After completing the diploma course in retail management, you can take on the following responsibilities:

• Responsible for corporate or divisional planning
• Responsible for achieving the targets set
• Exercise personnel management in the individual branches
• Ensuring compliance with budgets
• Building a long-term successful position in the market

The final Advanced Federal Professional Examination (AFPE) for retail trade managers (formerly retail trade economists) lasts around 9 hours and is divided into four areas. All four areas contribute equally to the overall grade, which must be at least 4.0 to be considered a pass (grades 6-1). However, none of these four parts may be below a grade of 3.0. The following are examined:

• Analysis of a case study (written)
• Presentation of the analysis and group discussion (oral)
• Procedure concept case study (written)
• Presentation and examination interview with critical incidents (oral)

Training to become a retail manager takes 14 months (part-time). The costs amount to approximately CHF 15,000. The costs for the preparatory courses vary depending on the provider. It is therefore advisable to contact the school of your choice directly.

The working conditions in retail management are usually as follows:

• Retail trade manager takes on a demanding management role
• Activity as managing director, store or specialist store manager and sales manager
• Can also work as an instructor or examination expert
• Good vacancies available in specialist and retail trade
• Retail trade manager works in a hectic working environment
• carry out activities sometimes under great time pressure

During the course to prepare for the final examination to become a retail manager (formerly retail economist), you will acquire skills in the following areas:

• Normative and strategic leadership
• Retail value chain
• Supporting customer processes
• Organizational design and development
• Management systems and processes
• Financial management
• Information and communication management
• Support processes in the retail trade

Anyone wishing to train as a retail economist (new designation: retail manager) can do so on a course that prepares them for the Advanced Federal Professional Examination (AFPE). The following criteria must be met by the time you take the exam at the latest:

• Federal certificate in a sector-specific field or diploma from an Advanced Federal Professional Examination (AFPE), College of Higher Education or University of Applied Sciences
• At least three years of professional experience in a management position in the retail trade

or

• Federal Diploma of Vocational Education and Training in retail trade or a commercial high school diploma, Baccalaureate or comparable qualification
• At least six years of professional experience, including three years in a management position in the retail trade

and

• Have all the required module qualifications

After the retail manager training course, I can attend the following further training courses:

• With a vocational baccalaureate, a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration at a university of applied sciences (sur dossier)
• A postgraduate degree at a university of applied sciences (MAS in Marketing and Management of Services or EMBA in Business Administration)

As a retail manager, you should ideally meet these personal requirements:

• Leadership and social skills
• communicative competence
• Organizational skills
• analytical skills
• marketing-oriented thinking
• Stress resistance

After training as a retail manager, you will usually perform the following tasks:

• operate larger branches or several branches
• Create company and business plans
• monitor, analyze and optimize measures implemented in various areas (marketing, product range design, purchasing, logistics, personnel management)
• Inform higher authorities about the success of the implemented measures
• decide on the distribution of the budget
• negotiate with suppliers and other business partners