The Buying Modules
THE ROLE OF BUYING & MERCHANDISING
Industry overviews & objectives of buying & merchandising, the B&M cycle
RANGE PLANNING
Option plans, Open to Buy (OTB), category mix, trends, shows & market intelligence
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
The role of design, briefing suppliers, prototyping & sampling, the role of QA & technical departments, creating a commercially viable product
PERSONAL SKILLS
Effective time management & working methods, negotiation & communication skills developing self & others
MARGIN & PROFIT
Types of margin, calculating margins, understanding the importance of margin, the levers of profit & loss
SOURCING & SUPPLIERS
Understanding true cost, how to select, analyse & manage suppliers, importance of the critical path, flexibility & speed to market, importing, ethics & code of conduct
IN SEASON TRADING
Driving sales, repeat buys, best & worst sellers, reading & interpreting merchandising reports, communicating effectively & summarising information