The ten most desirable retailers as voted for by university students

The TARGETjobs Employer of Choice graduate survey collects students' views on 16 sectors of work and is the largest student survey in the UK. It is conducted annually to gain an insight into student perceptions of businesses and the results show that the top ten firms in the retail sector are:

1.Marks & Spencer

2.Boots

3.John Lewis

4.Tesco

5.Arcadia Group

6.Debenhams

7.Sainsbury's

8.NEXT

9.House of Fraser

10 Harrods

Marks & Spencer is also the employer with the highest profile on campus and the best reputation for work experience.

The survey also shows the typical profile of a student interested in working in this sector is female, white and most likely to be studying business-related degrees. Although respondents were more than averagely likely to have done some career research, they were also less likely than average to have secured a job offer. When it came to choosing an employer, work/life balance, training and salary were the most important factors and environmental policies the least important.

Paul Sissons, CEO of targetjobs.co.uk, said: "Clearly, today's students are taking jobhunting very seriously and have clear ideas about what they're looking for in an employer. This annual survey tracks the popularity of employer brands on campus and it's clear that the firms which come out at the top of the list have not only worked hard on building their profile but are now offering the right sort of package to attract the best graduates."