Permanent Hiring
Permanent recruitment for retail, ecommerce and consumer brands
The right permanent hire can change a team. The wrong one can cost far more than a recruitment fee.
At Zachary Daniels, we help retail, ecommerce and consumer businesses find the people they need to grow.
From Store Managers and specialist Head Office appointments to senior leadership and complete team builds, our recruiters know their markets and the people who make a difference within them.
We take time to understand your business, the role you’re recruiting for and what success looks like. Then we use our knowledge, networks and proactive search to find people worth meeting.
Whether you’re replacing a key team member, adding new skills or building a team for your next stage of growth, we’re here to help.
PERMANENT RECRUITMENT THAT GOES BEYOND THE CV
Experience matters. So do skills, sector knowledge and results. But finding the right permanent employee involves more than matching a job description to a CV.
The person you hire needs to understand your business, work well with your team and have the skills and experience to deliver what you need.
That’s why we take the time to understand the role behind the job title.
What does success look like? What challenges will this person need to solve? And why would somebody good want to join your business?
We use those conversations to understand who you’re looking for and where we’re most likely to find them.
It means fewer irrelevant CVs and more conversations with people you’d genuinely want to hire.
Permanent recruitment across your business
From the shop floor to the boardroom, our specialist teams recruit permanent talent across the functions that keep retail and consumer businesses moving.
Whether you’re looking for a Store Manager, an experienced Buyer, a Marketing Director or someone to lead a growing finance team, you’ll work with recruiters who understand that particular market.
Our permanent recruitment specialisms include:
Retail Operations
Store, Area, Regional and Retail Leadership appointments.
Store Management
Area & Regional Management
Buying, Merchandising & Product
Buying, Merchandising, Planning, Product Development, Design and Wholesale.
Buying & Merchandising
Product, Design, Technical & Wholesale
Marketing, Ecommerce & Digital
Marketing, Ecommerce, CRM, Digital, Brand and Customer Experience.
Marketing & Brand
Digital & Ecommerce
HR, People & Talent
HR, Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development, Reward and People Leadership.
Finance & Accountancy
Financial Accounting, Commercial Finance, Financial Control and senior finance appointments.
Technology
Technology, Data, Software Engineering, IT Leadership and Digital Transformation.
Supply Chain & Logistics
Supply Chain, Procurement, Logistics, Distribution and Operations.
Executive Search
Senior leadership, functional directors and executive appointments through ZD Search.
Each team specialises in its own market, building relationships and knowledge that go far beyond a database search.
PERMANENT RECRUITMENT ACROSS RETAIL & CONSUMER Sectors
Different sectors need different people.
The experience needed to manage a luxury flagship store is very different from what’s required to lead a fast-growing ecommerce business or manage supply chain operations for a consumer brand.
That’s why our recruiters work within the markets they know.
We support permanent recruitment across sectors including:
We work with established retailers, growing consumer businesses and international brands, supporting permanent recruitment across the UK and internationally.
Why work with a specialist permanent recruitment agency?
You can advertise a vacancy yourself. And sometimes, the right person will apply.
But finding the strongest candidates often means looking beyond the people actively searching for a new job.
That’s where working with a specialist recruitment partner can make a difference.
Recruiters who understand your market
Our consultants recruit within defined sectors and functions. They understand the roles, businesses and experience employers are looking for.
That knowledge helps us identify relevant people and give you useful advice throughout the hiring process.
Access to people who aren’t actively looking
Some of the best candidates are already doing well in their current roles.
They might not be applying for jobs, but they could be interested in the right opportunity.
We use our established relationships, candidate networks and proactive search to reach people you might not otherwise meet.
Candidates who’ve been properly qualified
We take time to understand the people we’re introducing, not just what’s written on their CV.
Their experience, achievements, motivations, salary expectations and what they’re looking for next all matter.
Just as importantly, we want to know whether your opportunity is right for them.
Honest advice about the market
Salary expectations, candidate availability, location, flexibility and competing opportunities can all influence a recruitment search.
We’ll share what we’re seeing in the market, including where expectations might need to change or where a different approach could help.
Sometimes that means challenging the original brief. We’d rather have that conversation early than waste your time.
Support from brief to start date
Recruitment doesn’t finish when you’ve found someone you want to hire.
We stay involved through interviews, feedback, offers, counteroffers and notice periods, keeping communication clear and helping both sides move towards a successful start.
OUR PERMANENT RECRUITMENT PROCESS
Every assignment is different, but our approach is straightforward: understand the brief, search the market properly and keep everyone informed.
1. Understand your business and the role
We start by getting to know your business, team and the reasons behind the hire.
We’ll discuss the experience you need, what success looks like, salary, location, working arrangements and anything else likely to influence the search.
A Store Manager appointment needs a different approach from recruiting a Head of Buying or building a new ecommerce team.
2. Take the opportunity to market
Once we’ve agreed the brief, we use the most relevant routes to reach potential candidates.
That might include our existing networks, candidate database, targeted advertising, referrals and direct approaches to people already working in the market.
We also make sure candidates understand the business, the role and why it could be a good move.
3. Qualify and introduce relevant candidates
We speak with suitable candidates to understand their experience, career history, motivations and expectations.
We assess their suitability against the brief and provide you with the information needed to decide who you’d like to meet.
The aim is a shortlist of people worth considering, not a large number of CVs.
4. Manage interviews and offers
We’ll coordinate interviews, gather feedback and keep candidates informed throughout the process.
When you’re ready to make an offer, we’ll help manage conversations around salary, expectations, notice periods and any questions that need resolving.
5. Support the successful hire
An accepted offer is an important milestone, but it isn’t the end of the process.
We stay in touch with the candidate and your team through the notice period and around their start date, helping identify and address any concerns.
Our aim is to help you make a successful permanent appointment, not simply fill a vacancy.
MORE THAN ONE PERMANENT HIRE?
Sometimes you’re not recruiting one person.
You might be opening a new store, building a department, launching a new brand, entering another market or recruiting several people as part of a wider growth plan.
We support larger permanent recruitment projects too, bringing together the relevant specialist teams and building an approach around the number of hires, locations and timescales involved.
Depending on what you’re planning, we can also help with:
Store Openings & Retail Expansion
Recruiting Store Managers, leadership teams and store colleagues for new locations, multi-site openings and retail expansion projects.
UK Market Entry
Helping international retail and consumer brands recruit the people they need when establishing or growing their presence in the UK.
International Recruitment
Supporting retail and consumer businesses with specialist and leadership appointments as they expand into international markets.
WHY ZACHARY DANIELS?
We’ve spent years building specialist recruitment teams, candidate relationships and market knowledge across retail, ecommerce and consumer businesses.
We know that finding the right person matters.
Not just because you need to fill a vacancy, but because that person could be responsible for leading a team, improving performance, building a department or helping your business grow.
Our clients work with us because they want recruiters who understand their markets, communicate properly and give them honest advice.
People who take responsibility, follow through and care about getting the appointment right.
We’re also a majority employee-owned business.
In 2022, our founders placed 51% of Zachary Daniels into an Employee Ownership Trust for the benefit of our employees.
We want to keep building a successful business, look after our people and continue doing recruitment in a way we’re proud of.
Good recruitment starts with understanding people. And that’s what we do.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is permanent recruitment?
Permanent recruitment is the process of hiring an employee directly into an ongoing position within your business.
A recruitment agency can manage some or all of that process, including sourcing candidates, direct approaches, qualification, interview coordination, offer management and support through to the start date.
What permanent roles does Zachary Daniels recruit?
We recruit permanent employees across Retail Operations, Buying, Merchandising, Product, Marketing, Ecommerce, Digital, HR, Finance, Technology, Supply Chain, Logistics and senior leadership.
Our specialist teams work across management and professional appointments through to functional directors and executive positions.
What sectors do you recruit permanent employees for?
We specialise in retail, ecommerce and consumer markets, including fashion, luxury, beauty, sports and active lifestyle, footwear, home and interiors, consumer electronics, FMCG, grocery, automotive and other related sectors.
Can you find candidates who aren’t actively looking for a job?
Yes. Many suitable candidates aren’t actively applying for jobs.
Our recruiters use established networks, direct search, referrals and proactive outreach to identify and approach people who may be interested in the right opportunity.
Can you help us recruit several permanent employees at once?
Yes. We support individual permanent appointments as well as larger recruitment projects, including store openings, department builds and recruitment across multiple locations.
We’ll agree an approach based on the roles, their requirements and your timescales.
Do you recruit permanent employees across the UK and internationally?
Yes. Zachary Daniels supports permanent recruitment across the UK and internationally.
We work with retail and consumer businesses recruiting within established markets, entering new territories or building teams to support international growth.
How long does permanent recruitment take?
It depends on the role, seniority, location, salary, candidate availability and the competitiveness of the market.
Once we understand what you’re looking for, we’ll give you a realistic view of the market and likely timescales.
HIRING PERMANENT TALENT?
Whether you’ve got one vacancy to fill or you’re planning the next stage of your team’s growth, we’d love to hear what you’re working on.
Tell us a little about your business, the people you’re looking for and what you’re hoping to achieve.
We’ll connect you with the right specialist, share what we’re seeing in the market and talk through how we can help.
Thinking about your next move?
If you’re considering a new opportunity in retail, ecommerce or the wider consumer sector, our specialist recruiters would be happy to help.
Explore our latest permanent vacancies or get in touch with the team to discuss your next move.
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.
