Buying and Beyond

This week we are easing ourselves into the new year with a good goss to start… We are catching up and chatting about skiing, impractical ski wear, sportswear brands, practical dressing v. fashion and a great first gift from a boyfriend… Then we get into the serious stuff (well, you know us, it’s serious with a many a laugh!) and we talk about January trading, classic fitness DVDs, water bottles, q...

Here we are our final episode for Season 3, ending with a Christmas special :) We’ve both bought Christmas for over 7 years and it was one of our favourite areas to buy, it can be so much fun! We talk favourite themes, development trips, sample mishaps and what happens in a Christmas sign off- the one everyone in the company wants to be at! We are now signing off for Christmas and wish all our lis...

This week are joined by Levanah Gates, The Buyers Coach. Levanah started working in retail buying at a similar time to us, she’s worked at a large number of high street retailers and has seen it all! She joins us to tell us her story, from starting out in the industry, almost working in trend forecasting, to making the transition from buying manager to life coach.   The 3 top points from today&apo...

Today’s episode has been on a quite an intense subject, but one that we’ve had quite a few requests for us to discuss - so we hope we did it justice!  Stress can be both good and bad, the adrenaline can motivate, but too much can feel overwhelming and lead to burnout. It’s about finding that balance between driving and drowning, feeling strong enough to take on more but not too much that you strug...

In Episode 7 we chat with one of our OGs, a very special trauma friend! We all started Buying as BAAs, and wow it was a wild time. We recount some of the ridiculous and hilarious memories of the Buying office - working on the hats, gloves and scarves team when you’re allergic to wool, the crazy fads we tried out, being very young and impressionable, wanting to be cool and raising our profile - plu...

This weeks episode aims to give you that confidence boost you need to leave your job and reassurance if you've just made the leap to a new company. It can be quite a daunting prospect moving on, especially if it's your first job or if you're enjoying where you work but cant see the next step internally. Sometimes you just have to move on. Often you'll find you'll go from f...

Today we are talking to PR expert Laura Quick founder at LQPR. Lynsey has worked with Laura many times and know her to be the most enthusiastic, inspiring confident PR guru. Laura joins us to talk about the wonderful world of PR. We discuss the definition of PR, and Laura takes us through her career history including how she got started and life as a freelancer. This episode takes a trip down memo...

This episode is all about the reality check when talking about retail! We talk about how much retail has changed over the past decade or so and the impact of the pandemic - it was HUGE! It's not something we really want to remind us all about, but it's important not to forget about it and to recognise the importance it had, it was a massive moment in our careers, completely unpressedente...

September is the season for trade shows, fashion weeks, and new stock in the stores, so this week we talk all about how trade shows have changed and evolved, new trends for AW24 we're loving from our shop walks, and the styles we've loved from the New York, London, Paris & Milan shows - it'll be SS25 before we know it and we cant wait to see which trends from these shows will fi...

In our second episode of season 3 we have our first merchandiser on the show. As we discussed in episode 1, merchandisers are our partners in crime at most traditional retailers. The Buying & Merchandising department is made up of teams that mirror each other at most levels and share the responsibility of the product category ranges - although let's face it, it’s always the Buyer that&apo...

A Buyer is so central to a company, there are so many relationships you need to build for successful sales, and the customer is at the heart of everything - everyone's responsibility in a company is to focus on making it the best experience for a customer, whether that be price, stock levels, design, quality, placement, POS, service… So here are the 3 takeaways from today's episode We’ll...

So that brings us to the end of our episode, and the end of Season 2! We hope you’ve enjoyed listening to this season as much as we have enjoyed recording it, we’ve tried to keep our episodes to max 30 mins, but with so much to talk about it can be hard to keep to that time frame, we just get carried away, run off on tangents, and the topics are just so big it can be hard to limit ourselves - we’r...

This is a topic we are both incredible passionate about, in this episode we discuss what does sustainability actually mean, how are certain retailers getting behind it. The greenwashing effect and our thoughts on some brands that are making some great changes in how we think about where our products come from. Quality vs cost and the new emerging rental market.  Here are our most passionate points...

In Episode 8 we discuss the importance of personal development, taking ownership and driving your own development. It’s easier said than done though, so we share our recommendations for learning opportunities, podcasts that we love (other than ours, haha), life coaching and mentoring. Of course we go off on tangents around motivation and positivity - spin studios, BMF, netflix sports documentaries...

This has been such a fun episode to record and it’s been great to have another opinion thrown into the mix! Emma shares really brilliant insights into the opportunities she’s taken, from merchandising laptops to buying beauty & gifting, and how the skills gained through each role can be transferable across the retail landscape. We talk about the difference between all of Emma's roles, own...

In episode 6 the focus is on travel again, but this time inspiration trips, one of the most creative parts of the job! Similarly to a development trip, you will need to be keeping on top of your BAU, so again, as fabulous as the destinations can be, and nice it is to be out of the office, that day to day running of the team doesn’t go away - but it’s worth the juggle for the ideas you can get! We...

In episode 5, we continue our chat on suppliers - as we’ve said, they are the centre of product! We’re talking about that optimum number of suppliers, comparing our supply base to our wardrobe and building long standing relationships with core suppliers. We touch on sustainability, from more of a business stability point of view and discuss bringing on new suppliers, new products and new capabilit...

In Episode 4 we talk about our experience of working with suppliers across the world, both direct factories and agents, in the UK, and the Far East. It feels like we have only just scratched the surface on this one as it is such a huge topic, suppliers are a huge part of a Buyer's life as without our suppliers and factories we wouldn’t have any product! We spend most of this episode talking a...

In episode 3 we continue the conversation around travelling, it’s all about preparation and being productive - as well as exhausted! Buying trips are so full on, it’s the definition of work hard and play hard. You have to fit in as much as possible in a very short space of time, but it’s worth it - and remember that  sometimes you’re just so delirious and tired you just have to laugh (or you’ll cr...

Travelling can be such an amazing experience, you can come back so full of ideas and expertise on your product category! It’s so important to get out to see factories, they are absolutely fascinating and really take you behind the scenes of the product. It can be one of the best parts of a buying role, and also one of the most exhausting.  We would really encourage you to put the following into ac...

We’re back for  Season 2 - and you’ve made it! That title is yours! You are now the leader of the team…but with that comes responsibilities too. You’re setting the strategy, you’re creating and selecting all the products, it’s your range and your vision,  but you’re also moving into more of a management role.  It’s such an exciting time becoming a buyer and finally getting that title is the ultima...

We’re ending this season by reminding ourselves why we love our jobs in retail buying , more trips down memory lane , the friends we’ve made , the parties we’ve been to and the fun, laughter and creativity that comes with it! Here are our favourite things about Buying summarised into 3 points -  1) The excitement of a new idea brewing, working with your team to bring the idea to life, launching wi...

In this episode we’re chatting about all things management, so often there is no training and you just have to learn on the job. We discuss our first experiences of managing, our preferred management style and the importance of managing up and down. Here are three things we would encourage managers to do - 1) Check in, show up be, present for your team - you’ll gain their respect.  2) Adapt your c...

In Episode 8 we chat about a really common task that most buyers carry out called a compshop. It’s really about how we gather our market data and take inspiration from retailers. It’s important to remember that this isnt copying or stealing ideas its gathering information to identify trends and also make sure you are relevant in the market place. It can help you to also identify and define your US...

In this Episode we focus on the Sign Off meeting, we set the scene, talk about the general scenarios you might find, the questions you may face, and how to handle it all like an absolute pro..! Our top tips for a successful sign off… 1) Confidence in presenting, this is your show, and keep calm when questioned, even when you don't know the answers 2) Ask for constructive feedback, don’t be af...