About Retail Academy
Retail Academy (RA) is the premier retail training Academy in Nigeria that equips individuals and businesses with the requisite modern retail knowledge, competencies, and systems necessary for building a successful career or entrepreneurship in retail.
Retail Academy is the ultimate platform for continuing retail business management education to both retail business owners offering them global best practice principles for retail business management, and for continuing recognized professional retail education and qualifications to retail employees that support their career development.
We provide industry-specific training for retailers, consumer goods companies, and those selling services to either one, and deliver them cost-effectively via classroom, e-learning, or blended learning to suit individuals or organizations.
The Academy forms the framework for practice-based knowledge transfer, further professional training, and open discussions between experienced experts and participants.
We have long been committed to nurturing talent, thus improving the leadership capability and skills of retail owners and employees, all of which focus on application and practice, and emphasize the necessity of applying global best practice principles to retail business management - customer services, sales, and operations. This approach not only helps retail business owners and employees master the professional skills needed in their positions but also broadens their horizons and improves their problem-solving skills.
At the end of every encounter, participants will gain technical, operational, and entrepreneurial skills and techniques in retail business management rooted in our local culture, yet up-to-date global best practices. In addition, participants will return to their organizations with more creative solutions that will positively impact their businesses, delivering the right values and returns for stakeholders.
Our true satisfaction comes from watching retail business owners and employees build profitable and sustainable businesses that become recognized leaders locally and globally.
RA is a member of Bervidson Group, the premier retail and brand consulting, training, coaching, and development group in Nigeria. The Group is dedicated to helping organizations maximize performance, and drive growth and success through our industry-specific products and services.
Bervidson Group is the convener of The Retail Leaders Conference (TRLC) and founder of the Retail Association of Nigeria (RAN).
Background
The retail sector in Nigeria is transforming and continues to expand, with value sales increasing strongly and faster than real GDP. Fueling growth is the population estimated at 200 million of which about 90 million live in urban areas. In addition, other factors like increasing disposable incomes among some segments of the population, the rising middle class, the drive by some retailers to ‘modernize ‘retailing, eCommerce, internet penetration, smart mobile phone penetration, and encouraging government policies such as "cashless economy is also supporting the rise of retail development in the country.
In any economy, retail is the engine that drives the economy. When everything boils down to the basics, the volume and momentum of trade are the engines of economic growth. Retail is at the core of trade and the ultimate point of value exchange. Yet retail continues to receive little or no attention from leading business institutions and tertiary institutions in the country.
Most worrisome is the near absence of skilled talents (technical, managerial & leadership), and the requisite talent pipeline to support the rate of growth in retail as well as keep pace with today's sophisticated shoppers, technologies, and systems. This trend is set to worsen as the shoppers become even more powerful and more demanding.
In this circumstance, the retail business that will thrive in the future must have employees who have developed capabilities in; understanding the retail business; shopper behavior & preferences; relationship building, and shopper value creation.
On the other hand, Nigeria is currently battling a huge unemployment crisis. It is our considered opinion that we can solve both challenges, the dearth of qualified talents in retail and the unemployment crisis in the nation through the deliberate development of retail business management talent and entrepreneurship in the country.
It is against this background to solve the twain challenges of lack of skilled talents in the retail industry and the national unemployment crisis that has motivated Bervidson Group to set up Retail Academy (RA).