This example is for a sales assistant with a few years in shops who wants to step up to keyholder or supervisor. It shows how to describe till work, stock and customer service with the numbers store managers already track.
Chloe Bennett
Retail Sales Assistant and Keyholder
chloe.bennett@example.com·07700 900218·Bristol, UK
Summary
Retail sales assistant with four years in fashion and food retail, now a keyholder for a busy city-centre store. Confident on the till and shop floor, accurate with cash and good at turning a browse into a sale. Available weekdays, evenings and weekends, and looking for a supervisor or senior sales assistant role.
Experience
Sales Assistant and Keyholder
Avonmead Fashion · Bristol, UK
Womenswear chain with 14 stores in the South West.
Serve around 150 customers on a busy Saturday on the till and shop floor, with cash-up differences under £2 for 18 months running.
Raised my average transaction value from £34 to £41 by suggesting matching items in the fitting room and at the till.
Signed up 40–50 customers a month to the loyalty scheme, the highest in the store in 6 of the last 12 months.
Made keyholder in 2025: open and close the store, bank the takings and brief the team before opening.
Customer Assistant
Westway Food Stores · Bristol, UK
Neighbourhood supermarket open 7am to 11pm.
Applied Challenge 25 on every age-restricted sale and passed all 6 test purchases while I worked there.
Rotated chilled stock first in, first out and logged reductions, as part of a team that cut weekly chilled waste by about 15%.
Helped unload and put away 2 deliveries a week before the store opened.
Education
BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Business
City of Bristol College · Bristol, UK
8 GCSEs including English and Maths
Bedminster Down School · Bristol, UK
Skills
Sales and service
Upselling and add-on sales · Fitting room service · Loyalty sign-ups · Handling returns and complaints
Store operations
Till and cash handling · Stock replenishment and rotation · Visual merchandising · Deliveries and stock counts · Keyholder duties
Systems
EPOS tills · Handheld stock scanners
Languages
EnglishNative
FrenchA2
A fictional example: the person, the employers and the contact details are invented. Shown in the Trail template.
Why this CV works
Serve around 150 customers on a busy Saturday on the till and shop floor, with cash-up differences under £2 for 18 months running.
Footfall and cash accuracy in one line: a store manager sees she can cope with a rush and be trusted with money.
Raised my average transaction value from £34 to £41 by suggesting matching items in the fitting room and at the till.
Average transaction value is a number every store tracks. Showing how she raised hers proves she sells, not just serves.
Made keyholder in 2025: open and close the store, bank the takings and brief the team before opening.
Keyholder duties are the clearest sign of trust in retail, and the step every supervisor role builds on.
Applied Challenge 25 on every age-restricted sale and passed all 6 test purchases while I worked there.
Passed test purchases show she follows the law on age-restricted sales, which matters to any shop that sells alcohol or knives.
Available weekdays, evenings and weekends, and looking for a supervisor or senior sales assistant role.
Retail rotas run on evenings and weekends, so stating availability up front answers the manager's first question.
Skills to include
Till and cash handling
Customer service
Upselling and add-on sales
Visual merchandising
Stock replenishment and rotation
Deliveries and stock counts
EPOS systems
Loyalty scheme sign-ups
Challenge 25 and age-restricted sales
Keyholder duties
Mistakes to avoid
Writing “good with customers” instead of what you did: customers served, loyalty sign-ups, average transaction value or mystery shopper scores.
Leaving out signs of trust such as keyholder duties, accurate cash-ups or passed test purchases, which managers look for when they promote.
Not saying when you can work. Shops plan rotas around evenings and weekends, so a line on availability saves the manager a phone call.
Country tip
UK shops check your right to work before your first shift, so have your passport or share code ready; nationality doesn't go on the CV. Keep a retail CV to one page, leave off your photo and date of birth, and mention Challenge 25 or till training if you have it.
Frequently asked questions
What should I put on a retail CV?
A short profile with your availability, your shop jobs with results (customers served, sales, sign-ups, cash accuracy), the tills and systems you know, and any keyholder or training duties.
How do I write a retail CV with no experience?
Use school, college, volunteering or any job where you dealt with the public or handled money. Show you are reliable and available at weekends, and add a short profile saying why you want to work in that shop.
What are good skills for a retail sales assistant CV?
Customer service, till and cash handling, stock replenishment, visual merchandising and upselling, plus Challenge 25 if the shop sells age-restricted goods. Back each one up with a line in your experience.