Shop work is an abused profession, says Julian Richer

ELECTRONICS tycoon Julian Richer has warned shop work has become an ‘abused profession’ as he steps up a drive to improve the way big firms treat staff.

The founder of the Richer Sounds chain – known for his morale-boosting staff initiatives – said the rise of ‘giant retailers’ has tarnished the reputation of what was once an attractive area to work in.

He told The Mail on Sunday: ‘Whoever wants to go into retail? It’s an abused profession. No one wants to go into it.’ He added: ‘When you’re employing hundreds of thousands of people, they look at it as a numbers game and labour is dehumanised. It drives costs down at the cost of employees, and a lot of them I’m sure feel exploited.

‘Retail is one of the worst sectors for paying the real living wage, a lot of workers are vulnerable to having zero-hours contracts imposed on them and it offers little opportunity for career advancement.’

Over the years, extra pay for working unsociable hours in shops has been drastically cut or scrapped as stores extended opening hours. Pensions have been diluted, paid breaks binned and the days when staff at some chains might enjoy clothing allowances are long gone.

Richer, 61, who is advising Marks & Spencer on company culture, says he takes a different attitude to his own staff: ‘We treat them as human beings, not as machines. It’s particularly important for retail as staff on the shop floor are customer-facing and you want them to give their best and be positive and friendly. If they’re downtrodden and bitter towards their bosses then they’re not going to do that.’

Worth an estimated £160million in 2019, Richer is a self-styled ‘ethical capitalist’ and handed ownership of the 51-store chain to a staff trust last year. He still runs it but has also embarked on a ‘responsible crusade’ to change corporate Britain and launched his Good Business Charter last year.

Designed to ‘accredit’ responsible companies, it demands strict compliance in areas such as diversity, the real living wage and ethical sourcing. TSB, Capita and Deloitte are among those accredited.

Richer said his work at M&S with its CEO Steve Rowe had been hit by Covid-19 but they had been appearing as a ‘double act’ addressing staff on company culture.