Joanna Foster

- Manage and build a commercial, trend-driven ranges for Dresses & Swim categories, aligned to sales and margin targets - Manage RRP architecture across all channels to ensure a balanced and competitive pricing structure - Manage the OTB budget, ensuring option plans and financial targets are met for the category - Identify product gaps through newness, recolours and move-ons to drive continual growth - Ensure seasonal and key-event needs are met across Northern & Southern Hemisphere markets - Lead weekly reporting including trade results, best/worst sellers, new arrivals performance, repeat orders and markdown actions - Partner with Head of Planning & Buying to sign off monthly capsules with Design, ensuring alignment with trade results, trends and brand direction - Work closely with Design to suggest, brief and manage style updates, repeats and recolours to ensure strong sell-through - Manages end-to-end product execution from order placement through to shipment, launch and sell-through

- Managing swimwear and accessories buys for the business; sourcing products, selecting buys for each upcoming collection and placing orders. - Supplier communication; maintaining daily contact with suppliers to manage orders, resolve issues, and build relationships. - Using critical thinking skills to assist in problem solving with the buyer. - Assist buyer with product selects by researching market trends, sales analysis, and competitor offerings. - Overlooking bulk schedules and packing lists for factories to ensure bulk is arriving in time for launch dates. - Cost price reviewing and negotiating - strategising with factories to hit margins and knowledge on appropriate retails for certain fabrics/styles. - Supporting the buyer, designers and garment technicians in fit sessions.

- Raising and managing purchase orders; working to deadlines, negotiating prices with factories, finalising shipments with factories. - Ownership over the critical path; keeping it up to date with prices, samples and delivery dates. - Photoshoot management; selecting styles for upcoming shoots based on live launch dates, responsible for shoot samples ensuring they arrive in time, hanging styles in time for shoots.

- Contributing to the development of the dressy range. Working with the Buyer and Design team to identify trends and customer demand. - Developing and buying the dressy Outlet range - Working with and buying ranges from external brands (both womenswear and menswear) - Support and supervise Buying Assistant’s workload; overseeing the critical path, sample process, and admin. - Negotiating the best prices and product with the supplier base, offering proposals to maximise opportunities and limit risk.

- Core buying knowledge; understanding trade, trend forecasting, building effective relationships, discussing with AB/Buyers - Order management; purchasing orders, creating label files, commodity codes, communicating with suppliers - Sample management; developing samples, tracking and organising samples, confirming style and delivery dates - Maintaining critical path; production and shipping, liaising with suppliers, merchandising, and buyers - Fits & aesthetics; observing fit sessions offering comments and ideas, contacting suppliers with updates - Supplier management - Administration; organising meeting rooms, filing - Creative awareness; competitor awareness, customer awareness, industry knowledge

Key role in within the Samples Team at ASOS: - Managing the flow of stock as it passed through the building - Maintaining relationships with various teams; including photo-studios, sample management, PR and event management, buying team. - Assisting in stock management - Sales and retail operations - Organisation and replenishment of stock for Sample Sale shop - Comparing weekly/monthly reports of Sample Sale and strategies needed in order to increase profits for the ASOS Foundation - Donating proportion of stock to charities such as Oxfam & Scope weekly - Covering Sample Sale management when necessary; producing spreadsheets, organising samples to be sent to events, posting ticket availability and updates on ASOS workplace for staff access

5 year role whilst undertaking my studies: - Store Assistant specialising in stock replenishment - Customer service based role - Trained as supervisor for till operations - Team leader trained - Responsibility to keep track of co-worker’s plan and what will work most effectively to reach target for the day - Responsibility of the branch phone; answering calls from customers, advising on queries and connecting them with necessary staff members - Trusted and trained to lock away at end of the day; collecting and filing till profits and locking away in the cash office

Fashion Promotion & Imaging: - Studied Photography & Styling, Visual Communications, and Marketing during First Year - Focused on the Marketing & Promotion pathway for Second and Third Year - Learning about advertising, social media, trend forecasting, and public relations - Live industry practice working on live briefs set by clients to produce professional work published within the fashion industry - Theory lessons covered a range of both historical and contemporary fashion education