You might be reading this and wondering, what exactly is the Retail Graduate Scheme?!

We’ll break it down for you – our Retail Graduate Scheme offers graduates the opportunity to become a General Manager of their own business in around 2 years. They start the scheme as an Assistant Manager, so that they’re able to strengthen the leadership skills needed to run their own pub, bar, or restaurant in no time!

We know we might come across a bit confident here (sorry not sorry!), but the Retail Graduate Scheme really sets our grads up for success. How? Many have now gone on to achieve the impressive milestone of becoming a General Manager of their own business. You don’t have to take my word for it, have a read about Tracey and Jacob’s journey on the Retail Graduate Scheme and see where they are now…

Tracey Kirlew – General Manager of Miller & Carter, Telford

Tracey joined the Retail Graduate Scheme in 2016. She had some previous hospitality experience working at a bar whilst studying for her Business Management degree at University College Birmingham. Towards the end of the scheme, she became a holding General Manager at Miller & Carter in Birmingham, and finally progressed to General Manager of her own business, Miller & Carter Telford, in 2018 - and is still there now! She emphasised that the scheme taught her how to lead and manage a team, as well as allowing her to understand how and when to recognise her team’s hard work.

Jacob Smith – General Manager of Red Lion, Bath

Jacob studied psychology at university in Exeter and did bar work for a couple of months after he graduated. He realised that he enjoyed working within that lively atmosphere, and so he decided to apply to the Retail Graduate Scheme in June 2018. Towards the final stretch of the scheme, COVID-19 hit - but Jacob still managed to land a position as General Manager of the Red Lion in Bath in September 2020.

A year on, he’s proud of the changes he’s made to the business and has been able to put his own stamp on the place! He loves his role as General Manager, but also has plans for progression going forward – which we love to see at M&B!

He believes that having strong interpersonal & organisational skills really helped him to progress to where he is today.

Does the Retail Graduate scheme sound like something you’d be interested in?

You can apply to the Retail Graduate Scheme on our graduate careers page. We have a range of businesses across the UK that offer the scheme - from Scotland down to Bournemouth - so the good thing is that we probably have something to suit your needs. Ready to apply? Check out our top tips on how to smash your grad application.