Final major project

Unit 3 Final Major Project

FMP By Paige Baker-Bailey

Matalan Brand History About Matalan: ‘From the day Matalan started back in 1985, to today over 30 years on, our mission has always stayed the same; to provide outstanding value for modern families.

We take our time to listen, understand and evolve to fit changing modern family needs, always with an emphasis on providing the highest quality clothing and homeware for the lowest price.

12 million UK families each year trust us with their precious family budgets and to provide the range, style, quality and value that enable them to run a modern, happy, family home. It's no surprise then that we were recently awarded a prestigious Gold Award at the Mumsnet Family Friendly awards for the third year running.

Our free Matalan reward card gives our members access to the best family offers all year round in any of our 221 stores or at matalan.co.uk. Our location, late night openings, free convenient parking, 'everything under one roof' set up and free click and collect service are just some of the reasons why our customers love shopping at Matalan.

Let Girls Be Girls Campaign Since 2011 we have been working in conjunction with Mumsnet, where this sensitive issue was raised as part of their ‘Let Girls be Girls’ campaign. We purposely ensure that our girls bras are not sold to specific ages but are sold in sizes. They have been developed following customer feedback that girls want bras to protect their modesty at this sensitive age. The bras in question are not padded so as to enhance cleavage but are a smooth moulded shape to act as a modesty and comfort layer.

We conduct thorough tests and speak to our customers for their feedback and as such, will always investigate any claims against Matalan regarding the suitability of our products. We take our commitment as a family business seriously, and Matalan is the only retailer in the UK to currently hold the Mumsnet Gold Award for being family friendly, an award we’ve held for the last three years Halloween Dress-Up Testing At Matalan we are always listening to our customers and we asked parents whether they check the safety information labels before buying Halloween costumes or accessories for their children. Almost 80% of the people we asked said that they did. We wanted to let all of our customers know that we ensure all of our children's dress up products (including our Halloween dress-up range) to pass additional Flammability Testing.

This additional testing procedure means that our children's dress-up products go through rigorous testing before they make it onto our shelves and into your homes.

Angora Wool In light of recent developments Matalan has taken the decision to suspend sourcing of Angora for its products with immediate effect, until it has concluded its investigations into its suppliers and their processes.

Carrier Bags Everyone at Matalan takes our responsibilities to the environment seriously. We have improved our every day carrier bags and we are encouraging our customers to re-use them. We will also replace any carrier bags free of charge as and when a new bag is needed, customers just need to return them to us and we will in turn recycle them as part of our commitment to minimise our environmental impact’. (Matalan.co.uk, 2017)

Unit 3: Final Major Project

Matalan Brand History

Even though Matalan stopped working alongside the supplier several weeks before the tragedy they have financially and emotionally supported the families involved in the tragedy. By creating the SCHOOL OF HOPE it definitely gives something back to the people of Bangladesh which is nice to know that Matalan support families outside of the UK; especially concerning such a tragedy as the Rana Plaza.

(Matalan.co.uk, 2017)

(Matalan.co.uk, 2017)

Unit 3: Final Major Project

Matalan Brand History

Ethical Sourcing: ‘For nearly two decades, Matalan has maintained a robust direct ethical sourcing policy and a lot of work has been put in to ensure our supply chain is transparent and closely monitored. For example, we use a sophisticated tool called SEDEX, which provides detailed data for internal monitoring and our audit standards are based on the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) Base Code. Our health and safety standards are formally checked on a regular basis by independent leading auditing companies that monitor worker conditions in garment factories and this will continue to happen.

Our internal audits are conducted by professionals with a background in manufacturing and factory safety, overseen by our Sustainability and Supply Chain Directors, David Walker, Head of Ethical and David Mellett, Technical Sourcing Director, who report into the Matalan board on the progress of all activity.

Everyone at Matalan places the wellbeing of factory employees as their personal responsibility. All suppliers have to sign documentation to ensure their compliance with the Matalan Sourcing Policy.

Matalan believes that long-term and established relationships with suppliers creates a better business and better products for consumers. Many of our suppliers have worked with us from the very beginning and we work in partnership with them to constantly look at new ways of improving working conditions.

Matalan has signed the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh and is committed to working with the Steering Group to help achieve its goals. We look forward to continuing our conversations with the Accord group and other similar organisations as we constantly look for ways of further improving the health and safety of our factories’. (Matalan.co.uk, 2017)

What are Matalan heading towards?

Unit 3: Final Major Project

PESTLE Political: what is happening politically in the environment in which you operate, including areas such as tax policy, employment laws, environmental regulations, trade restrictions and reform, tariffs and political stability.

Economic: what is happening within the economy, for example; economic growth/ decline, interest rates, exchange rates and inflation rate, wage rates, minimum wage, working hours, unemployment (local and national), credit availability, cost of living etc.

Sociological: what is occurring socially in the markets in which you operate or expect to operate, cultural norms and expectations, health consciousness, population growth rate, age distribution, career attitudes, emphasis on safety, global warming.

Technological: what is happening technology-wise which can impact what you do, technology is leaping every two years, how will this impact your products or services, things that were not possible five years ago are now mainstream, for example mobile phone technology, Web 2.0, blogs and micro-blogs (Twitter), social networking websites. New technologies are continually being developed and the rate of change itself is increasing. There are also changes to barriers to entry in given markets, and changes to financial decisions like outsourcing and insourcing.

‘Matalan is a leading clothing and homeware retailer, offering quality products at up to half the high street price. By combining excellent value with great service, we've become a major success story. We've got over 200 stores here in the UK - and we're opening new ones all the time Our prices are lower. Our stores are bigger. We trade in much higher volumes than anyone else. All these things have been said about Matalan. And they're all partly true. But none of them gets to the heart of what makes us different.

In our view, what sets us apart is our attitude. Matalan is all about delighting the customer. It's our passion, the one thing that drives everything we do - in how we design and make our products, as well as how we engage with our customers on the shop floor.

Low prices don't mean compromising on quality. Far from it. Many of our clothes are made in the same factories as top-end designers..

Our Locations: With over 200 stores, there's bound to be a Matalan near you.

Remember that most of our stores are in out-of-town locations. That's how we're able to keep our overheads and prices low’. (Matalan.co.uk, 2017)

Legal: what is happening with changes to legislation. This may impact employment, access to materials, quotas, resources, imports/ exports, taxation etc.

Environmental: what is happening with respect to ecological and environmental issues.

Many of these factors will be economic or social in nature.

Unit 3: Final Major Project

UK Retail after Brexit

UK Retail after Brexit

‘UNCERTAINTY: Falls in share prices and the international value of the pound sterling reflect the fact that the future is unclear: the default position for massive uncertainty of this kind is usually negative. We can expect some asset prices to drop in the medium term, say by 8%, but the short-term turbulence is overdone, as Lord King the former Governor of the Bank of England has already suggested. Uncertainty will continue: it will take some time before the progress of the economy post-Brexit becomes clearer’. (Retailresearch.org, 2017)

Political UK Retail after Brexit

‘RETAIL SPENDING GROWTH DOWN: Our forecast is that retail spending should grow this year by 1.6% (2016) and 1.4% in 2017. This is -0.3% percentage points lower than originally forecast for 2016 and 2017, though it is admittedly lower than the extravagant forecasts of the Chancellor in his Autumn Statement 2015 and Budget 2016. Consumer confidence and shopper footfall have dropped a lot. But retail spending has fluctuated considerably for the past three years and there is evidence that shoppers are spending less overall on clothing/footwear and spending more of their income on holidays, entertainment, restaurants, visits and events and less on shopping for merchandise. We do not see this pattern changing’.

(Retailresearch.org, 2017)

Political UK Retail after Brexit

‘THE POUND: The pound sterling was overvalued and some correction was expected.

‘RETAILERS NEED TO ASSESS THEIR SUPPLY CHAINS: Leaving Unless catastrophe occurs, a fall of about 5% against the euro is enough to the EU means, in theory, that retailers can buy in the cheapest compensate for any tariff barriers against UK exporters imposed by Europe after markets. Tariffs that the UK imposes on imports may be lower than Brexit. Sterling has fallen more than that which gives British exporters a price the EU ones or even zero. Every retailer needs to analyse what this advantage in EU markets against continental rivals. The CCR view is that this is a very new freedom will mean for them and start creating new supply good thing, although it is harsh to blame Brexit entirely when the Bank of England is chains. Of course if we end up still in the single market, this will not signalling that interest rates will fall further. It helps home producers to substitute be possible’. their goods for imports and helps tourism’.

(Retailresearch.org, 2017) What does this mean for Matalan? Brexit will effect the whole of the UK- especially fashion retail industries. With the drop of the (Retailresearch.org, 2017)

pound buyers especially will feel the drop in costs and budgets. As Matalan source the best value fabric and material for their products but sell at a lower price to advance themselves upon competition they will need to discuss the possible effects this will have; and in turn create strategies to avoid the loss of costs as much as possible. For example, retail spending growth has dropped by -0.3% and it is known that more and more people are saving for holidays, eating out and entertainment rather than buying in trends. This for Matalan would mean they need to re-think their innovations and bring ranges out that are of successful trends but also essentials so more consumers are likely to keep up their shopping experience with Matalan in order to dress for necessity, at a low price and also look good at the same time.

Unit 3: Final Major Project

Economic

PESTLE

‘One of the main factors influencing demand for consumer goods is the level of employment.

The more people there are receiving a steady income and expecting to continue receiving one, the more people there are who are in a position to make discretionary spending purchases.

Therefore, the monthly unemployment rate report is one economic leading indicator that gives clues to demand for consumer goods.

Prices, affected by the rate of inflation, naturally impact consumer spending on goods significantly. This is one reason that the producer price index (PPI) and the consumer price index (CPI) are considered leading economic indicators. Higher inflation rates erode purchasing power, making it less likely that consumers have excess income to spend after covering basic expenses such as food and housing. Higher price tags on consumer goods also deter spending’. (Maverick, 2017) What does this mean for Matalan? Matalan should keep a record of employment history for the UK especially as they have over 200 stores based here. The reason for this is, if they keep up with these significant statistics they are aware of how many people are employed and whom of those people are within the Matalan customer profile. keeping a close eye on inflation allows Matalan to budget and plan ahead for inflation. If they plan enough and keep their costs reasonable they have an advantage on their competitors in the sense that consumers will remain coming to them for their ‘modern’ essentials.

Sociological

‘David McCorquodale, head of retail at KPMG explains: “The changing demographic profile of the UK is a major influence on consumer purchasing power, shopping behaviour and shopping preferences. The age structure, ethnicity, household composition and demographic distribution of the UK population are all undergoing significant change and its implications are important for retailers to understand and anticipate.” What does this mean to retailers? The Group believes that retailers must rethink store design, marketing and advertising campaigns to attract the grey pound and above all understand these are older consumers who still think of themselves as young consumers’. (Retail Think Tank, 2017) What does this mean for Matalan? According to this article ‘over the next 10 years two thirds of all retail spending growth will come from those aged 55 and over’. Therefore, Matalan may need to revamp its customer profile and include modern families of more mature ages. They need to ensure they are offering products to a wider aged audience in order to suit consumer demand and stay upbeat within the market and against competition such as Marks & Spencer.

Technological

‘Retailing is undergoing a revolutionary change. Merchants are no longer the driving force for retailers. This is a major change […] customers are demanding products and services that match their specific needs. In other words, the customer is now in charge.

Accepting the influence of technology is critical for the retail industry to remain vibrant.

Technology will make shopping easier. Advancements will include robotics, personal recognition, digital wallet (Apple pay), artificial intelligence, consumer analytics and other tech driven initiatives designed to make shopping exciting both in stores and on the Internet Technology is reshaping how consumers shop. Retailers that resist the changes coming about will not survive. Those that embrace technology and let the consumer be in charge will thrive.’

(Forbes.com, 2017) What does this mean for Matalan?

As Matalan claim to be ‘for modern families’ they will definitely have to embrace all new and upcoming technology. For example, they could invest in iPad screens so that customers can browse through online only exclusives whilst in store or order in through the iPad if stock has sold out in the store. This way they are getting fast and effective purchases and service and also makes their experience easier. In a result of this, they are likely to continue shopping with Matalan and they will remain holding the title of ‘made for modern families’.

Legal ‘Trade policies: […] include tax policies, monetary policies, fiscal policy, government policy, regulatory policy and property rights policies. These policies can allow for business growth or prevent growth of business. For example trade policies can prevent free trade in a specific area. Establishing a business under strict trade policies can mean trading in losses’.

(Anon, 2017) What does this mean for Matalan? If Matalan were to not abide by trade and tax policies it would result in a serious issue by not abiding to law and regulation. This could mean a huge loss- maybe even closed down, and would have a tarnished reputation.

Unit 3: Final Major Project

PESTLE ‘Since the 1990’s, ethical trade has grown in significance as companies with global supply chains (especially those in the clothing and accessories sectors) have come under increasing pressure to provide decent working conditions for workers who make the goods they sell.

Retailers are however, aware that consumers are increasingly concerned and care about the employment conditions of workers and these concerns are increasingly reinforced by media campaigns which draw attention to their exploitation. (OpenLearn, 2017)

Environmental ‘So what does ethical trading mean in practice? It means that retailers help to reduce poverty by improving labour practices for workers in their supply chains through the implementation of an adopted code of conduct or ethical standard. It means using the company’s buying power and influence to implement the Code and ensure that workers enjoy better working conditions.

Communication of the company’s aspirations via its Code is vital, both to suppliers and internally and this has manifested a new skill set and the requirement for specific training in social accountability. It has bought about the need for CSR and ET specialists and the need to raise awareness both internally and externally (for e.g. buyers, HR teams, managers’ suppliers and stakeholders’)’. (OpenLearn, 2017)

‘Tackling systemic problems and to addressing the root causes is not easy, hence the need to involve other interested parties to design, test and implement effective solutions. Support and encouragement in the development of effective and sustainable management systems should take account of workers views. In this regard encouragement and progress towards participatory approaches tending towards the development of mature systems of industrial relations should to be addressed’.

(OpenLearn, 2017)

Environmental

‘It is important that retailers recognise that ethical trading and CSR issues generally are not going to go away and that they will assume even greater significance in future. Responsible retailers are advised to take cognisance of the impact on their reputation caused by media exposure of the exploitation of workers and thereby suffer the commercial consequences. A do nothing strategy is clearly high risk and the consequences could be severe’.

(OpenLearn, 2017)

What does this mean for Matalan? Current environmental issues are voiced daily on the television, in newspapers and on the radio. All companies, industries and organisations; including Matalan, are being highly encouraged to change old habbits when it comes to the materials they're using and how they are made.

Matalan have already spoken about how for nearly two decades, they have ‘maintained a robust direct ethical sourcing policy’ and a lot of work has been put in to ensure their supply chain is transparent and closely monitored. They mentioned that they use a ‘sophisticated tool called SEDEX’, which provides detailed data for internal monitoring and audit standards are based on the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) Base Code. Their health and safety standards are formally checked on a regular basis by independent leading auditing companies that monitor worker conditions in garment factories and say that this will continue to happen’. (Matalan.co.uk, 2017) Unit 3: Final Major Project

Matalan Branding Logo: Matalan's logo is simple and memorable. The red is striking and stands out against the white background.

The red doesn’t look harsh against the white, its quite friendly which links back to their customer profile: modern happy families.

Free Matalan reward card: Matalan have an award card available for their customers to access allyear around benefits in all 221 stores and online. This is a good advantage over competitors such as Primark, George at Asda and TK Max. All these competitors offer similar products at similar prices to the same target market; however do not have a reward card available as Matalan do. The target market of families will take this into consideration and would be likely to shop at Matalan to receive the instore/online benefits.

#GetYourStripes: Over the Christmas period 2016, Matalan helped to raise funds for Alder Hay’s children’s hospital and all funds made from the pyjama sales was given to alder hay. This definitely puts in place Matalan’s values- modern families of all different situations and backgrounds.

Unit 3: Final Major Project

MATALAN PITCH

keepin’ it glam

Elevator Pitch Customer?: Real women aged 35-45. Attracted to Matalan’s focus of being the modern store for the modern family.

Niche?: Dramatic, stylish garments for women to wear on holiday going from the ‘BEACH TO BAR’ whilst ‘keepin it glam.

Range?: *Loose fitting *Stylish *Dramatic *Psychotropic vibes *Brazilian culture inspiration

Competition?: Currently none of Matalan’s competition (F+F at Tesco, George at Asda, T.U at Sainsbury's, Next, TK Max) offer this type of styling of beach & holiday wear.

When will range launch?: April 2018 Unit 3: Final Major Project

MATALAN PITCH

Matalan’s Current Collection (Womens Beachwear) £16 100% Polyester

----------*Fabric Components: Cotton, Polyester & Viscose

*Affordable pricing *Garments:

£6 100% Polyester £14 54% Cotton 46% Polyester.

£16 100% Polyester

£6 100% Polyester

Kaftans, dresses, sarongs, playsuit

-----------

£10 100% Polyester

£16 100% Viscose

£12 100% Viscose

£12 £14 100% Viscose 100% Cotton

Unit 3: Final Major Project

Business Plan for Matalan

MATALAN PITCH

keepin’ it glam Business Mission Statement: ‘Beach to Bar garments are designed by an in house styling team to offer dramatic style, quality and good value for money with a modern fashion edge for ladies aged 35 45’.

Business Aims: Short term: Marketing strategies to boost customer awareness whilst launching the range.

Medium term: Selling 85% of stock before going into sale markdowns to make as much profit as possible.

Long term: To continue the collection into A/W. people still go on holiday during autumn/winter months and there isn’t much stock available anywhere during this period.

Strapline: keepin’ it glam Unit 3: Final Major Project

Customer Profile

MATALAN PITCH

Paula Bell: Age: 35 *Occupation: Store Manager *Family background: Married with 2 young girls *Interests & Hobbies: Family time, loves keeping up with fashion, going on holiday

*Favourite holiday destination: Canary Islands *Salary: ÂŁ25,000 *What makes Paula a Matalan customer: Value for money, on trend style for the best price, versatile outfits

*Favourite places to shop: Matalan, Next, Zara

Unit 3: Final Major Project

Trend & Style Forecast S/S18

MATALAN PITCH

‘Shape and detail will drive this

casual luxe look, and enable lounge styling to cross over from casualwear and dressier occasion wear.’

(Wgsn.com, 2017)

‘Ruffles have been trending since S/S16, but evolve from a soft, romantic look to a more Latin-inspired style for S/S18, with bigger proportions, tropical prints and lush summer colours’. (Wgsn.com, 2017)

Brazilian brand Auga de Coco has designed styles such as this which have been a massive inspiration and strong influence on my range ideas.

Unit 3: Final Major Project

Brazilian Designer- Auga de Coco S/S17

Global Trend Inspiration Brazil

MATALAN PITCH

Brazilian Designer- PatBo S/S17

Relaxed

Unit 3: Final Major Project

MATALAN PITCH

keepin’ it glam

Concept Board

Mood Board

Beach to Bar as hinted by within this mood board will include bright vibrant colours, relaxed fittings in a casual glamorous way and also be designed for going from the beach to the bar.

The main mood of the board and theme is tropical. This printed on garments will give that fresh summer vibe that everybody loves the feeling of.

The main niche about the collection is floaty trousers to wear over swimwear for ladies to feel more comfortable in their bodies but also cool and relaxed for summer heat. This was a key point to shine through within the mood board hence the large image of the girl on the bottom right corner to take centre stage.

The main concept for Beach to Bar is being so overpowering with tropical prints that you escape everyday life. Afterall, that’s why we jet away to sun, sea and sand isn’t it? The concept embraces warm heat, bright colours and the dramatic floral prints which are to feature in the collection Beach to Bar.

Unit 3: Final Major Project

MATALAN PITCH

keepin’ it casually glam

Bardot top £16

Range Plan

Tropical cami £15

Tropical Trousers £20

Elasticated Trousers £20

Breezy One-shoulder top £18

Cutaway Jumpsuit £22

Breezy Trousers £20

Fringe Clutch £15

Shoulder tote £18

Sandal £14

Tropic wedge £18 Tropical forest Shoe £22 Unit 3: Final Major Project

MATALAN PITCH

keepin’ it glam

Visual Merchandise

Outfit Choices

*Tropical *Palm trees *Summer *Exclusive ‘Russian artist Slava Fokk creates stylised portraits with exotic backgrounds that exude glamour and elegance’.

Unit 3: Final Major Project

MATALAN PITCH

keepin’ it glam

Marketing Strategies keepin’itglam # to be in with chance to win a £50 voucher to spend at any Matalan store!

Beach to Bar would attract more online shoppers under TRENDS or INSPIRE ME to make the range more exclusive and a little more fun for the customer.

Unit 3: Final Major Project

MATALAN PITCH

Thank You, Any questions?

Unit 3: Final Major Project

Action Plan METHOD

COMPLETED

Review Matalan feedback

2nd May

Project Proposal Evaluation

24th May

Business Plan

25th May

Elevator Pitch

26th May

Customer Profile

26th May

Inspiration board

2nd May

Market research

3rd May

Comp shop

2nd-3rd May

Trendforcasting

3rd May

Mood board for range

3rd May

Concept board for range

3rd May

Range Plan + Evaluation

8th-10th May

Merchandise spreadsheet + Evaluation

15-17th May

Marketing Strategies

15-17th May

S.W.O.T + Final evaluation

22nd-24th May Unit 3: Final Major Project

Project Proposal Evaluation

Matalan review from pitch on the 12th April 2017, Matalan also offered me an internship from being a winner at the pitch which has motivated my next range by them saying how my last range Beach to Bar fitted in with their target market and swimwear department.

Unit 3: Final Major Project

Business Plan From the Beach to Bar range being a success at Matalan I have decided to continue with a similar collection called BEACHY. WHAT IS BEACHY? The range will consist of swimwear to match the Beach to Bar collection and have similar prints, designs and overall appearance. The collection will offer bold, dramatic prints in swimsuits, bikini sets and tankini’s to wear underneath the Beach to bar garments.

How will BEACHY be promoted?: To make the range a bigger success and reach out to the target market I will be using a celebrity endorsement and create a billboard to keep the Beach to Bar range fresh and also it will look more professional and sleek by having a filled out range of swimwear and clothing. The idea is that it prevents the Matalan customer from shopping else where for their summer garments and will hopefully create more footfall for the business.

Business Mission Statement: ‘Beachy’ garments are designed by an in house styling team to offer dramatic style, quality and good value for money with a modern fashion edge for ladies aged 35 45’.

Unit 3: Final Major Project

Business Plan Strapline: Ready, set‌ beach The element of fun and escapism was a really strong selling point for Beach to Bar and that is the exact thing I want for the range BEACHY. The reason for this is that it will have the same Visual merchandise and be placed literally next to the Beach to Bar range and also be worn on the mannequins with the Beach to Bar range paired with the swimwear to show outfit inspiration for customers.

Business Aims: Short term: Marketing strategies to boost customer awareness whilst launching the range.

Medium term: Selling 85% of stock before going into sale markdowns to make as much profit as possible.

Long term: To continue the collection into A/W. people still go on holiday during autumn/winter months and there isn’t much stock available anywhere during this period.

Unit 3: Final Major Project

Celebrity Endorsement

Holly Willoughby To promote the range I have chosen to have a celebrity endorsement. Holly Willoughby will be the face and model for the range.

The reason I have chosen Holly is because of her career as the UK’s most loved T.V presenter and how well she will engage and connect to the market.

Holly’s size 12 curvy figure is a perfect way to model the range as the range has been designed for the ‘real woman’. Holly is a fashion icon- especially for the age group I am targeting and has a lot of fans on social media and has also taken part in T.V adverts such as Pantenne.

Holly will be a great marketing strategy for the range and I think using her as the official representative of the range will bring in more attention to Matalan on a whole.

Unit 3: Final Major Project

Elevator Pitch

Customer?: Real women aged 35-45. Attracted to Matalan’s focus of being the modern store for the modern family.

Niche?: Dramatic, stylish swimming costumes/bikini sets for women to wear on holiday going who want to look glam in their BEACHY styles. The styles are going to be dramamtic and in line with the ‘BEACH TO BAR’ range which is exclusive to Matalan.

Range?: *Swimming costumes/bikini sets inspired by Beach to Bar range *Stylish swimwear all year round *Dramatic *Psychotropic vibes *Brazilian culture inspiration

Competition?: Currently none of Matalan’s competition (F+F at Tesco, George at Asda, T.U at Sainsbury's, Next, TK Max) offer this type of styling of beach & holiday wear.

When will range launch?: July 2018- late summer launch date

Unit 3: Final Major Project

Customer Profile Emily Estivez-Mc’Vitie: Age: 35 *Occupation: Part-time fitting Consultant at Bravissimo *Family background: Married with 3 young girls *Interests & Hobbies: Family time, loves keeping up with fashion, going on holiday

*Favourite holiday destination: Canary Islands *Salary: £15,000 As I am adding on to the range Beach to Bar I have decided to keep to a similar customer profile as this range is to be targeted towards the same target market and also works well for Matalan’s current market.

*What makes Emily a Matalan customer: Value for money, on trend style for the best price as she gives all she has to her family, versatile outfits that she can dress up and down for work

*Favourite places to shop: Matalan, Next, Zara, River Island

Unit 3: Final Major Project

Inspiration board

Before beginning my global trendforecasting I have put together an inspiration board to have colours/vibes/ideas in my mind before setting out finding trends and styles for inspiration in mind.

Unit 3: Final Major Project

Comp Shop £10 £16

£8

£16

£10 Shell: 82% Polyamide 18% Elastane..

Machine washable. £16

Fabric Components: Polyester Elastane

£8

£10

Care: Machine Washable Unit 3: Final Major Project

Comp Shop

At ASDA £8

£14

£8

£5

£12

-*Size- range: - - -8-22- - - - - *Price range: £2-£18 (Affordable) *Fabric components: -Polyamide, -Elastane -Polyamide, -Polyester *Popular colour: Navy tropical *Garments: -Tankinis £12 -Swimming costumes -Bikinis -Kaftans

-----------

£5

£4 £6

£14

£12

£5 £4

Unit 3: Final Major Project

Comp Shop £10

£14

-----------

£16

*Size range: 6-22 *Price range: £5-£50 (Some affordable, some out of Matalan’s price range) *Fabric components: Polyamide, Elastane, Polyester *Popular colour: Mixed florals/tropics *Garments: -Swimming costumes -Bikinis -Shorts

-----------

£12 £12 £22

£14

£14

Unit 3: Final Major Project

Comp Shop -----------

*Size range: 8-22 *Price range: £9.99-£39.99 *Fabric components: Polyamide, Elastane, Polyester *Popular colour: Mixed florals/tropics *Garments: -Swimming costumes -Bikinis -Tankini’s -Shorts -Kaftans

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£16 £10

£16

£6 £8

£16 £16

£10

£12 £16

Unit 3: Final Major Project

Field Market Research To gage an idea of what is already on offer at Matalan currently in the swimwear range I carried out some field research at one of their flagship stores in Liverpool Switch island.

I found that the stock was located at the front of the store to catch the customers attention.

Matalan use billboard visual merchandise to showcase their different types of swimwear. I thought this was an effective way to catch the attention of the customer when in store.

The garments are placed in categoriesmainly stories of colour which I found was a good way to target certain customers.

I would conti9nue to use this style of V.M with my BEACHY and Beach to Bar ranges as it works well.

Unit 3: Final Major Project

Trendforecasting Colour S/S18 Key features taken from the Psychotropical colour pallet are as following: -bright -vibrant -dramatic -bold

‘’ ‘’

By putting together a visual report of colour it allows the imagination to visual what the range Beachy will offer.

‘’ ‘’

Also by being influenced by bright, exotic colours it will allow the range to lead on from the Beach to Bar range to suit Matalan’s target market.

(Wgsn.com, 2017)

Unit 3: Final Major Project

Trendforecasting Nature S/S18

‘In 2018, design will look to build synthetic sanctuaries, using man-made means to recreate the feeling of paradise.

Summerland is a great example of what we can expect […] this man-made tropical paradise will allow you to escape the dark and dreary winter and slip into balmy hyperreal heaven.’

Unit 3: Final Major Project

Trendforecasting Swimwear S/S18

Elevated swimwear uses lush exotic prints with energised colour and print for high-summer styles.

This forecast promotes surreal tropical flowers and banana leaf palms to create exotic styling.

Unit 3: Final Major Project

Mood board The idea of the mood board for BEACHY is to create a sense of escapism to tropical countries. The idea of nature and exotic banana palms are a key feature to attract the eye and draw the imagination into escapism.

This will respond to the range and gives a visual look of how the range will appear when launched in store and online.

Unit 3: Final Major Project

Concept board

The concept board for BEACHY is heavily prominent with tropical flowers and nature as this is the main influence taken from tendforecasting to be incorporated into the range BEACHY. Tropical colours are the main USP for the range; hence why so much colour has been added to the concept board.

Unit 3: Final Major Project

Range Plan £15

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Unit 3: Final Major Project

Range Plan Evaluation

The BEACHY range is designed to be bold, dramatic and stylish for the Matalan customer. The flow of the prints are mainly based on tropical prints which were a really strong USP as predicted by WGSN trend forecasting.

Even though the colours are quite contrasting I think this is the key selling point of the range. BEACHY has something for everyone and looks versatile. The styles of the swimwear collection have been designed with the Matalan customer at mind. All styles have a deep brief and are an affordable price with trend-driven designs.

Unit 3: Final Major Project

Outfit Choices

The range BEACHY will be set into ‘outfit choices’ in store to promote the range and give customers trend ideas on how to dress up and down with the range and how to mix’n’match styles to look new and versatile every time they wear it. The range will be next to the Beach to Bar range as an extension. Meaning, the ranges will share the same V.M story of ‘TROPICAL FEVER’. This is eye-catching and will really stand out in store to look exclusive.

Unit 3: Final Major Project

Merchandise Spreadsheet

Unit 3: Final Major Project

Merchandise Spreadsheet

Unit 3: Final Major Project

Merchandise Spreadsheet Evaluation Merchandisers will spot best sellers and frequent trendsetters through the use of a merchandise spreadsheet which in effect develops the buyers decisions and future choices. It also gives them the chance to identify what is and isn’t going right and what needs changing. An EPOS system is used for this where the company will then decide what's best to do with failing stock. For example they could markdown the price to try and sell on the products or even sell to another company.

Doing the merchandise spreadsheet has helped me understand the importance of how sale figures impact the retail industry and profitability.

Factors such as cost price and RRP to then how much it made is a big important factors for the buyers and merchandisers to get right.

Replenishment of stock is usually 15% of the overall quantity, which means the amount of stock to replace stock that has been sold if in high customer demand. During this task I discovered that it is important to have an OTB (open to buy) fund for fast purchases of fast selling stock to keep to the demand of customers. Buyers will find themselves buying fast fashion in cases like this to keep customers interested and the sales at a high figure. The OTB is usually around 30% of the budget.

Like for like data of products informed me to forecast sales of each garment which allowed me to work out how much I would need to purchase.

From the data I collected I could see that one of my highest sellers was the tropical frill swimsuit which is estimated to sell 42,000 over an 8 week period. This is likely to be because of its trendy appearance and coverage for the Matalan customer. It is dramtic and bold but also covers women up who don’t feel as body confident as what they might have done years ago.

My lowest figure was the sarong which stands at 1840. Maybe this is because the Beach to Bar range already gives customers a diferent option as oppose to normal beach wear. I would still sell this in the range as not everyone will want something bold and drastic to wear over their swimwear and it is a nice safety point for some women.

As Matalan is a huge company it would be a team of merchandisers who look for things like this in order to help the buying team make decisions on future buys considering how well they have performed this season.

I also found that my profit margins can differ slightly depending on the cost and manufacturer. It all depends on material and demand.

As I researched Matalan the brand I discovered that it is a north west focused brand but does have over 200 stores in the UK. Based on this data I found it would be best to have the following store grades: A, B B, C, D. It was significant for me to see what was selling well, how much was selling and in what store grades it was selling best at. To the left are screenshots of the sales and figures of the tropical swimsuit. It tends to continuously sell well in all 4 store grades but predominantly has higher figures in high street stores. My idea behind this range is that I am targeting towards people who enjoy finding different solutions to beachwear and feeling trendy and different.

Unit 3: Final Major Project

Marketing Strategies Look Book: To introduce the Matalan customer to the BEACHY range I have produced a look book with some style ideas inside for inspiration.

I wanted to make it colourful and vibrant to keep customers interested and drawn into the range.

It also gives an extra bit of life to the range and makes it more exclusive to Matalan which is nice for the customer to engage with.

Labelling: Adding a unique label to both the ranges BEACHY and Beach to Bar will make it more exclusive to the customer and would make the range feel unique. I have designed these labels to go into the products and make the connection stronger between the two ranges.

Social Media The presence of social media is such a world-wide way of connecting with customers internationally.

As a way to promote and market the range I would incorporate a competition and when customers are seen tagging their selfies e.g #FEELINGBEACHY they will be automatically entered into winning a ÂŁ50 voucher to spend in store or online at Matalan.

Unit 3: Final Major Project

Lead Times & The Critical Path PROCESS

LEAD TIME

Planning

8th September (4 weeks)

Research

6th October 2017 (4 weeks)

Design

3rd November 2017 (3 weeks)

Proto Sample & Costing

1st December 2017 (4 weeks)

Pre Range Selection Meeting

8th December 2017 (1 week)

Negotiation/ Trip to Factories

19th January 2018 (2 weeks) + 2 weeks for Chinese New Year

Final Range Selection Meeting Place Order

2nd February 2018 (2 weeks)

Garment fittings

16th February 2018 (4 weeks)

Fabric Order

16th March 2018 (6 weeks)

Trim & Colour Approvals

27th April 2018 (4 weeks)

Bulk Production Plus Shipping

25th May 2018 (1 week production + 12 weeks shipping from China)

Warehouse- Store allocation

18th 2018 August (1 week)

Product launched in store

25th August 2018

9th February 2018 (1 week)

I have produced a lead time and critical path table to keep things smooth running for the process of the range and its launch into store.

The buying process of a new range for a company begins with extreme planning and filling in all of the in-between to ensure it is all focused correctly and that the range makes profit by going under strict regulation.

It is important to find time and space for things such as garment fittings to make sure the suppliers and factories are providing you with the right standard so that when the range is launched into store there are minimal if not any issues.

When sourcing garments from China as I have done for most of my range it is significant for me to take into consideration Chinese New Year and their shipping dates to plan ahead so that the range is launched on Unit 3: Final Major Project time.

Key Events Calendar Month

Event

Implication to Merchandising

July

Release of social media presence

N/A Pre-release date

August

Holly Willoughby promotes range

N/A- pre-release date

August

Release of Lookbook

N/A- Pre-release date

August

Range Launched

Sale figures start

I have put in plan a ‘Key Events Calendar’ so that there is a focus and connection to the customer in order to get them excited about the range and start the talk up. These have been set in plan to make the range exclusive to Matalan. They will not make a contribution to merchandise until the range is actually released. However, with hyping up the range hopefully as soon as it is available we will see healthy sale figures for the range. Retailer such as Topshop have done this with Ivy Park which was successful.

Unit 3: Final Major Project

Influences on the Critical Path: Fit for Purpose From time to time, issues can occur from the critical path which can influence decisions made and the time taken for different tasks that need to be seen to. Here are some examples of this.

SOURCING:

SHIPPING:

Being involved with ethical sourcing factories is extremely important. It can lead to corrupted reputation if a company were to make ‘cheap deals’ with sweat shops and poorly paid workers.

Health and safety of workers is a massive priority during the critical path and process of joining up with far-eastern suppliers.

Getting the range shipped over from suppliers can be one of the largest costs for the critical path. It is vital for buyers to consider shipping method, time and amount to avoid overspending the budget.

DESIGN ISSUES: It is extremely important to consider this factor during the critical path. If a buyer were to leave the supplier to their own devices and not make routine checks to see how the samples were getting on and the supplier sent out the whole bulk of the range without the buyer seeing any samples they could loose out significant amounts of money and time. It is important to have a sample rooms where the buyers take out garment fittings and selection to ensure there are minimal issues.

For example, health and safety with swimwear is really important in getting the right length and shape especially around the neck area.

WAREHOUSE + STOCKROOM Warehouse space is vital to store and locate stock coming in and going out to store. Merchandisers would have to communicate with each of the stores to see what availability they have to receive in stock.

COSTS: Each part of the critical path costs time and money. One of the biggest costs is the production and the shipping costs as mentioned. For this reason, buyers have to be extremely vigilant in negotiating and uses the best value suppliers when placing their orders. It has to be communicated with the merch team to see what's in the budget and what's best to go for to make as much profit as possible.

Before all of my garments are shipped to their location and offered to the customer to be bought; some serious tests need to be taken first in order to check that everything is running smoothly, up to standard and most important of all- it’s completes health and safety regulations in a dedicated room for all checks to be taken out thoroughly and with care.

On the slides following I have outlined the possible Fit for Purposes, Fabric Testing and Organisational Requirements. This is so I have a strategic plan for each garment to ensure they are fully equipped and good enough for consumer purchase. If these safety checks were not taken into consideration and there was something wrong with the garments; for example when washed they shrunk or even worse case scenario the fabric was highly flammable I would be accountable for this. In the long run it would result in my brand loosing a lot of money and could even have a tarnished reputation. Therefore it is in the best interest of the consumer, and the brand, that these checks are mandatory.

Unit 3: Final Major Project

Fit for Purpose?

FIT FOR PURPOSE

FABRIC TESTING Both garments should be stain resistant. Would make it more likely considering the fabric but this would be printed on the tag/label so customer was aware of the potential of staining.

Has to be shower resistant. Even though the garments are designed to keep customers cool in summer they should be tested that they don’t loose colour/shape in rain. Also has to dry and not stay wet in case of rain.

The garments should be water tested to see if they can be hand-washed and at what temperature. If not I will need to print labels that clarify to clean in cool water.

This test would also determine if the garment will wash well with other colours and if so determine om the label what it can or cant be washed with.

Both garments must fit the customer demand & profile (suitable for their occasion/lifestyle).

ORGANISATION REQUIREMENTS Must be a designated room/space for testing to be carried out properly under health and safety regulations. This also makes results reliable.

Fabric test should be taken out to ensure that the garment will not shrink or stretch once been washed.

When testing fabrics and using substances to make them colourfast/water resistant, the company must abide by the correct rules and regulations. This is in the best interest of workers and customers.

Fit for Purpose?

FABRIC TESTING

FIT FOR PURPOSE Garment should be soft and comfortable to wear over bikini bottoms and swimming costume.

Garment tests should check that the swimming costume is breathable, while still retaining a certain extent of water resistance, in order to dry as quickly as possible when getting out of the pool/sea on holiday.

Fabric must be light enough to keep the person cool and relaxed.

The fabric should be strong enough to endure all day wear.

The fabric will be tested to ensure it does not tear, and the colour doesn’t fade or wear away easily.

Garment should allow free movement and not feel restrictive.

Stain resistant and easy to hand-wash clean.

ORGANISATION REQUIREMENTS A prototype should be made for a model to test the fit and durability for both garments.

Waist must be tight enough to hold up on the hips and not fall down. However, mustn’t be too tight to the point of restriction as the garment is designed for holiday wear.

Unit 3: Final Major Project

Fit for Purpose?

FIT FOR PURPOSE FABRIC TESTING

Has to be shower resistant. Even though the garments are designed to keep customers cool in summer they should be tested that they don’t loose colour/shape in water when getting in and out of the pool. Also has to dry and not stay wet.

Both garments should be stain resistant. This is an important factor for swimwear when customers are applying sun cream and oils on holiday.

The garments should be water tested to see if they can be machine washed and at what temperature. If not I will need to print labels that clarify hand-wash only.

This test would also determine if the garment will wash well with other colours and if so determine on the label what it can or can’t be washed with.

Both garments must fit the customer demand & profile and be suitable for their occasion. I.E, wearing all day on holiday in heat and getting in and out of water.

ORGANISATION REQUIREMENTS Must be a designated room/space for testing to be carried out properly under health and safety regulations. This also makes results reliable.

When testing fabrics and using substances to make them colourfast/water resistant, the company must abide by the correct rules and regulations. This is in the best interest of workers and customers.

Unit 3: Final Major Project

Fit for Purpose?

FABRIC TESTING

FIT FOR PURPOSE Should be comfortable on the ears and not make the person feel irritated by the metal.

Garment tests should check that the shoes are comfortable and true to size, while still retaining their water resistance, in order to avoid any sort of foot infections.

Should not react to warm weather and burn the person when wearing in heat.

The stitching should be strong enough to endure all day wear especially in heat.

Should protect the eyes from sunshine rays but still not be that dark that the person cannot see through the lens.

ORGANISATION REQUIREMENTS

The fabric will be tested to ensure the colour doesn’t fade or wear away easily.

Stain resistant and easy to wipe clean.

The measurements for each size must be clear and all samples must be tested and checked at one focused space in head office to ensure safety is at its highest level.

Unit 3: Final Major Project

S.W.O.T on BEACHY range

S O

*High trend driven designs- brings something new to Matalan *Control briefs/stomach control for ladies who aren’t confident *Versatile range that can be paired with other garments *Dramatic styling for effect and difference on the market *Accessories available to make swimwear unique *Can be filtered into Beach to Bar range makes customer want to stay with Matalan for whole holiday shop *Could widen range into a/w18 and this gives people somewhere to shop when going away in colder months *Bring in loyalty scheme so that when customers shop with the range they get bonuses *Bring in promotional packaging to make the range more exclusive and authentic *Continue idea of range into garments for the night time on holiday

W T

*Quite different to Matalan’s current range this could be a risk *Bold and drastic designs again could be a risk for the Matalan customer *More bikini’s and swimming costumes available than tankini’s.

This is something I would take into consideration next time when continuing on with the range for a/w18. *Not many plain or dark colours *George @ ASDA are even more affordable than BEACHY in the swimwear department which could cause a knock on effect * Leading high street retailer River Island are known for their popular swimwear range and despite the price difference; people do like to be ‘seen in RI’ this is a threat in terms of trend and style.

Unit 3: Final Major Project

Evaluation Range: The Beach to Bar and BEACHY collections are made up of dramatic, bold styles for a new spin on holiday wear for women. I also decided to provide my customers with services on the shop floor to potential/new customers. I want my customers to have an experience they will remember from the moment they walk over to the section of where the ranges will be located. It is important that I advise sales assistants how to talk to customers through the features and benefits of my products in order for them to make there eventual decision.

Why have I chosen specific trend ideas and how does this appeal to the customer? As my collection is based on different holiday wear which is for the versatile customer I wanted the garments to look trend driven and bold but could be worn with a clash of items for a different effect every time they were put on . My clothing had to make an impression on the Matalan customer and live up to the stylish reputation of holiday vibes. My size range for women is from size 8 to 22 (which is the same size range as Matalan’s current products).

Psychotropical trend forecast for women & young women of s/s18 pointed out mainly the exotic bright prints and patterns. The idea of floaty garments were really popular and Latin-inspired frills were a key must have. This is something I felt was attractive, trend driven, stylish but also comformtable for s/s18 when at the beach or going for a drink on holiday. This inspired my collection for simple accessories to go along with smooth fabrics of cone shape silhouettes.

WGSN influenced me a lot through fabrics being described as ‘skin soft’ in the Physotropical S/S18. I wanted to reinforce this trend within my range plan and give my garments the feeling of quality. I think that soft, lightweight fabrics went perfect a summer in tropical counties.

I also took a look at the Russian artist, Slava Fokk. He creates stylised portraits with exotic backgrounds that exude glamour and elegance which is what I wanted to visualise and put across into my range to get the key looks, shapes and colour.

What research did you use to help you form decisions? : In order for me to produce realistic RRP and have an idea of how much things will cost I took out comp shops. The reason for this is to see what is on the market in my area and how much its being sold a. fortunately for me, I did have a niche in that I was producing garments focused on dramatic holiday cover up-s that could be worn to the beach and to the bar and that all swimwear from BEACHY were fashion statements underneath the cover ups rather than just . Most of Matalan's competitors had standard beachwear such as bikini’s and kaftans. They didn’t seem to offer something more dressier for the customer which is what led me nicely into starting up a new trend.

Unit 3: Final Major Project

Evaluation Consultation: Before going ahead with the business plan and aims for both the Matalan pitch and the BEACHY range I pitched both ideas to the group in college to get their feedback and see what they thought about the ranges as a whole and whether it was realistic or not. I found that by doing these consultations with the rest of the group and my tutor developed my presentation skills and equipped my standards of speaking clearly and voicing my opinion in a professional and clear way.

The consultations have made me realise how important it is to consult with others first to see what needs improving and building on the feedback constructively.

The Buying Cycle: The buying cycle was a key influence in the whole of my FMP as it has been for all other ranges during my time on the course. I have listed a selection of the main key points I have used from the Buying Cycle in order to be successful financially with the ranges. One of the biggest factors is reviewing current sales and seeing what works well for the tailored customer. It is with this information that allowed me to then continue with the rest of my research and create a brand new range which will attract the customer and increase sales for the company.

Trend forecasting was a really important factor for me to get right before starting the whole process of garment selection and supplier negotiation. They all need attention to detail in order to see the smooth running of the whole process of the Buying Cycle.

Review of current sales  Budget planning  COMP shop  Directional shop  Sourcing for product development  Garment samples for range  Pre-selection for garment sample  Price negotiation with supplier  Final range selection  Price order for ranges  Pre-production sampling and approvals  Bulk garment manufacturer  Delivery of products to retailer  Purchased by customer

Information on volume, RRP and size ratio: I decided to keep my sizes the same as Matalan’s current size ratio. The reason for this is that both ranges were designed for the Matalan current customer and the range had to abide by that. I had to order multiple amounts of stock- more so in popular sizes such as size 12 which is the UK average and also sells out quicker compared to other sizes.

How will the range will be profitable: The ranges offer something different on swimwear, it is dramatic, stylish garments for women to wear on holiday going from the ‘BEACH TO BAR’ whilst ‘keepin it glam in BEACHY. The main concept for the two ranges is that they are so overpowering with tropical prints that you escape everyday life. After all, that’s why we jet away to sun, sea and sand isn’t it? The concept embraces warm heat, bright colours and the dramatic floral prints are a key feature to achieve this escapism. Holiday shopping can be a dread for some women who don’t want to ‘reveal all’ so I wanted to create this range in order to take them away from feeling exposed and rather over-dressed comfortably and stylish.

The collection will be profitable from its attractiveness and its vibrant colours, relaxed fittings in a casual glamorous way . The fresh tropical printed on garments will give that fresh summer vibe that everybody loves the feeling of. The main niche about the collection is floaty trousers to wear over swimwear for ladies to feel more comfortable in their bodies but also cool and relaxed for summer heat. This was a key point to shine through within the mood and concept boards.

Unit 3: Final Major Project

Evaluation How will the range will be profitable: The overall niche of the range will provide Matalan with a good reputation and would encourage customers to return for a/w styles to see them through their winter getaways in the sun. In my personal opinion, this has been my faverouite range to do throughout the whole course. I was able to see to my own ideas and be as creative as I could with the Matalan customer at heart. I liked having the bright vibrant colours to play with and mixing the prints in to bring some life into the range.

Going back to S.W.O.T: How will external factors determine how I will develop my range?

1) One of the opportunities I discussed during my S.W.O.T was introducing a customer loyalty scheme and allow loyal customers to have exclusive first looks on new stock. This is something competitors (F+F, George, T.U and Next) haven’t thought about yet which would give Matalan a chance to boost expansion and profits. It would develop the sales in the ranges BEACH TO BAR and BEACHY particularly as it would encourage customers to buy from the ranges in order to receive points on each buy and give them a feeling of exclusivity on new and upcoming garments.

2) Another opportunity for me was thinking about introducing an A/W18 collection for customers. This in turn would determine my brand as an ‘all year round’ holiday range and would give it a boost in the market above other competitors.

Matalan pitch: As part of our FMP at college we had to do a ‘dragons den’ style pitch of our individual range and it had to be 10 minutes maximum. The idea was to grab the attention of the audience with a captivating elevator pitch. My pitch was based on my range Beach to Bar for Matalan S/S18. I was successful in my pitch and went on to win a weeks internship with the buying team. Further to this, I had applied for a homeware department trainee assistant buyer job at Matalan which I was successful in getting the position. In the end it was menswear that I was taken on for and I will be starting on the 19th June which will follow nicely after finishing my course at Liverpool Community College. I feel that the pitch and Matalan’s feedback really boosted my confidence and ability in Buying. Below is a screenshot of the feedback given from Matalan in regards to my Beach to Bar pitch.

Skills gained from the course: During the whole course I have gained sufficient skills in fashion buying and range planning. One thing I will definitely take with me into my future career as a fashion buyer is time management and planning. Using an action plan was a really useful tool for me to keep on track with the tasks I had to see through and also allowed me to not stress and become unorganised. It was significant for me to delve into the Matalan brand and their customer profile to get significant information on what would work well for the customer and what trends to look out for.

Trendforecasting is a key tool- it determines what you will be buying in and in what shapes and colours. However, it was vital that I stuck to the Matalan profile and sorted through trends that Unit 3: Final Major Project would appeal to their customer and make the best profits for the company.

UAL Level 4 Fashion Buying & Range Planning Looking back on the whole of my final major project I have enjoyed being a part of the college class and experiencing different ideas and methods to complete my own personal range from my own initiative.

I have also progressed in working well with Photoshop tools which at the start of the course I was hopeless with. I have been able to see through to different parts of the Buying Cycle and improving my own skills such as looking into fabric composition and where the best places for sourcing them come from.

I fully enjoyed searching for the garment selection and trends. The end product made me feel proud of what I had achieved throughout on my own and following through on my own business proposal.

Doing the ‘dragons den’ pitch at Matalan head office gave me significant experience and pushed me to achieving bigger goals. I am thankful for the experience and I now feel ready and excited to start the next chapter of my career with Fashion Buying.

Unit 3: Final Major Project

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Wgsn.com. (2017). Cite a Website - Cite This For Me. [online] Available at: https://www.wgsn.com/content/board_viewer/#/66236/page/13 [Accessed 15 Mar. 2017].