Trainee Buyer Review

Managing post, organising samples and delegating accordingly Updating range plan via Microsoft excel with relevant information Communicating with suppliers via email to confirm details / order samples Identifying best and worst sellers, pulling them out and labelling accordingly Liaising with QA team to ensure high quality product Benchmarking New in reports Competitor shops General tidying of samples / keeping my sample room area organised

New Skills Learnt: How to properly do a competitor shop How to send a professional email How to use adobe access for the e - commerce department Existing Skills Developed: Organisational skills have improved via learning how to properly manage my time Time keeping has improved by learning how to properly prioritise tasks More experienced with excel / learnt more skills Communication skills have improved due to working as part of a small team

Responsibilities given include making sure the correct persons see samples before production, liaising with suppliers to ensure product is correct in terms of material and aesthetics, updating range plans with relevant information, ensuring sample area is tidy and organised, ensuring the e - commerce department get the correct samples for photography, ensuring the QA department receive the correct samples and receive them on time so no quality issues arise, in - store benchmarking

There is lots and lots of support available, I work very closely with my manager as well as our wider team, everyone involved has ensured I am okay and can manage my workload and offered me guidance should I need it at any point. I feel more than comfortable reaching out to anyone on my team for help with any task.

The culture at Matalan is a very friendly one, everyone is happy to help with any task. The atmosphere is very comfortable, it can be relaxed yet hard working when it needs to be however most of the time it is very fast paced but still manageable

I am thoroughly enjoying my placement so far. I am learning new skills every day and my university work has tied in nicely with my job role, it has helped me with my understanding of certain aspects such as WSSI's, trends, critical paths and range plans. The workload is manageable providing you manage your time well and prioritise tasks correctly.

Yes

Do your research, the application process can be tough but you will have a much better chance if you research the company values, facts and figures as well as the wider market. Matalan is a very people - based company so strong communication and social skills are key.