store knowledge transferable.

There are ample opportunities here at Head Office that you may never have thought existed, so I definitely recommend having a look through the careers page!