Speaking earlier in the month, Next’s chief executive Lord Wolfson outlined a picture of sluggish consumer growth, with the impact of public spending cuts and VAT rises making next year particularly tough for retailers. However, Russell Crowe, chief executive of Kudos Recruitment Group, told Recruiter he took a more optimistic view. “There are lots of retail organisations that are expanding on a weekly basis,” he said, citing Primark, Peacocks and Dreams, which is opening a store a week, as examples. There continues to be a healthy turnover of staff in retail, added Crowe. “Retailers are always competing to attract the best staff, in areas such as buying and merchandising and central support, and that will never change.”