Fashion Buying and Merchandising: Intensive

Who decides what we are wearing next season? How do the products arrive in stores? Why are some retailers successful and others are not? This is all down to the fashion buyers and merchandisers, the main drivers of any retail business and very influential decision makers.

This one-week fashion buying course covering the key elements of our introductory courses:

• Introduction to Fashion Buying & Merchandising
• Fashion Buying & Merchandising: Buying Techniques
• Fashion Buying & Merchandising: Merchandising Techniques

This fashion buying course will introduce you to different roles and what to expect if you plan to start your career with an established retailer, or if you have recently started in a fashion buying or merchandising role and want to understand 'best practice'. With the emphasis on larger retailers this course will help you understand what it takes to succeed as a buyer or merchandiser, and the many exciting and challenging aspects of the roles. You will start to build a comprehensive reference file on buying and merchandising.

The course includes:

Industry structure

Market research & customer profiling

Branding

Buying & merchandising roles & responsibilities

The buying calendar & critical path

Competitor shop

SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) preparation

Buying strategy

Creating & applying budgets

Detailed profitability

KPIs (Key Performance Indicators)

Profit and margin control

Supply chain and distribution

Range planning

Understanding product lifecycles & product development

The quality process

Pricing

Negotiation

Identifying demand

Sales analysis

WSSI (Weekly Sales & Stock Intake)

OTB (Open to Buy)

Stock management, allocating & stock replenishment

European buyer in the world market

Emerging markets

The impact of new technology

The projects you'll be asked to undertake involve mathematical formulae therefore it's essential you have an understanding of maths to GCSE level C or equivalent.

This course covers the first and second steps in the series of our 'Fashion Buying & Merchandising' short courses. Once you've completed this course you might consider moving onto our advanced level courses, 'Fashion Buying & Merchandising: Advanced' or ‘Range Building’ and ‘WSSI Creation & Interpretation’ for a more in-depth understanding of the subject area.

Beginners/intermediate. You should have an interest in the subject area and a desire to learn but no previous experience is required.

Your course place is confirmed once you have booked online or via the phone using a credit or debit card. There is no deadline for booking. Places are offered on a first come, first served basis, and all courses have a maximum number of students. We suggest you book early to avoid disappointment.