A well run family business but focuses on wholesale more than stores. Quite relaxed atmosphere not much involvement from head office. No area managers in the business

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Avoid

Sales Assistant (Former Employee) - Windsor - 5 August 2022

No career progression,minimum wage even though you expected to up sell and have targets ,very small bonus scheme that over the years has downgraded to almost nothing .lack of management leadership .heavy work dealing with deliveries as no stockroom staff in stores .

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Insights into Barbour

Based on 13 survey responses

Areas for improvement

Supportive environment
Time and location flexibility
Sense of belonging

horrible le place to be

Warehouse Worker (Former Employee) - South Shields, Tyne and Wear - 28 June 2022

worked there for about 4 months never seen any thing like the way they treat staff shocking place aslo like a closed shop as iv worked all over the world onshore and offshore never seen anything like what this factory is like SHOCKING

Pros

None

Cons

Loads

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Awful place to work

Picker/Packer (Former Employee) - South Shields - 25 May 2022

Avoid working here and avoid staff power as an agency, terribly ran and they never listen to any concerns you may have. You are treated like children and spoke to like dirt, the management haven't got a clue what's going on.

Pros

None

Cons

Too many

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Has drastically went downhill

Warehouse Operative (Current Employee) - South Shields, Tyne and Wear - 5 April 2022

Used to be a fun family orientated place to work. Has went downhill in recent years. More concerned with profits than wellbeing of staff. Far to many agency staff hence less enjoyable workplace as people come and go constantly. Management don't want to know. No feedback. No communication between shifts.

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Fast-paced and fun environment

Sales Assistant (Former Employee) - Cheshire Oaks, Cheshire - 22 February 2022

Fun place to work with lots opportunities to sell. Always different customers walking through the door. Product knowledge is essential. Good salary and fun team.

Pros

Great team environment Good pay

Cons

Management was a bit hit and miss some days

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Unorganised, no payment for overtime, and holidays

Sales Advisor (Former Employee) - London, Greater London - 12 January 2022

Didn't get paid for overtime, didn't get paid for annual leave, no uniform allowance (they said you get some uniforms), no training, very unorganised, bad management or No management at all.

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Bad Management

Staff (Former Employee) - South Shields, Tyne and Wear - 9 December 2021

I have worked at Barbour for over 2 years and I've never been more miserable in my entire life. Barbours HR department run the place and they are unfair and Ruthless in there ways. The Company use to be family oriented due to Dame Margaret keeping the place a friendly and happy environment to work in. NOT ANY MORE, The company is like any other business now, heads down, long hours, no respect and get the job done no Matter what or get out! What is worse is they never pay the going rate if you qualifyed or specialise in this company, knock 10 grand easy of the going rate, most posts don't apply a rate if you notice and they try to entice you to join with a staff cheap cloth store and the same benefits any other company offers. Most of the management in all departments are blaggers they are either over qualified with no experience and make painful decisions that will complicate your job and always look to put the blame on you, or they are close family and friends to the Barbours and lack both the qualifications and experience to do the job.Trust me stay away from this company what good reputation this company once had is long gone, no benefit in joining you will not progress in your career and you will be under payed and under appreciated for you efforts.

Pros

Discount and cheap clothing for staff

Cons

Long hours, over worked, massively under payed, Appalling Management, no respect, High expectations, Asked to do things that's not in your job description ect

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Don’t work in the international sales office

International Sales Executive (Former Employee) - South Shields, Tyne and Wear - 13 September 2021

The manager of this department is a absolute nightmare to work for. She is well known for the high turnover of staff due to her inability to communicate with her team and the stressful intimidating atmosphere she creates. She made working at a great company an absolute nightmare and one of the most terrible working environments I’ve ever experienced.

Pros

Staff discount.

Cons

Management.

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Big turn over of staff

Manager (Former Employee) - South Shields, Tyne and Wear - 9 September 2020

A well established company but no real vision and no strong decision makers quick turnover of staff. Lots of money wasted through inefficiency New ideas are rarely embraced

Pros

Good discount on product

Cons

Non decisive management. Lots of swapping/changing

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Jobs at Barbour

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Customer Service Operator

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London

22 days ago

Sales Assistant - John Lewis

Leeds

22 days ago

Sales Assistant - John Lewis

Cheadle

22 days ago

Supportive and friendly environment for placement

Digital Marketing Placement Student (Current Employee) - South Shields, Tyne and Wear - 10 July 2020

As I joined Barbour during COVID-19, I had two interviews conducted over Teams, discussing a task I'd worked on at home, as opposed to a group interview. The recruitment process was informative throughout due to strong communication, taking away any anxiety surrounding finding a placement. I was provided with support and guidance, and a handover period with the previous student, allowing me to settle into the role. Brand values and tone were discussed to understand the company better. All employees were welcoming, friendly and willing to help, creating a very supportive environment. It has been good to have a real role within the team, as opposed to completing internship errands.

Pros

Great support, Friendly and helpful team

Cons

Balancing WFH aswell as office hours, busy days

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Supportive and Exciting workplace

Student Placement (Current Employee) - South Shields, Tyne and Wear - 2 July 2020

The recruitment process was very professional and personal, they had very open communication throughout. All questions or queries were answered very quickly. The interview struck the right balance between personal and professional based questions. I was provided with all the information i could want before my first day which allowed me to feel at ease and excited. Everyone is so lovely and it is such a supportive environment to learn and develop.

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A family company

Account Manager (Current Employee) - Manchester - 23 June 2020

I previously worked for Barbour for three years, and have just returned as an Account Manager after three years at a sports brand. The benefit of leaving and coming back is that I have been able to objectively see the value of the brand; their worth as an employer, the brand's reputation and the quality of product. I am comforted by what has remained the same and what has progressed. The majority of the sales and HO team has remained the same, as has the esteemed product and rich family values. What has progressed is the resources, management structure, processes and systems, and the induction process - which has been really thorough and comprehensive. After gaining more industry experience I am now fully aware there aren't many brands like Barbour, who have a worldwide reputation whilst retaining a family feel.

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Best employer

Senior Developer (Current Employee) - South Shields, Tyne and Wear - 18 June 2020

I joined Barbour during the COVID-19 crisis and despite the uncertainty in the world, I was recruited and on-boarded smoothly in what was the most comprehensive and professional interview process I have experienced. The role is challenging and rewarding with daily opportunities to learn and gain further skills. The culture and management style is open, honest and friendly with the business values clearly communicated and a real sense of pride, heritage and quality is seen throughout. The hardest part of the job has been settling in while WFH but with a welcoming and friendly team, I have been able to find my way without any issues. The most enjoyable part of the job is working for such an amazing employer, brand and team of colleagues across all areas, departments and locations of the business and the values they represent.

Pros

Staff discount, career progression, job satisfaction, winning team

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Great placement

Student Placement (Former Employee) - South Shields, Tyne and Wear - 12 June 2020

I started my year long placement in 2019, the team/management were great and really supported me throughout the year. Would highly recommend to any students looking for a placement in the North East! Easy to follow application process and they keep you fully informed throughout. Fab benefits and discount. I’ve learnt lots to contribute to my studies and future career.

Pros

Great support from managers, friendly environment, good opportunity to learn

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One day assistant

Asistant (Former Employee) - Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear - 9 June 2020

I only worked here for one day, seeing how the behind the scenes work, it was interesting to see how each team member had an input in the outcome of the photoshoots.

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Overall a positive step in my career. However Improvement need to be made.

Store Manager (Former Employee) - England - 7 June 2020

A great brand to work for with extensive history behind it. My time at Barbour helped me climb the retail ladder and provided exposure to key stake holders in the business. However, the salary was not competitive for the area and was less than the previous Store Manager even though we had the same level of retail experience. And the DTC function of the business lacks progression. You HAVE to be a self motivator because there isn’t much support or guidance for retail managers.

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Nice place to work

Sales Assistant (Former Employee) - London, Greater London - 6 June 2020

Enjoyed working there. Management caring and understanding, everyone is working as a team. There is no hardest or easiest part - you enjoy working with people and providing Excellent Customer Service or not. And I did. Every minute of it.

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Average

Sales assistant/Cashier (Former Employee) - Bicester, Oxfordshire - 4 May 2020

Many failed managers, even one who ended up in jail! Relaxed nice atmosphere with a good boss but stressful during peak seasons and under strict management

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Productive

Sales Asssistant (Current Employee) - Birmingham City Centre, West Midlands - 9 March 2020

Typical day at work is slow paced after christmas, as are most retailers. Friendly customers most of the time and a great team to work with. Cons; the pay could be higher to meet living standards and staff on the same job title should be paid the same. I don't really understand why staff who have the same job title and perform the same tasks are paid differently by such a big company. Living expenses are the same for everyone. Also having a unpaid half hour break while doing a 8 hour shift doesn't seem fair either. Getting food and eating and getting back to work can be very rushed and stressful. Should be able to relax on your break if your going to be on your feet for 8 hours. Feel like the company should do more towards duty of care towards staff, It will give everyone a lot more motivation.

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fast paced

Machinist (Current Employee) - South Shields, Tyne and Wear - 3 February 2020

I have found working at Barbour extremely stressful and the supervisors very unhelpful and the work colleagues very clicky I would not recommend working for this company.

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