Superdrug has announced it will take on 500 apprentices this year alongside its sister company Savers.

Last year the retailers pledged to hire 500 apprentices over three years, reaching 80 per cent of their target.

The health and beauty chain recruited 8,000 people in total across 2023 and will have around 7,000 retail roles to fill this year.

The company has been running its apprenticeship scheme for 18 years and claims it is one of the oldest in the UK. Since its launch, over 4,500 people have achieved qualifications through the initiative, with 30 per cent of graduates having chosen to stay within the business.

Last year, Superdrug supported calls by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) to reform the Apprenticeship Levy and make the scheme more flexible to ensure funds can be used in more ways.

The BRC claimed that retailers would have offered 12,000 more apprenticeships over the past year if the Levy was more flexible, estimating that reform of the scheme would boost numbers by 70 per cent.

Superdrug’s people director Amy Davies said around 18 per cent of its apprentices come from low economic and social backgrounds. She added that the company supports all new apprentices with everyday life skills which they did not have the opportunity to learn during the pandemic.

“We are so passionate about offering the UK’s young people opportunities and the scheme is critical for developing talent for the future,” Davies added. “Our aim is not only to give young people the best entry into retail that we can, but also to help them grow and develop in their roles, so they choose to progress their careers within our businesses.”

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