Fashion buying and merchandising

No matter how large or small the business, whether it is an individual shop or part of a large chain, in some part of the organisation will be fOlllld an individual responsible for buying the merchandise that it retails to the public. With small, privately owned shops, the buyer and arbiter of the ranges stocked will often be the owner or entrepreneur who started the business. In the case of large chains like Top Shop or New Look, there are large, centrally managed B&M departments, often containing a hundred plus staff, all with B&M responsibilities for part of the total product offer. These departments are usually open plan, divided up into product groups and/or garment types. Specialist B&M teams of buyer and merchandiser, their assistants and sometimes distribution staff generally sit at an island formation of 6-8 desks. These small teams are tight knit and their members work in proximity to one another, so that they are able to keep each other fully informed about everything to do with the department&s;s ranges. Buying offices are exciting places to work, strewn with sample garments, computers and the mass of paperwork used to support the merchandise planning process. All arOlllld are cabinets and rails of samples, with walls covered with mood boards and fabric swatches relating to future seasons&s; ranges.