TOPSHOP / TOPMAN Recruitment

TOPSHOP / TOPMAN Recruitment

DEPARTMENT INFORMATION

Department Information:

If you decide to join us you will be working for a dynamic and innovative business. We can offer you an exciting and challenging career with many opportunities.
Excellent career development opportunities will be on offer, along with on going training and support.
With the size of the business and the quality of the training and development, there will be endless opportunities for you to progress in your career with us.
Simply click on the links to the right for more information on what your future could hold! You will find information about the function, the job roles and career progression.

Retail Management:

General overview

In summary the role of a Store Manager is to run, with their deputy and with support from their Area Manager, a store as an independent profit centre - focusing all activity on meeting customer needs and achieving bottom line results, whist planning and developing for the future.
The role includes:
* Team management and development.
* Commercialism through driving profit.
* Maintaining retail standards.
* Focus on customer service.
* Maintaining brand integrity through instore layout/staff profile/service offered.

Career routes
There are a variety of ways to become a Store Manager within TOPSHOP and TOPMAN.
*You may join us straight out of school - or at any time in your life and work through our sales adviser competencies to a management appointment.
*You may join after A Levels on our A Level training programme - this is a one-year course dedicated to your development to a Management role.

*If you've just graduated, you can join our one year graduate programme, which again focuses on an appointment as a store manager after 12 months.

*You may decide that as a manager within another fashion brand, you really want to be at the cutting edge of fashion, personal development and career opportunities - we're happy to receive your application and welcome you into TOPSHOP and TOPMAN.

area manager

mega store manager

store manager

deputy manager

top level sales advisor

Personal Profile (Store Manager)

January 2004

Sarah Harper is the Retail Store Manager at our Oxford Circus Flagship store.

What does your job involve?

Running front of house operations, stockroom and administration department. This involves managing a number of Brand Managers all accountable for their areas including maximizing sales, reducing cash/loss, managing and developing their teams etc. I also liaise continuously with various head office departments including buying, merchandising, vm, marketing & finance regarding store performance, opportunities. A large part of my job also involves analyzing store performance and commercial decisions.

How do you go about it?

As the store is very vast and fast paced it is very demanding. Communication and time management is key.

Describe a typical day

I normally come in for 8am and analyze the previous’ day’s figures and stats. Then by 8.30am I hit the floors to ensure high retail standards for opening and that all departments are set up for the day’s trade. I usually do a store walk with each Brand / Sales Manager going through department figures and any commercial decisions i.e. moves that need actioning. It also allows me to communicate any initiatives happening within their areas. My meetings are planned to happen after lunch. As the Flagship store we tend to get a lot of unplanned visits from all levels of the business, from directors to Philip Green, which I always need to be prepared for.

What else might you do or get involved in?

As the Regional Controller (my Line Manager) is based here I get involved in a lot of financial planning. We also have a large back of house team and a lot of what we do overlaps in many aspects we work closely together to achieve results.

Is there a downside?

Although I thrive on working at such fast pace there is also frustrations due to it. You don’t always get to do all that you plan. There are also a lot of unexpected interruptions and you have to adapt and re-jig your plans constantly.

What’s best about your job?

Working and meeting with loads of different people at all levels and diverse backgrounds! Taking loads of money and driving the store forward through different initiatives are very rewarding. Due to the fast pace you see instant changes. No two days are the same!

What skills do you need?

Common sense. You also need to work well under pressure and be flexible and adaptable to changes. You need to be able to communicate with people at all levels so excellent communication skills are key. You have to have a passion for clothing and retail and have tons of energy!

Career progression (How have you got where you are now)?

I joined Debenhams on a YTS scheme when I left school, then progressed my retail career with Burton Menswear. Starting off as a sales advisor then going onto display, where I became heavily involved within the VM department in head office and completed several secondments including a store modernization program which lead me into store management. I worked my way up through different stores and ended up running the flagship store on Oxford Street. I then moved into DP’s, which was double the turnover which gave me womenswear experience and challenged through managing a bigger team, faster pace and developed my commerciality. Within a couple of years I became a multi site manager managing 4 brands which allowed me to develop my strategic and networking skills. Then 2 years on moved to Oxford Circus where I am currently Retail Store Mgr.

Where next for you?

I would love to set up and manage a Topshop flagship site in an international capital ideally New York!!!!

Personal Profile (Store Manager)

January 2004

Abdul Farrah is the Store Manager for our brand new high profile store on Kensington High Street.

What does your job involve?

Managing Sales by focusing on both good and poor performing departments. I also spend a great deal of time developing and motivating the store team, bringing new people into the store and driving customer service throughout the team. I also liaise with the buying and merchandising teams at head office about product and building stock, to make sure that your store has the best product.

How do you go about it?

By making sure that all team members are fully aware of and meeting the brand and store expectations and getting them involved in any decision making.

What else might you do or get involved in?

Setting up model store, local activities i.e. student lockin’s, networking with other stores to share best practice and getting involved in local loss prevention activities etc.

Who else do you deal with?

As a retail Manager you need to monitor all your competitors activities, checking the weather daily and local transport changes etc.

Is there a downside?

No.

What’s best about your job?

The ambition and challenges. Topshop is an ambitious company and comes with new challenges that I greatly enjoy; knowing that tomorrow there will be a new challenge and a new goal to target.

What skills do you need?

Good communication skills, team builder/player, strong leadership skills, work well under pressure and self motivational skills.

Career progression (How have you got where you are now)?

I started as 16 hours sales advisor but worked my way up by progressing through the competency books and receiving support from the training department and the senior managers.

Where next for you?

The sky is the limit as far as I am concerned but I would like be an area manager one day.

BUYING

General overview
Our Buyers, Merchandisers and their teams focus on the specific requirements of their Brand, developing the ranges, driving profits and guarding Brand integrity. They concentrate on meeting customer needs and developing strong supplier relationships. Essentially, Buyers source product and develop ranges, introducing appropriate excitement and newness each season and keeping the bullseye customer clearly in view. They work closely with the Design and Technical Services teams to ensure both designs and fabrics are leading edge and satisfy our quality standards.
Merchandisers focus on the profit drivers and work with the Buyers to ensure we have the right ranging and phasing of lines, so that opportunities are being maximised and risks are minimised.

Career routes

buying director

senior buyer

buyer

junior buyer

assistant buyer / junior buyer

buyers admin assistant / assistant buyer

Most people start their career with us direct from university, the first role you would apply for would be that of Buyers Administration Assistant (BAA).

Personal profile (Assistant Buyer)
October 2001

TopShop - Assistant Buyer
Rachel Proud is an Assistant Buyer for TopShop, responsible for Knitwear.
So, how does your department work Rachel?
Our team is made up of 5 people, Buyer, Merchandiser, Assistant Buyer, Assistant Merchandiser, Buyers' Admin Assistant. We also work very closely with our design team and our garment technologists (quality control and garment specialists) We all have regular meetings, best and worst sellers reviews, fit meetings, product reviews etc…..
What does an Assistant Buyer do?
The main aim of my job is to assist the buyer and while doing this learning more about the buying process. I liase with the buyer and merchandiser to ensure that they have all the information, sales reports, samples, sample prices etc. that they need to plan the range. I also oversee the buyer's admin assistant, ensuring she is involved in the buying process, looking after samples and deliveries.
On the more creative side of the job, I get out to look at the shops as often as possible, looking at high street competitors, aspirational shops, designers etc. the information I find is then fed back to the department, via, written reports, sketches etc…
As an Admin Assistant, Assistant Buyer or Buyer, you need to be really aware of what is happening in all aspects of Fashion and constantly thinking about all customers that come into our stores.
Where do you get your ideas?
Everywhere! - Magazines, people in the street, friends, shops - aspirational designers and catwalks, vintage stalls and markets.

What do you do next with your ideas?
We put ideas into work with suppliers by sending them sketches pictures and they then make up sample garments. If we like them we will fit them in the fit meetings and then decide how strongly we feel for them and therefore book a quantity based on how many we feel we can sell. E.g. Just for our flagship store for really directional pieces, or for more commercial lines, an all store quantity.
Do you get involved with finance at all?
Yes - the merchandisers will work out how much we can spend by category and style. We then spend within this budget -negotiating the best cost prices for the garment, then we calculate selling prices, ensuring we reach our target profit margin.
We monitor sales very closely to establish if lines are working well etc. if we think there is potential in a style, we can book more on that line, or change other styles into the one that is working.
It is vital that the buyers and merchandisers have a very good working relationship.
Where do suppliers come in?
We send out our product sketches to the suppliers and they would make up samples for us. Some also have their own showrooms and ranges, so we may visit and select from there. Knitwear suppliers are mainly based in the Far East, but we do also have some UK production.
What's the best thing about your job?
For me, it's having the idea, then seeing an idea progress from a sketch through to someone buying it, and then seeing people wearing the garments, the full buying cycle. Working in a really creative atmosphere is great and in our office, it's a young team, who are all really focused and really enjoy the job.
Also to be working for Topshop is great, it is the best place to work and train to be a buyer.
Is there a downside?
Sorry - I really like my job so……… not really!!
I guess my friends get bored with me constantly talking about clothes but that would happen even if I didn't work here.
It is really hard work though, I really want to be a buyer - and that'll take time, so I need to keep myself motivated and keep developing.

What skills/attributes do you need?
*Need to be creative, obsessive about fashion!
*An objective view is needed - we need to look at the whole market and our varying customer needs, not be blinkered by our personal views
*Analytical
*Pay attention to detail
*Knowledge of working in stores is invaluable
*Knowledge of fashion and some technical knowledge e.g. fits and patterns, is very useful
*Interpersonal skills/communication skills

What about your training?
When you start as a BAA, the training is very systems based. Then as an Assistant Buyer you lead your own training. There are competencies to work towards - there are 3 levels of competency for an AB, but the more you drive your development and seek out opportunities, the better.
What's your career to date?
Foundation Art and Design (1 year)
Textile Design and Design Management - BSc Honours @ UMIST
BAA - Topshop - TS Design/Jersey basics (July 1998)
AB - Topshop - Jersey basics (January 2000)
AB - Topshop - Knitwear
What next?
Achieve level 3 of my AB competencies and then hopefully become a junior buyer and then…

So, can you give people some hint and tips – how to get into buying?

If you’re thinking about buying:

• Get some fashion retail experience – work in a store

• See if you can get some work experience in a buying department
• Visit fashion shows if you can
• You need to be passionate about fashion, and its direction

Update interview
December 2002

How has your role developed since we last spoke to you?

A lot has happened since I last spoke to you, I have moved onto the new shoe department, which is very exciting and high profile. We launched shoes in August, and it has been really successful ever since. It has been a massive learning curve for us all, but we are now getting to grips with the world of footwear. I have recently has my level 3 signed off, which means I have much more responsibility within the areas I buy.

What have you enjoyed most in this time?

I think learning about a completely new and challenging product area has been the most fun. Very stressful at times, but also very rewarding watching new styles react and sell really well. The press coverage has also been great for us, and it is always nice to see one of our styles in vogue or I.D. etc. It is also equally rewarding to get on a bus / go to a pub and look around and see a couple of pairs of our shoes strutting around.

What would you like your next move to be?

I think for now I am really happy to be on this new area, next step now is to be junior buyer and I am really looking forward to that, and the responsibility that will arrive with it.

Update Interview

January 2004

How has your role developed since we last spoke to you?

My role has changed massively, I have had lots more experience on various different departments and I am now a junior buyer, buying my own area, which is ‘ts design / boutique’ This is a multiproduct department which covers our in-house designers range ‘Unique’ and also each of our sponsored designers ranges for Topshop.

I also buy our own ‘boutique’ label which is a more directional fashion area within Topshop, available exclusively in just 7 stores.

Before my promotion I was part of the in-house team that set up and launched Topshop own buy shoes. This involved many new experiences, from producing daisy de villeneuve illustrated shoe boxes, to discovering the mad world of shoe production.

The experience was frustrating but very fulfilling, especially when we began to launch the shoes, watching the sales reaction and press coverage was fantastic.

Best of all seeing everyone in the office and most of the high street wearing our shoes was really rewarding – what the job is all about for me.

What have you enjoyed most in this time?

There have been so many new experiences and many of them once in a lifetime opportunities, so it is difficult to choose. I do think, however, that to be buying my own range is the most rewarding thing that has happened as this is what buying is all about, and the reason that I always wanted to be a buyer!!

Sending sketches out to factories, sourcing fabrics and trims and seeing finished garments come into the office, go into store and watching sales reactions (both good and bad !!) Learning from the experiences and trying not to make the same mistakes again.

But most fun of all, reading magazines, going clubbing, visiting new places to see what people are wearing and shopping, all in the name of WORK!! Very very enjoyable.

What would you like your next move to be?

As I have just been promoted to this role, I want to become proficient in this role and then wait and see what happens. A role on a single product department will probably follow, and will present many new challenges. I am happy to develop in my current role for now, but as always with topshop there are so many potential possibilities on the horizon!!