Newcastle is a city that surprises all who visit it with the level of energy that is shown by the local Geordie population. Residents of the city are notorious for playing hard but they also work extremely hard too. Employment in Newcastle is divided into a number of areas though retail is the main employer in the city. Here are 10 of the best companies to work for in Newcastle, in no particular order.

10: Debenhams

This is a huge retail chain that has its headquarters in London but Newcastle plays host to one of its biggest stores. Debenhams was founded in 1778 and currently has more than 30,000 employees and a revenue of over £2 billion per annum. It is best known for selling clothes and fashion accessories but it has branched out into other areas such as cosmetics, gifts and toys.

9: John Lewis

Newcastle’s Eldon Square has one of the largest John Lewis stores in Britain. This is another internationally recognised store and was formed back in 1838. It was relocated to Eldon Square in 1976 and has gone from strength to strength ever since. It has undergone recent refurbishment but this department store is still as classy and elegant as ever.

8: Tesco

This store is synonymous with bargains and the largest Tesco store in Britain is located on Tyneside. The company was formed in 1919 and now has more than 5,000 stores in 14 countries around the world. Its annual revenue is estimated at over £60 billion with almost 500,000 employees under the Tesco banner. As well as selling household items, Tesco are also attempting to capture other markets by selling CD’s, DVD’s and even life insurance.

7: Apple

Everyone with an interest in technology is familiar with the Apple brand which creates iPads, iPhones, personal computers, laptops and all sorts of electronic wizardry. There are over 350 Apple stores around the world with billions of dollars earned every year. In fact, one Apple store in Regent Street, London earns £60 million per year by itself.

6: Hollister

This is an American lifestyle brand who are renowned for producing cutting edge designs in their casual wear. They target the teen market, have more than 500 stores worldwide and have an annual revenue of approximately £1 billion.

5: Guess

This is another American clothing company which proves that Newcastle is a city on the front line of fashion as it receives the latest styles from across the Atlantic before other UK cities. Guess also sell accessories such as watches, jewellery and perfumes. There are almost 500 stores and 9,000 employees worldwide and the company has an annual revenue of approximately £750 million.

4: Fenwick

This is one of the most successful independent chain stores in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1982 and its headquarters are in Newcastle. The company has expanded in recent years and purchased Williams & Griffin in 2007. The Fenwick store in Newcastle is one of the UK’s largest and hosts a total of nine cafés. As you can imagine, employment opportunities here are plentiful.

3: Marks & Spencer

M&S, as it is often known, is a retailer which is known for selling high quality food, beverages and clothing. It was the first UK retailer to break through the £1 billion mark for pre-tax profits in 1998. Today, its revenue is £9.5 billion per annum as it easily rides out the economic storm. There are more than 75,000 M&S employees in total and the store located in Newcastle is one of the largest in Britain.

2: Proctor & Gamble

This is a corporation that manufactures a variety of consumer goods. The company’s revenue was more than £50 billion during the last financial year. Proctor & Gamble hire more than 127,000 employees around the world and the organization itself is frequently mentioned in ‘world’s most admired’ company lists.

1: Npower

This is one of the traditional ‘big 6’ energy companies in the UK. It hires more than 11,000 staff nationwide and deals with electricity and gas supply. Its parent company is RWE, a German organization. Npower has a significant base of operations in Newcastle where it hires hundreds of employees.

It’s obvious that Newcastle offers a tremendous number of retail opportunities but there are also some manufacturing companies that offer great employment terms and career stability.