Allocation Analyst / Assistnt Buyer Review

The first 6 months was fantastic! I truly enjoyed the role and the team atmosphere. The company constantly developed you as an individual and from a business point of view. I would have given it 9 stars! However, the second half of the placement was a struggle. The level of responsibility you have reduces significantly being tasked with carrying out mundane tasks. However, notably, other placements on similar intakes had a great time in buying.

Again, the first half of the placement was superb! My opinion was valued and I was given leadership opportunities. To the point where I got to have weekly meetings with the Merchandising Director in order to improve the performance of the GM. Whereas for the second half of the placement, it felt like I was treated as someone who had limited knowledge and capabilities, with limited prospects of potential when compared to the first half.

In the first half (6 months) of the placement you have weekly "one to one" meetings with your manager, receiving exceptional support and guidance. The meetings were extremely beneficial, forming a sustainable and realistic action plan, whilst still being challenging enough in order to progress you as fast as possible. In the second half I had 5 "one to one" meetings which felt like a formality. They says its your responsibility to drive your development which to an extent is rightly so. However the balance was wrong.

The business is extremely fast moving and there is always plenty of work to be done, which is very exciting.

For the first half of the placement the responsibility given is unbelievable. Your doing the exact same job as a graduate, which is amazing. The potential impact you have on the business determines whether or not your department (s) makes enough sales, which ultimately affects whether or not the business makes a profit or a loss. In the second half you still have significant responsibility, its just not as constant or impactful.

The skills I learnt and developed will be incredibly influential in not just my degree but future career. The training, learning and development was so much more useful than that of University. Even the parts I enjoyed to a lesser degree have been extremely beneficial in terms of learning and how I would handle the situation differently in the future. .

A fun, happy place to work where people cared about your well being. There were frequent team/ office celebrations and events which were great fun and entertainment.

The merchandising part was set up fantastically, there was a 2-3 month training scheme to bring you up to standard. In addition prior to moving into buying there is a month of BA training / work experience to help smooth the transition.

They invested massively, it was amazing how many resources they used to ensure I had a well rounded experience. There was 3-4 months of training throughout the year. Furthermore, in buying and throughout the year they spent thousands, possibly tens of thousands of pounds for me to attend vendor visits and to see the various markets the company trades in.

Extremely. They offered me a job to come back after university in a role higher than that of the graduates. It's also very common for them to do this. Its a great opportunity.

There company is extremely social, organising many social events and having a wonderful people focused culture. They encourage all the employees to have fun at work and afterwards. Its an amazing year.

Pretty expensive, I lived in Watford, where the company is based. However, this is much cheaper than London.

Watford nightlife isn't great but its okay, there are a couple of clubs and a few bars. Notably its much cheaper than London. However I prefer to go into London on the weekend, where the nightlife amazing and the best in the UK.