Fashion

Supply Chain/Merchandising manager

Logistics, Shipping & Operations

BRANDS INVOLVED- BENCH, KANGOL, SLAZENGER, VON DUTCH, CROSSHATCH, FARAH

When The Juice Corporation went into Administration in January 2018 the company and all assets were purchased by The Boi Trading group and Apparel Brands was formed. I was contacted and offered a position at the new company and have been instrumental in streamlining and starting the new business from what was left of the Juice corporation. Using my knowledge of the brands and customer base we have been able to focus on the strengths of the old business and operate a more streamlined and profitable business model.  Managing the merchandising team who I personally had to recruit we source multiple products from apparel to accessories and it is my job to ensure that all products flow smoothly to customers.

• Managementt of the merchandizing/QC teams and constant liaison with the Boi overseas offices and factories.
• Critical Path Management using the MS Navision system.
• Order raising
• Product costing and price negotiation with suppliers to achieve the best possible margin for our orders.
• Liasing with customers and suppliers on a daily basis.
• Resolving any QC issues we have.
• Attending meetings with key customer accounts.
• Trending of past season sales information to present to new and existing customers.
• Weekly meetings with the warehouse management team to ensure they are prepared for the coming weeks intake, dispatch and processing requirements
• Development and refinement of the existing Boi trading system to cater for the needs of specific key customer accounts

Plus size division
One of the key achievements was the founding of the plus size division at The Juice Corporation, through time and effort this was turned into a £1m business for the group and is something I have continued and am working to expand at Apparel Brands.
• Selection of each seasons collections across all brands- liasing with the design team and customers to ensure that the ranges we have to offer cater for the needs of the customers.
• Managing the budget provided against sales targets and ensuring that the ranges sell through in a timely manner so we were not left holding stock
• Pre-selling the ranges to customers and opening new accounts across the globe
• Price negotiation with suppliers
• Assistance with spec development

Concession store management
• This business model is new to Boi and following trials with smaller concessions operators we are now trading with multiple concession outlets within the UK and Europe. As this is a door I have opened for the company I am in charge of ensuring sales are monitored at each outlet and that all stores have sufficient stock and a range that best suits their customer profile.
• Weekly stock/sales reviews based on reports to SKU level and necessary action taken be it replenishment, mark-downs, promotions or return to warehouse.

Key Achievements:
• Implementation and integration of the new and old systems in as smooth a manner as possible allowing the business to be migrated as seamlessly as possible.
• As a new business we are currently in the top 5 suppliers in terms of delivery reliability and performance will all key accounts due to the procedures put in place and attention to detail of myself and my team.
• Launch of the concessions business model for the group, previously the company hadn't considered doing this as they felt it was too much work for the rewards involved. I've shown that with the right systems in place and good relationships with the staff at the concession itself this can be a profitable business model for them.
• Re-launch/continuation of my work on plus sizes    I have launched the CROSSHATCH brand in plus sizes for the first time this season, using my contacts and knowledge from my time at Juice this has been successful in a tough retail climate.

Menswear) Project manager for the Plus size division. And E-Commerce Merchandiser for Azire
BRANDS INVOLVED: KANGOL, SLAZENGER, JOE BLOGGS, SMPC, HEAD, L&F
The Juice Corporation are a Branded Fashion house dealing with a number of well known brands including Kangol, Slazenger, Skechers and Joe Bloggs. Producing multiple products from apparel to accessories it is my job to ensure that all Menswear products flow smoothly into customers.
• Management of a team of 4 merchandisers
• Critical Path Management using the navision system.
• Order raising
• Product costing and price negotiation with suppliers to achieve the best possible margin for our orders.
• Liasing with customers and suppliers on a daily basis.
• Attending meetings with key customer accounts.
• Assisting the retail division with merchandising and sourcing queries on our overseas retail store accounts.
• Trending of past season sales information to present to new and existing customers.
• Development of the reporting system of  Navision tailoring the reports available to suit individual customer requirements.

Plus size division
• Selection of each seasons collections across all brands- liasing with the design team and customers to ensure that the ranges we have to offer cater for the needs of the customers.
• Managing the budget provided against sales targets and ensuring that the ranges sell through in a timely manner so we were not left holding stock
• Pre-selling the ranges to customers and opening new accounts across the globe
• Price negotiation with suppliers
• Assistance with spec development

E-Commerce merchandising
• Assistance with Data creation for the new season collections
• Selection of ranges based on previous season sales
• Replenishment management
• Deal selection
• Management of price reductions to ensure stock flows through the business
• Replying to customer service queries as needed
• Azire are a multi-channel retailer with websites as well as ebay and amazon stores, ensuring we have sufficient stock over all platforms and consistent availability was an exciting new challenge for me.

Key Achievements:
• Following the recession in the UK we were asked as a company to come up with new ways to make money for the company    as a result the 'plus size' division here at juice was born. This is now a £1m PA account from nothing and is growing every year. I run this alongside my main role in the merchandising team selecting the range, developing the product, merchandising its flow into the uk and selling it to customers around the globe.
• Implementation of customer CP updates ensuring that all customers are kept up to date on a weekly basis, thus informing customers of the exact progress of their orders.
• Implementation of supplier compliance manual detailing a fines structure brought in place to help reduce the amount of  costs Juice Corporation were responsible for.
• Improvement to the company reporting system, providing the directors with accurate information at the touch of a button.
• We are now on the A+ RATED List of supplier performance in all key accounts, these are judged on product quality, on time delivery and delivery compliance.

Import Merchandising Manager

BRANDS INVOLVED- UMBRO, CAT, DUNLOP, SLAZENGER..
Sports Essentials are a branded licensee dealing with a range of products from accessories and footwear to apparel. Supplying a range of customers in the UK and Ireland they have a portfolio of 17 well known brands.
Role Profile:
• Management of the company critical path, once orders are raised by the merchandising team all orders feed onto an overview sheet on our system. It is my job to manipulate this data and update the company critical path to ensure that all components are approved on time, all sealing samples are received and that the orders run smoothly into the customer. With a range of products all with different lead times this presents different challenges every day.
• Control of the company Free to Sell stock, in addition to our core ranges we carry a large amount of stock as a business and in conjunction with the sales team it is part of my role to ensure that lines are selling to their maximum potential.
• Remote management of factories in Portugal, Turkey, China, India and Bangladesh, through daily conference calls and email updates I am always confident that our orders are running on time and that I am aware of any unforeseen problems.
• Development of new ranges, with a team of 3 designers working under my control it is my job to oversee the development of ranges on all our brands and products twice a year with additional SMU's on an ad-hoc basis. This entails competitive shopping in the UK and overseas, visiting tradeshows before presenting our concepts to the sales team and directors before the range can be taken to CAD stage. Once all CADs are completed they are sent for approval by the brand owners. An important part of my role is to ensure that the designs produced are not only on trend but are also commercially viable in the price driven UK Market.
• Once the ranges have been finalized and agreed all designs are sent to our factories in Europe and the far east for pricing and sampling. Through the information gleaned on competitive shopping trips and previous sales history it is my job to negotiate prices for all garments for that season.
• Quality control, we have two dedicated QC staff at Sports Essentials who report into myself. It is my job to deal with any problems that occur and to ensure that the products we sell as a business are of the high standard that we as a company and the brands we hold licenses for demand.
• Presentation of new ranges, once myself and my design team have created the new ranges it is my job to present them not only to the sales team but also to many of our largest and new customers alike.
• Creation of creative solutions and promotions to enable the sales team to maximize the company sales potential.
• In season store checks to ensure that our product is being merchandised effectively, this information would be fed back to buyers and suggestions made as to how sales could be increased.

Key achievements:
• The development and presentation of a new range to ASDA stores resulting in new business worth over £2million Turnover  to the company.
• 55% Reduction in fines and late deliveries through pro-active management of the critical path.
• Production and development of the company brochure, this invaluable selling tool has opened up several new avenues for our business.
• NET Cost price reduction of 19% across all styles resulting in an increased margin for our sales team and the company as a whole.
• Through the use of timed promotions and better stock management the level of stock we are left with seasonally has been reduced by 50%.

Import Merchandiser- New product developer

Ebuyer are the largest online electrical component and electrical hard goods supplier in the UK. It is their promise to be the Cheapest online price available.

Role Profile
• Product management and ownership for one particular sector of the site. A major part of this role was merchandising led and meant that stock levels had to be monitored carefully.
• Negotiation of the best possible price for all orders placed.
• Negotiation with new suppliers to ensure that we had the latest products first, as a large company we could often influence who and when suppliers sold to meaning we could get 'exclusive' access to new products for a limited time before the competition
• Daily price reviews of all SKU's managed ensuring that the Ebuyer price promise was upheld.
• Management of weekly promotional activity to drive business through successful lines and to boost sales on lines that are not performing.
• Attending weekly meetings regarding departmental performance, by having an active role in these meetings various departments were able to work together and cross sell each others products online.
• Webpage management, ensuring that the site always looks clean, tidy and that the relevant images are available. New products had to be set up on the system, allocated codes and photos taken to sell the product to its optimum potential.

Key achievements:
• Overall 20% Reduction in cost price across all lines in my department, through negotiation and better stock management this had a positive effect on the margin for my department.
• 10% Increase in site visits to the pages I managed through targeted homepage promotions and improved web links.
• Increase of 15% to my department's margin during my time at the company.
• Negotiation with 3 suppliers for 1 month exclusive deals on new their new ranges. By having these exclusives we were able to increase not only the number of visits to the site but also the number of transactions made.

Assistant Buyer

Find out detailed information about David Bidwell, Supply Chain/Merchandising manager in Warrington

David Bidwell: Supply Chain/Merchandising manager in Warrington

David Bidwell

Banbury School Area Sixth form centre

North Oxfordshire college

The Nottingham Trent University

The Warriner School