Arcadia is the UK’s largest fashion retailer with eight major brands including BHS, Burton, Dorothy Perkins, Evans, Miss Selfridge, Topshop, Topman and Wallis, along with out out-of-town fashion destination Outfit. With over 500 stores and a presence in 35 markets, Arcadia employs graduates in the finance, digital, merchandising and buying departments. Rated in the top 100 companies to work for in 2014/2015, Arcadia is scored 3.7/5 overall by graduates working with the firm. Arcadia performs particularly well in regards to colleagues (4.5), environmental awareness (4.1) and overall enjoyment (3.8).
Average salary for Arcadia’s graduate positions comes in at £19,000 – £21,000, with one graduate commenting that the ‘salary for living in London should be much higher’, although another mentioned that the salary was ‘better than a lot of other companies are offering for similar roles’ whilst one simply said that ‘hard work does not pay off in this company’. Average working hours were from 9am – 6pm, with a number of graduates mentioning 7.30am starts on Mondays.
‘Fast paced, exciting, challenging, great atmosphere to work in & it’s based in central London. The salary.. Very low for London & not even the minimum to start paying back your student loan.’ Merchandise Admin Assistant, International at Arcadia Group
‘It’s fun, quite creative, lots to learn. Expected to work long hours for nothing extra. Do not get paid enough. Not enough staff members for the job in hand’ Buyers Admin Assistant, Footwear/Accessories at Arcadia Group
‘You get to work across a number of brands and teams. Learning is fast and you are given the responsibility in order to take on challenging projects. There are a lot of other graduates within the company and so good opportunities to meet new people. The scheme is a 3 year graduate scheme which is meant to have 3 separate roles. Often roles last much longer than the expected year and so often people do not get the experience of 3 roles before they become CIMA qualified. There is little transparency with regards to moving to new roles and so people are unsure of what exactly is going on at times.’ Finance Analyst, BHS Retail at Arcadia Group
Finally, interview tips given by current Arcadia graduates include;
Application Advice: ‘Be honest. Passionate. Have retail experience. Make sure you have a keen eye for emerging trends. Ensure you have a keen eye for colours and print trend. Detail is very important.’
Interview Advice: ‘Prepare a presentation in advance. Make sure you are confident in what you are presenting. Dress so you are comfortable and express yourself. Prepare a question for the interviewer.’ BAA, at Arcadia Group
Application Advice: ‘Ensure you know what the role entails so you know if it is for you. There have been quite a few people join and then leave as it isn’t what they thought. Also ensure you have sufficient t experience of handling excel as it is essential. An analytical & organised mind is essential.’
Interview Advice: ‘Give examples of when you made decisions, when you made a change in a process, when you have had to deal with conflict, think about your work ethic and explain your ways of working, as much as it is an interview for the role for you. Make sure you ask questions about the way the department works and the way the merchandiser works, some are flexible, some can be awkward, so ensure you are a good fit for the job for yourself too.’
Assistant Merchandiser, Womenswear at Arcadia Group
Click here to see the full range of job reviews with Arcadia.
Experts from the best companies in the UK share their experience and advice on how to boss the interview process
Jazz Panesar is a Digital and Technology Apprentice at Severn Trent. Read Jazz’s story here.
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Have your own questions prepared.It's your turn! As the interview comes to a close, one of the final questions you may be asked is "What can I answer for you?" Your interviewer will expect you to have...
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Research the Company.Do your homework about the employer and the industry so you are ready for the interview question "What do you know about this company?"
