Argos Job Vacancies

First, let us learn a little about what Argos Job Vacancies are. A retailer under Home Retail Group, which is the UK’s leading seller of jewelry, toys, small appliances, furniture, and sports equipment, similar to Wal-Mart in the U.S. If you are someone with retail experience or would like to be, there may be a position for you.

Argos comes in second in sales of home improvement and garden items in the UK. Third in electronics and large appliances, this company is ranked high in the retail business. Two brands are used to sell this company’s products. Argos and Homebase. These are very common names in the UK for shoppers.

If you are looking for a management position, you will be pleased to know that 95% of the people in the UK have an Argos within 10 miles of their home. This eliminates having to drive very far to work. It also shows what a popular retail store Argos is. A company that recognizes that it takes the work of its employees to succeed, Argos won Employer of the Year and Team Player of the Year in 2006.

Sales of over £4.1 billion have convinced Argos that they are doing something right. To be a part of a company that generates this type of sales is truly job security. Even if management is not your objective, there are plenty of other positions for which you can apply. Since customer service plays a very important part of what they do, if you are a people person and genuinely love to work with the public, you are halfway there.

The management positions at Argos require experience in managing store personnel in a similar store. You must be able to control expenses and increase sales. Customer service is an extremely important part of the Argos shopping experience, so you must be very customer oriented.

You must be a good leader and know how to inspire your employees to give it their all. Communication with employees is also important. This prevents problems within the store if the lines of communication are always open.

If you are not looking for a management position, there are plenty of other types of work available in this retail environment. Cashiers, customer service, stocking shelves; just to name a few. The working environment is friendly. You will require customer service skills no matter which position you are interested in applying for.

If you think that you would be interested in applying for a position with this company, there are two options. Either go to their website and search the positions that are available or go to the store and put in an application. Be prepared for an interview if you are applying at the store. They may have an opening that is suitable for you right away. The retail market is expanding constantly and there are jobs becoming available all the time.

With openings in customer service, head office, their distribution centers, or a home delivery channel, Argos Direct, you will be sure to find something that interest you when searching for a position with Argos.

Argos Job Vacancies & Career Advancement 

Argos is a major retailer of general merchandise. It employs more than 20,000 people (plus around 20,000 seasonal temps between October and January) and operates over 560 stores throughout Britain and Ireland, which it says puts it within 10 miles of more than 95% of the UK population. It estimates that two-thirds of UK households now have an Argos catalogue.

Its sales are based on catalogues which are published twice a year; customers can consult these in-store, or take one home and order goods for collection on the spot. In recent years it has added a home delivery service, telephone ordering for collection at a nearby store or delivery, and an award-winning website.

Executive Summary

Argos is owned by the retail and business services group GUS plc., which acquired it in 1998 for £1.9bn. GUS has spent the ensuing years repositioning Argos from a value brand to become the leading UK retailer in many sectors (eg. toys, small electrical appliances and Christmas gifts). Christmas is its busiest time of year, accounting for 40% of annual sales, with smaller peaks in January/February and August when it publishes its new catalogues; during these busy periods HQ staff help out in the stores.

Argos has been one of the fastest growing large retailers in the UK. In 2004 it had sales of £3.4bn and profits of £297, - a growth rate of 45% and76% over the last three years, it is currently opening 35 new stores each year.

Argos is a multi-channel catalogue retailer, while it has high street stores nationwide, its fastest growing channel is its website. As well as allowing customers to order online for home delivery, the website also lets them check stock levels and reserve items for collection at a local store.

The company’s aim is to be the UK’s No. 1 non-food, non-clothes retailer, doubling its business over the next five years. It recognises the threat posed here by the supermarkets in particular, as they grow their non-food business. However, it believes that is can compete – for example by offering convenient delivery services and by careful investments in pricing as well as the necessary systems and infrastructure (including its distribution centres).

Job Pay and Benefits

The company aims to be in the top quartile for retailers. The basic pay differential between Argos and its competitors could decrease; Argos awarded an inflation-based general increase of 3% while the National Minimum Wage rose 7.5%, choosing instead to make substantial investment in performance-related pay rises and bonuses.

Those bonuses are based on overall company performance and on local areas that staff can affect, for example customer service in their store, using techniques such as mystery shoppers to check performance. There is also a discount scheme for staff and their immediate family.

Argos has uniforms for its store staff, while the head office dress code is smart-casual. Benefits such as a pension plan and health insurance are provided to certain grades within the company – these grades apply broadly across the organisation, not just at head office.

Of its staff, around 1,100 are at Avebury (head office) in Milton Keynes, an average of 400 work at each of its seven regional distribution centres, and most of the rest are in its high street stores – each of which has a management team of three or four. Many staff work as part-timers, particularly in stores.

Staff can also participate in the Sharesave Scheme of its parent company GUS, which was introduced in 2001. This allows them to buy shares at a 20% discount using a tax-free savings account; they can save between £5 and £250 per month, then after three or five years the account matures and can be used to buy the discounted shares, or accrued savings can be taken in cash.

The first issue of the GUS Sharesave Scheme matured in 2004, with an average profit per member of £2,590 and the top investors receiving over £10,00 each. 31% of Argos staff currently participate in the scheme.

Career Promotion and Development

Each area of the business at Argos has two areas for staff development; one being standard functional and behavioural elements for an individual’s current job, the other being training to help them move through the business.

Training programme exist at several different levels. Internet-based learning is also used within the stores and the company has invested in human resources and learning support. Argos spends 5.4% of payroll on training.

The company also aims to promote internally where possible, as well as enabling staff to change roles or even to leave for another job and return later. Many store management teams include at least one person who originally joined as a Christmas temp.

Company Culture

Argos has undergone significant developments in its corporate culture in recent years. At its Milton Keynes head office, the change programme has included a move to open-plan working to encourage teamwork, internal communication and general openness; and stores have been refurbished as part of its brand reinvigoration.

The company has also worked hard to establish its new values and become more customer-focussed. For example, it uses internal publications to focus on its values – which are expressed in succinct and practical language – how its people fulfil them.

In the past graduate recruitment has been relatively ad hoc. Now though, Argos is planning to bring around 50 graduates a year into function-based roles as part of its fast track development programme and as it plans for future growth that could see its business volumes double over the next five years.

Innovation

One of the company’s big innovations has been its development of multiple retail channels, alongside strengthening and repositioning its brand, the latter process was accelerated by a successful TV advertising campaign starring Richard E Grant and Julia Sawalha.

The Argos Direct channel makes 10,000 customer home deliveries every weekday and its website is one of the most visited sites in the UK – it became the most visited high street retailer on the web during the Christmas 2003 trading period.

Diversity and Social Responsibility

Over half of the company’s employees are female, including the managing director and many of its part-time workers. Women occupy nearly half of all its store management positions, and the company adds that percentage of racial and religious minorities on staff maps to the local catchment areas too.

Argos supports a different national charity each year – in 2004 this was the Whizz-Kids, which improves the mobility of disables children, and in 2003 it was disability charity Scope. Staff are encouraged to get involved in fundraising activities, such as carrying out stunts under the Argos Olympics banner and collecting redundant mobile phones and inkjet printer cartridges for recycling.

The company prefers people-related charities and community projects, especially those relating to children. As part of this, the company’s stores are supplied with video and educational materials to donate to their local schools.

Argos, and the charitable trust of its parent GUS, support a range of other initiatives too – for example the National Association of Toy and Leisure Libraries’ Good Toy Guide and its associated awards. At Avebury, Argos runs a scheme to provide around 200 children in local authority care with Christmas presents.

The company is also involved in supporting the government’s fire safety campaigns, as a Partner in Fire Prevention. These campaigns aim to reduce the consequences of household fires.

Corporate Governance

Argos believes in good practice and good corporate citizenship, and five ears ago it defined a set of company values during a culture change programme. These included customer-focus, teamwork, taking ownership and respect and support for colleagues. Among other ways, it built these into its organisation via induction courses, its benefits and appraisal schemes, and its publications.

As a retailer and provider of financial services, Argos is directly affected by a range of regulations and legal requirements. These include the British Retail Consortium Best Practice Code on Extended Warranties on Electrical Goods, and the Association of British Insurers Code of Practice for General Insurance. Its Argos Card Services arm is a member of the Finance and Leasing Association, which has its own Consumer Code of Practice.

Argos has partnership agreements with the USDAW and T&G trade unions.

Environmental Record

Argos encourages customers to recycles it catalogues and flyers, saying they are sought after by newspaper print manufacturers because they help to improve the quality of the recycle paper in newsprint. It also aims to become more efficient in catalogue distribution – in 2004 it used 73,700 tonnes of paper to produce its catalogues, a 38% decrease on the previous year

It also recycles mobile phones and inkjet cartridges for charity, and offers a free collection service for old white goods such as cookers and washing machines when a customer orders a new appliance for express delivery. Within its warehouse, the company is installing balers so it can recycle more material such as cardboard.

Argos Ltd
489-499 Avebury Boulevard
Saxon Gate West
Milton Keynes
MK9 2NW
www.gusplc.com
www.argos.co.uk