Sarah, Buyer – Jersey and Boardwear.
How has your career at Blacks developed?
I’ve been at Blacks for eight years. I started out as a Buying Associate on Footwear, was promoted to Assistant Buyer, then to a Buyer on the Freespirit brand. Finally, I moved to working on the clothing team for both Blacks and Millets as the Buyer for Jersey and Boardwear.
What do you like about your role?
There’s a lot of variety as a Buyer here. We work on our own brands, sourcing fabrics and production facilities from all over the world. (I work with suppliers in China, Bangladesh, Turkey, Sri Lanka and Portugal.) On top of that, I also get to work on a really wide range of brands, from the Boardwear brands like Billabong, O’Neill and Quicksilver, to high-spec outdoor clothing brands like Berghaus. One minute, I’ll be thinking about the technical specification of a waterproof material, the next, I’ll be considering what’s in and what’s not as I’m planning the fashion ranges for next year. In our business in general – but particularly in our Blacks stores – we’re looking to attract a younger, more fashion-conscious audience. There’s a lot more pace in the turnover of these lines, which are only on the shelves for 8-16 weeks. It’s a very creative job at the moment. It’s about coming up with new lines, new concepts, new brand suppliers and new developments.
Who do you work with day to day?
I work very closely with a huge range of people. I might be having a meeting with one of our designers to develop the look for a range of t-shirts, liaising with the Merchandisers to do the Monday morning sales analysis and work out our best sellers, talking to a supplier to sort out a logistical glitch or developing a promotion for one of our products with marketing. There’s a great atmosphere here – people really support each other which makes for a great working environment.
What’s one of the most interesting projects you’re working on?
One of the most exciting own brands I’m working on at the moment is One Earth. It’s a new eco-friendly line made from sustainable and organic materials. Our customers are more and more aware of environmental issues such as the use of chemicals in clothes production – so this is selling particularly well. We developed a range of organic t-shirts with slogans like “Campers do it in the mud” which have been in-store to coincide with the festival season – and they’re doing really well. Helping to grow this brand will be an exciting part of my job in the future.