In keeping with long-held traditions, The Fruit Market offers excellent apprenticeships that provide young people with the necessary retail experience and skills to become successful greengrocers.

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Apprentices who come to work in our Bourne End shop benefit from on the job training in day-to-day procedures from more experienced colleagues.

 

The Fruit Market's owner, Dave Bryant, supplements this hands-on learning with further education in the various aspects of greengrocery, based on his own 60 years experience in the trade.

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The Fruit Market provides apprentices with solid retail experience, working directly with customers, learning about and selling produce and handling cash.

 

About Greengrocer Apprenticeships

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Greengrocery is a customer-facing business, primarily based indoors.  It involves a lot of bending, lifting and carrying.

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Whilst there are no minimum qualifications for becoming a greengrocer, it helps if you are good with numbers and are interested in business.

 

Apprentices of The Fruit Market gain an essential all-round knowledge and understanding of greengrocery.  Specific areas of education include:

 

Customer Service

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How to:

• engage and interact courteously with customers

• weigh and pack purchases efficiently

• take payment and give change

• offer customers advice on how to prepare and serve produce

 

Merchandising

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How to:

• display produce attractively

• keep displays fully stocked

• know when to replenish shelves with produce from storage

 

Quality Control

 

How to:

• check and store produce

• ensure produce is fresh and properly presented

• identify and discard anything of insufficient quality

 

Hours

 

The Fruit Market is open seven days a week, from 8am to 6pm Monday to Saturday, and 8am to 2pm Sundays and Bank Holidays.

 

Full-time sales assistants work standard hours a week over five days, including shifts to cover weekends and bank holidays.  Part-time hours are also possible.

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Apprentice hours are flexible to allow time for further education in other areas.

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Qualities

 

A greengrocer should:

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• be able to communicate well, listen carefully to and interpret customers' needs

• possess a pleasant and friendly manner

• be reliable and hardworking

• possess energy and enthusiasm - hours can be long and the job involves a lot of standing

• know about a wide range of fruit and vegetables

• be willing to develop new ideas and routines

• be able to handle cash, keep accounts and required records

• be well organised

• have knowledge of fresh food preparation

• have good design sense, an ability to display produce attractively

• maintain awareness of national health and safety initiatives and environmental issues

 

Summary

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In the face of increasingly challenging competition from large and mini-supermarket chains, the number of local greengrocers has been declining. 

 

But by providing opportunities for young apprentices to learn greengrocery skills, how to provide unparalleled customer service and work with highest quality produce, The Fruit Market is supporting the ongoing cultivation of future greengrocers, to help ensure the continued existence of local greengrocers for generations to come.

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The Fruit Market welcome applications from prospective Apprentices.  

For more information, please please call Dave Bryant direct at The Fruit Market

on 01628 521403 or email us via our Contact page.

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