Press releases

Stress levels rising among the next generation of retailers

New generation of retailers considerably more stressed in their jobs than their older counterparts.

1 in 4 British retailers blame retail economy as key factor for workplace stress.

A new generation of stressed retailers has been identified in research released today by Barclaycard Business. The research, of more than 1000 retailers across the UK, has found that 70 per cent of Britain’s young retailers aged 24 or under consider their jobs stressful, almost 30 per cent higher than the national average (41 per cent). What’s more, it seems stress levels are far from waning with 60 per cent of this age group claiming to be more stressed than one year ago.

The research comes from the first Barclaycard Business Retail in Detail Survey, an annual survey of more than 1000 retailers across the country which aims to build a comprehensive picture of the nation’s high street and to gauge the view of retail owners in the UK today.

Barclaycard Business found that 42 per cent of British retailers were more stressed in their jobs than they were 12 months ago. Over a quarter (27 per cent) of all retailers claimed that the health of the retail economy had been a contributing factor to their stress levels, with one in five (20 per cent) of younger retailers (24 years old or under) attributing their stress to the retail economy.

Bill Thomson, Commercial Director, Acquiring from Barclaycard Business said:

“Our research confirms that stress levels among Britain’s retailers are continuing to rise year on year and younger retailers appear to be suffering the most. Stress in the workplace can impact on managerial effectiveness and can affect all retail workers.

“The young generation represents the future of the retail industry. Their performance in the workplace will help to shape the future of the retail landscape so it is crucial that industry bodies support them and help improve the wellbeing of the UK’s retail owners.”

The research by Barclaycard Business also unveiled that although smaller businesses (41 per cent) were less affected by levels of stress at work compared to larger businesses (46 per cent), they were more likely to attribute their stress to the retail economy. Of those polled, 29 per cent of small businesses stated that the health of the retail economy had added to their workplace stress compared to one in five (21 per cent) large businesses, suggesting that the decline in high street spending has hit smaller businesses far harder than their larger counterparts.