Retailers don’t have a usual nine-to-five working day, so finding the time to organise effective training programmes for staff and management can be difficult.

To guarantee companies can survive within the retail industry, it is essential that managers are able to motivate and inspire their teams. And without the appropriate level of training and development within their role, they won’t be able to encourage the best from their staff.

Diane Coolican, managing director of RedSky Learning, says organising training sessions can be a challenge. She says: “In such a fast-paced industry and with learning and development low on the priority list, we estimate that 47% of retail managers do not have vital support in place to continue to develop their careers.”

She adds new methods need to be considered: “It is vital that we consider new and innovative ways to reach retail managers. For example, telephone coaching can be extremely effective. It enables flexibility and a targeted one-to-one session while removing the time- consuming elements.”

Coolican says delivering one-to-one focused coaching in a shorter, more convenient procedure allows team leaders to receive effective training in an environment that suits their profession.

Training can be broken into short high-impact sessions, addressing challenges faced across the business in line with the company culture and challenges identified by individual teams.