The Oxford Summer School may be steeped in tradition but it is moving with the retail times

The Oxford Summer School is one of the key fixtures in the retail calendar, and last week about 250 retailers gathered in the hallowed surroundings of Keble College for an event many past delegates describe as the most valuable of their working lives.

It brings together people from an eclectic mixture of large and small retailers ranging from Marks &Spencer and B&Q to Holbury Hardware Stores and the Gay’s the Word bookshop. Many are store or area managers, or head office-based managers keen to progress and develop their understanding of retailing.

The event is steeped in tradition, with formal dinners and a church service. There is a lot of discipline and formality to ensure delegates get the most out of it; the handbook sent to delegates offers stern tips reminding delegates to ‘remember your money for the church collection’ and ‘pre-order drinks by 8.30am’.

But at the same time it has moved with the times, with a new chairman of the Summer School committee updating the long-established programme. Former Jessops and Thorntons retail director Dominic Prendergast took over this year from ex-Allders veteran Stan Kaufman, and there has been a shift in the focus on some of the sessions.

The day dedicated to marketing was given a thorough overhaul this year, with a much greater focus on the role of online and multichannel marketing. Digital marketing experts John Newbold and Daljit Bhurji took over the running of the marketing day with an exercise designed to develop delegates’ understanding of the power of social media.

An online focus

The online focus was reflected in the programme of retail speakers, who give evening lectures to the delegates. Alongside Harvey Nichols chief executive Joseph Wan, online specialists Mark Newton-Jones of Shop Direct and Susan Aubrey-Cound of M&S gave talks that provided an insight into how multichannel is changing retail. The keynote speakers stayed overnight and networked with the students.

Some of the well-established exercises remain the same, designed to give the delegates a rounded understanding of the key aspects of retailing. One day is dedicated to finance, another to merchandising, while the week concludes with a project where each of the groups of delegates devises the concept and branding of a new department store.

These projects are assessed overnight by Jonathan Field, until recently managing director of John Lewis at Brent Cross, and his colleague Isabel McDonald, operation manager at the Solihull branch and herself a graduate of the Summer School. The directors of each of the groups are also recruited from previous delegates and look after each of the groups, making sure the students keep up with the intense pace. The role of the group directors is vital and reinforces the school’s motto - ‘By trade, for trade’.

Perhaps in reflection of the tougher times in retailing, Prendergast says the age profile of the delegates has changed and retailers are sending more senior people to the school. Whereas five years ago the average age of a student was in their late 20s, this year it was around 33 and that, he says, manifests itself in a more mature approach to the course than perhaps in the past when for some it had a reputation as much for the partying as the studying.

That’s not to say the social element isn’t still important, although even that is managed carefully and timed to enable students to get the most out of it. At the start of the week there’s a karaoke night where all the delegates are encouraged to participate in order to encourage bonding among the groups, while at the end of the week the formal dinner and ball on the Thursday night are a highlight of the week.

The Summer School is run by the British Shops and Stores Association (BSSA), which itself has been through change this year having merged with the British Hardware Federation (BHF). Although the Summer School attracts primarily multiples, the BHF-BSSA Group’s members are independent retailers and Alan Hawkins, chief executive of the merged group, is keen to point out the independents are as welcome as multiples, and that there are scholarships from the Retail Trust and Skillsmart Retail provided for businesses that might not otherwise be able to afford to take part.

For the delegates who come to the school it represents a rare opportunity to spend time away from the store or head office and the day-to-day pressures they face, and focus on their skills and think about how to progress in their chosen career of retailing. The number of graduates who’ve gone on to bigger roles shows just how successful it is.

What you didn’t know about the school

  • 2010 was the 81th Oxford Summer School. The first was in 1923, and it has run every year since with the exception of during World War Two
  • The John Lewis Partnership has sent delegates to every Summer School. Allders, Fenwick and Harrods first took part in 1925
  • About 10% of the delegates are from overseas
  • Tesco sent it first delegate this year