Expanding to the UK
BUILDING YOUR TEAM IN THE UK?
Entering a new market brings plenty of unknowns. Hiring the people to make it work shouldn’t be one of them.
Zachary Daniels helps international retail and consumer businesses build teams in the UK, from your first senior appointment to store openings, head office functions and wider growth.
We know the UK talent market, the people within it and what candidates expect from businesses entering the market.
You bring the ambition. We’ll help you find the people to deliver it.
Talk to us about your UK expansion
UK RECRUITMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL BUSINESSES
Your business might be established elsewhere in the world. But when you enter the UK, you’re competing for talent in a new market.
Job titles can differ. Salaries can differ. Candidate expectations can differ. The businesses you’re competing with for people may be completely different too.
And if you don’t yet have a large UK team, you may not have the local recruitment resource or market knowledge to navigate all of that internally.
That’s where we come in.
Zachary Daniels gives you an established recruitment partner on the ground in the UK, helping you understand the talent market and build the team your expansion needs.
YOUR FIRST UK HIRE CAN SHAPE EVERYTHING THAT FOLLOWS
For many businesses, UK expansion starts with one critical appointment.
A Country Manager. Managing Director. Head of Retail. Commercial leader. Or another senior hire responsible for establishing the business locally.
Get that appointment right and they can help shape the structure beneath them, establish your culture in a new market and lead the next phase of recruitment.
That’s why we look beyond whether someone can simply do the job.
We look at whether they can operate in the environment you’re creating.
Do they understand the UK market? Can they build rather than inherit? Can they represent your brand? And can they attract and lead the people you’ll need next?
FROM YOUR FIRST HIRE TO A COMPLETE UK TEAM
Expansion rarely stops at one appointment.
Once the leadership is in place, you may need to establish an entire head office function, open your first UK store or build several teams at the same time.
Our specialist recruiters can support hiring across your business.
Head Office
Stores
You don’t need separate recruitment agencies for every part of the business. We can bring the relevant ZD specialists together around your expansion.
OPENING YOUR FIRST UK STORE?
A first UK store is more than another opening.
It’s your brand’s introduction to a new market.
The people inside it will represent your business to UK customers, often before you’ve had the chance to build widespread brand recognition here.
We can help recruit the leadership and operational talent you need before the doors open, including Store Managers, Assistant Managers, visual merchandising, customer experience and wider retail operations roles.
If you’re opening one or several locations, we can help coordinate the wider recruitment project around your launch dates.
Explore our new Store openings page
WHAT DOES THE UK TALENT MARKET LOOK LIKE?
That’s often one of the first questions an international client asks us.
And it’s a question worth answering before recruitment begins.
We’ll give you a realistic view of:
- Salary expectations
- Candidate availability
- Relevant UK job titles
- Competitor demand
- Location and commuting considerations
- Notice periods
- Candidate expectations
- Where the strongest talent is likely to come from
If the package isn’t competitive, we’ll tell you.
If the job title isn’t going to translate well into the UK market, we’ll tell you.
If the talent you want is particularly difficult to find in your chosen location, we’ll tell you that too.
It’s much easier to solve those problems before you start hiring.
YOUR BRAND MAY BE NEW TO THE UK. YOUR CANDIDATES DON’T HAVE TO BE.
Established businesses have an advantage when recruiting. Candidates already know who they are.
When you’re new to the UK, that isn’t always the case.
A candidate might know your brand immediately. Or they might never have heard of you.
That means we’re not simply presenting a vacancy. We need to explain the opportunity behind it: who you are, why you’re entering the UK, what you’re building and why somebody should want to be part of it.
Our recruiters become an extension of that story in the UK talent market, helping you reach people who wouldn’t necessarily find you themselves.
RECRUITMENT ACROSS RETAIL & CONSUMER
We work with businesses across:
So when you enter the UK, you’re working with recruiters who already understand the market you’re entering and the talent within it.
HOW WE SUPPORT YOUR UK EXPANSION
1. Understand your UK plans
Where are you going? What are you building? What does the first phase look like, and where do you want the business to get to?
Understanding the bigger picture helps us recruit people for where you’re going, not just the vacancy in front of us.
2. Give you a UK market view
We’ll help you understand salaries, availability, competitors for talent and how your roles translate into the UK market.
3. Prioritise the critical hires
Not every vacancy needs to start at the same time.
We’ll help identify which appointments should come first and build the recruitment plan around them.
4. Take your brand to the talent market
We combine our existing networks with targeted search, advertising and proactive outreach to introduce your opportunity to relevant candidates.
5. Build the team
As your UK operation grows, our specialist teams can recruit across stores and head office functions without you having to start again with a different recruitment partner.
6. Keep adapting as you grow
Your first UK organisational chart probably won’t be your last.
As your requirements evolve, we can continue supporting the next stage of the team.
UK RECRUITMENT WITHOUT A UK RECRUITMENT TEAM
You don’t need to build an internal talent function before you can start hiring here.
We can provide the local recruitment capability while your UK business is being established.
That gives you access to specialist recruiters, established candidate networks and local market knowledge without needing all of that infrastructure in place from day one.
And when your internal capability grows, we can work alongside it.
INTERNATIONAL BRANDS. UK TALENT.
We’ve supported international brands recruiting into new markets, from individual appointments to wider team builds.
That includes businesses opening UK locations, establishing new functions and hiring the leaders responsible for taking their brand into its next market.
The Peloton project is a good example. Zachary Daniels supported its expansion across the UK, Germany and Australia, including UK store recruitment and later wider recruitment support as the relationship developed.
WHY ZACHARY DANIELS?
Expanding internationally means trusting people who understand the market you don’t know yet.
We’ve spent years building specialist networks across UK retail and consumer markets, from store operations through to specialist head office functions and leadership.
We’ll give you a realistic view of the market, represent your opportunity properly and tell you when something needs to change.
And because we’re employee-owned, the people representing your business have a genuine stake in the service they provide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Zachary Daniels help an international company recruit in the UK?
Yes. We support international retail and consumer businesses hiring in the UK, whether you need one critical appointment, a UK head office team, your first store team or ongoing recruitment as the business grows.
When should we start recruiting before entering the UK?
That depends on the roles you’re hiring, but starting early is important. Senior appointments can involve lengthy notice periods, while larger team builds need enough time for recruitment, onboarding and training before launch. We can work backwards from your planned UK launch date.
Can you help us understand UK salaries?
Yes. We’ll advise on salary expectations and what we’re seeing within the relevant UK talent market. This can help you establish whether your proposed package is competitive before going to market.
Can you help us decide which roles to hire first?
Yes. When you’re building a UK operation from scratch, the sequence can be as important as the individual hires. We can help identify the critical appointments and plan subsequent recruitment around them.
Can you recruit our first UK Country Manager or senior leader?
Yes. We recruit senior and leadership appointments as well as specialist and operational roles. For many international businesses, finding the right UK leader is the first stage of building the wider team.
Can you recruit a complete team for our first UK store?
Yes. We can recruit leadership and wider operational roles for a first UK store and support larger projects involving multiple locations.
Do you only recruit in London?
No. We recruit throughout the UK. The right location strategy depends on the roles you need, where your business will operate and where relevant talent is available.
Can you continue supporting us after our initial UK launch?
Yes. We can support the initial market entry and continue recruiting as your UK operation grows, whether that means additional stores, new functions or individual permanent hires.
EXPANDING INTO THE UK?
Whether you need your first UK leader, a complete head office function or the team for your first store, talk to us about what you’re building.
We’ll help you understand the UK talent market and find the people to make it happen.
Talk to us about your UK expansion
LOOKING TO JOIN A BUSINESS ENTERING THE UK?
Joining an international brand as it establishes itself in the UK can give you the opportunity to help shape what comes next.
Explore our latest opportunities or send us your CV to speak to one of our specialist recruiters.
Get in touch about your next role
Looking to recruit? Get in touch with your local office below...
London Office (South East)
16 Great Chapel St, London, W1F 8FL
Birmingham Office (Midlands)
Spaces Lewis Building, Bull Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B4 6AF
Warrington Office (North West)
Riverside Court, Chester Road, Warrington, Cheshire, WA4 6AR
Glasgow Office (Scotland)
204-206 Bath Street, Glasgow, G2 4HW
Belfast Office (NI & ROI)
Forsyth House, Cromac Street, Belfast, BT2 8LA
We take pride in understanding your business needs through industry knowledge. Whether you need professionals in fashion retail, e-commerce, or traditional store management, our tailored approach ensures that we find the right candidates for your needs.
