In this episode, we're joined by Lynsey Scoins — a fashion industry veteran with over 15 years of experience across design, buying, merchandising and recruitment, and founder of Fashion Path, a platform dedicated to helping people break into and build careers in the fashion industry.

Lynsey shares her winding career journey from almost landing a placement at Company Magazine to discovering buying and merchandising almost by accident at George ASDA, and eventually realising her original degree in International Fashion Marketing had been pointing her in the right direction all along. We also get into the reality of retail vs supplier roles, and how working through COVID brought both sides closer together by revealing just how similar the pressures are. Across every role, the same core skills stand out — confidence, team fit, passion for product and attention to detail.

She also doesn’t hold back on CV and interview mistakes, from careless applications to a lack of real brand understanding, and shares why tailoring your approach is more important than ever in a world where AI is now screening candidates. We also touch on the value of sourcing trips and how they can transform your understanding of the supply chain, before Lynsey explains why she launched Fashion Path — supporting candidates through coaching, CV and portfolio reviews, and structured programmes designed to help them present themselves with clarity and confidence.

Whether you're just starting out, feeling stuck mid-career, or navigating redundancy, this episode is packed with honest, practical advice from someone who has genuinely been on every side of the industry.

Connect with Lynsey:

• LinkedIn: Lynsey Scoins
• Instagram @Fashionpathconsultancy - follow for weekly tips, real case studies, and programme updates
• www.fashionpath.co.uk

Three Key Takeaways

1. Your career path doesn't have to be linear - and that's a strength.

Lynsey's journey from design to buying, merchandising, and recruitment is proof that moving between roles isn't a sign of indecision, it's a competitive advantage. The creativity you develop as a designer makes you a better buyer. The analytical thinking from merchandising makes you a more commercial thinker. Embracing a non-linear path gives you a rounded perspective that specialists often lack.

2. Tailor everything - your CV, your portfolio, your application.

One of the most consistent mistakes Lynsey saw as a recruiter was people applying for multiple roles with the exact same materials, or worse, cover letters addressed to the wrong company. Recruiters notice. Hiring managers notice. The same way a supplier pitching you a generic deck feels disrespectful of your time, a generic application signals low investment. Take the time to research the brand, visit the store, and tailor your pitch - it dramatically increases your hit rate.

3. You already have the skills - you just need to package them.

In fast-paced buying and merc

Join us for our next Retail Buyer Meet up in London on Wednesday 28th April! Go to www.jointhebuyersclub.co.uk or DM us @jointhebuyersclub

Support the show

If you've liked this episode please rate, follow, subscribe and share :)
- and if you already have, thank you! It honestly really helps to keep this going and growing!

Follow us @buyingandbeyond on Instagram

Send us a DM or email hello@buyingandbeyond.co.uk

We also have a retail buyers membership @jointhebuyersclub

Find out more at www.jointhebuyersclub.co.uk

If you'd like to show a little more love, then head here to give us just a little bit *extra* and show us your support :) thank you!

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2300060/support

This week, we’re joined by Holly Stafford Smith from GH Stafford & Son limited a fourth-generation family business that’s been supplying leather goods and accessories to retailers across the UK and Ireland since 1947.

Holly gives us a rare look at the supplier side of the buyer-supplier relationship and honestly, the overlap is bigger than you might think.

Having joined the business back in 2007, Holly has shaped her role from the ground up and now leads across buying, supplier relationships and commercial strategy. From sourcing product at the Canton Fair to managing a diverse UK customer base, her experience mirrors so much of what buyers do day-to-day, just from a different angle.

We get into the realities of buying for independents (where no two customers are the same), the power of long-standing supplier relationships, and what it really looks like to evolve a family business that’s been running successfully for decades.

We also talk trade shows and why Holly made the call to step away from Spring Fair after nearly 50 years, replacing it with a showroom event that delivered 35% more turnover at a fraction of the cost.

Plus, what’s next: building out CRM and analytics, launching a B2B platform, growing their agent network, and bringing fresh ideas into a legacy business as they approach their 80th year.

Key Takeaways

• The buyer vs supplier divide isn’t as big as you think - the roles, challenges and decisions are more aligned than they are different.
• Long-term supplier relationships are everything - trust, consistency and better product come from playing the long game.
• Even the most established businesses need to evolve - and sometimes that means making bold calls to do things differently

Join us for our next Retail Buyer Meet up in London on Wednesday 28th April! Go to www.jointhebuyersclub.co.uk or DM us @jointhebuyersclub

Support the show

If you've liked this episode please rate, follow, subscribe and share :)
- and if you already have, thank you! It honestly really helps to keep this going and growing!

Follow us @buyingandbeyond on Instagram

Send us a DM or email hello@buyingandbeyond.co.uk

We also have a retail buyers membership @jointhebuyersclub

Find out more at www.jointhebuyersclub.co.uk

If you'd like to show a little more love, then head here to give us just a little bit *extra* and show us your support :) thank you!

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2300060/support

This week's episode is a special one co-host Lynsey is joined by her old friend and former London College of Fashion classmate, Jodie Blake, now CMO at Manolo Blahnik. What starts as a nostalgic trip down memory lane (lemon poppy seed muffins from Starbucks, high heels to lectures, and getting the tube one stop instead of walking) quickly turns into one of the most insightful conversations we've had on the show.

Jodie's career is a masterclass in building from the ground up. She started out as a press assistant at Office Shoes during its golden era of big collabs with Nike, Converse and Dr. Martens, before moving through a series of agencies - culminating in a decade at The Communication Store, where she worked across Versace, Max Mara, Acne Studios and more, doing 42 shows in a single fashion season. From there she went in-house at Self-Portrait to build on their communications function, before being headhunted to join Manolo Blahnik as Head of Communications - a role that evolved into her appointment as CMO almost two and a half years ago.

We get into what it really means to market a luxury product today, how Manolo Blahnik has spent 22 years fighting to reclaim their trademark in China (spoiler: they won - one of only two cases ever, alongside Michael Jordan), the story behind the Birkenstock collab that sold out in 12 hours, the upcoming Balenciaga collaboration, and why being headline sponsor of the V&A's Marie Antoinette exhibition felt like the brand's most natural home.

Jodie also shares what it was like to move from agency to in-house, the realities of stepping into a leadership role, and why working closely with buyers and the commercial team is central to everything her team does.

3 Key Takeaways:

1. Stay true to your brand values - even when it's hard. Manolo Blahnik famously refused to make trainers despite enormous commercial pressure and buyer demand. Jodie explains how staying uncompromisingly true to your identity is what builds longevity - 56 years, fully privately owned, with Manolo still designing every single shoe. Chasing trends can dilute a brand to the point where customers no longer know what you stand for.
2. Break down silos and ask questions beyond your remit. Whether you're in PR, buying, merchandising or logistics, understanding how other parts of the business work gives you a fuller picture - and makes you better at your own job. Jodie credits this curiosity as a key driver of her own career progression, from agency PR specialist to CMO. The "holy trinity" of communications, commercial and merchandising teams working in lockstep is something she views as non-negotiable.
3. Make people feel something. In a time of economic uncertainty, consumers are more considered than ever about what they buy. The brands that win are those creating genuine emotional connections - through storytelling, community, experiential moments, and products that carry real personal meaning. From a grandmother leaving envelopes of mon

Join us for our next Retail Buyer Meet up in London on Wednesday 28th April! Go to www.jointhebuyersclub.co.uk or DM us @jointhebuyersclub

Support the show

If you've liked this episode please rate, follow, subscribe and share :)
- and if you already have, thank you! It honestly really helps to keep this going and growing!

Follow us @buyingandbeyond on Instagram

Send us a DM or email hello@buyingandbeyond.co.uk

We also have a retail buyers membership @jointhebuyersclub

Find out more at www.jointhebuyersclub.co.uk

If you'd like to show a little more love, then head here to give us just a little bit *extra* and show us your support :) thank you!

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2300060/support

Claire McIlroy returns to the pod for a deep dive into the fascinating and surprisingly complex world of grocery buying. Having started her career on the buying side at DHL and Morrisons before moving into sales and her current role as Sales Director, Claire brings a rare dual perspective on what it really takes to get food from farm to shelf. She's also co-founder of the W Collective, a community dedicated to empowering women in their corporate careers.

In this episode, we hear how Claire worked her way through procurement at DHL - buying everything from stationery and paper clips to food for the NHS and Ministry of Defence, before blacking her way through three rounds of interviews to land a role at Morrisons' famously grand (and notoriously hard-to-reach) Bradford head office. There, she cut her teeth on Core Grocery private label buying, managing a huge portfolio of ambient products from chocolate spread and pasta to yeast extract.

Claire breaks down what private label buying really involves - from developing products that closely match branded equivalents (without crossing IP lines), to navigating salt and sugar targets, traffic light labelling, and driving efficiencies through packaging, sourcing, and logistics. This leads into the now-famous Thailand chicken example, highlighting just how global and commercially driven food supply chains are.

She then reflects on her time in fresh produce -from blueberries shipped in a dormant state to the reality of out-of-season fruit, it’s a fascinating look at what really sits behind quality on shelf.

Now on the supply side, Claire shares how her perspective has shifted within frozen from different KPIs to the impact of global events on costs - and why it’s a category far more complex than it might seem.

Finally, Claire reflects on her evolution from buyer to leader, how she built her confidence by always putting her hand up for the big, visible projects and how that same philosophy now underpins the work she does at the W Collective, where she coaches women to be strategic about their careers, close the gender pay gap, and step into leadership roles.

Three Key Takeaways:

1. Buying is about far more than price. From supply chain efficiency and shelf-ready packaging to palletization and temperature-controlled shipping, a buyer's role spans procurement strategy, product development, logistics, and supplier relationships. If your availability or quality isn't there, the cheapest deal in the world means nothing.
2. Understanding seasonality and provenance changes how you shop. Blueberries from Peru that are put to sleep for six weeks at sea, Brazilian beef, chicken sourced from Thailand — the global nature of food supply chains is vast and largely invisible to consumers. That bland tomato or tasteless strawberry in winter? It's telling you exactly where it came from.
3. Be strategic about your career, not just ambitious. Claire's advice from her work with the W Collective: vague goals

Join us for our next Retail Buyer Meet up in London on Wednesday 28th April! Go to www.jointhebuyersclub.co.uk or DM us @jointhebuyersclub

Support the show

If you've liked this episode please rate, follow, subscribe and share :)
- and if you already have, thank you! It honestly really helps to keep this going and growing!

Follow us @buyingandbeyond on Instagram

Send us a DM or email hello@buyingandbeyond.co.uk

We also have a retail buyers membership @jointhebuyersclub

Find out more at www.jointhebuyersclub.co.uk

If you'd like to show a little more love, then head here to give us just a little bit *extra* and show us your support :) thank you!

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2300060/support

In this episode, Yasmin O’Donnell shares the story behind Ginny & Me a social-first fashion brand that has quickly built a cult following around its hero flared-sleeve windbreaker jacket. What began in her Oxford Brookes University bedroom, experimenting with Amazon-bought fabrics and hand-sewing garments, has grown into a brand that now sells out monthly pre-orders, has been featured in Vogue and Vanity Fair, and operates with a fiercely loyal community, all without a traditional retail or buying background.

Yasmin talks about how Ginny & Me started as what she calls an “accidental brand,” initially rooted in linen and gingham pieces (with the name itself evolving from “gingham”). Before even launching her first drop, she had already built a following of 800 people and when that first collection went live, it sold out in just 28 minutes. From there, the brand evolved into its now-signature product: the flared-sleeve windbreaker, which gained traction after a viral TikTok moment at a King’s Road pop-up. That moment not only accelerated growth but also introduced the pre-order model that now defines the business.

We explore why pre-order has been such a powerful strategy for Ginny & Me - supporting cash flow, reducing waste, and building anticipation with every drop. Yasmin also shares the reality behind the scenes, from navigating multiple manufacturers before finding the right partners, to pricing products instinctively (even absorbing VAT to keep pricing accessible). The conversation touches on the brand’s unexpected crossover into the running and athleisure space, and how its content strategy has been driven less by planning and more by authenticity - showing the real, often chaotic day-to-day of building a business.

Alongside the growth, Yasmin opens up about the challenges too -burnout, scaling quickly, and the decision to bring in a fulfilment centre to support demand. She also shares her experience entering the wholesale world somewhat last-minute through Top Drawer, and what’s next for the brand, including upcoming collaborations and long-term ambitions across categories like homeware and babywear. It’s an honest and refreshing conversation about building a brand in a new way, trusting your instincts, and learning as you go.

Three Key Takeaways:

Pre-order is the way forward
Yasmin's monthly pre-order model eliminates waste, guarantees sales before production, and creates built-in hype and urgency. It turns limited supply into a feature, not a limitation - customers eagerly wait for each drop, and there's zero unsold inventory heading to landfill.

Authenticity beats polish
Ginny & Me's growth has been fueled not by a rigid content strategy but by Yasmin's raw, unfiltered personality on TikTok and Instagram. Showing the real, behind-the-scenes journey resonates far more than curated content - proving that relatability builds stronger, longer-lasting community loyalty.

Trust your gut and just start
With no formal fashi

Join us for our next Retail Buyer Meet up in London on Wednesday 28th April! Go to www.jointhebuyersclub.co.uk or DM us @jointhebuyersclub

Support the show

If you've liked this episode please rate, follow, subscribe and share :)
- and if you already have, thank you! It honestly really helps to keep this going and growing!

Follow us @buyingandbeyond on Instagram

Send us a DM or email hello@buyingandbeyond.co.uk

We also have a retail buyers membership @jointhebuyersclub

Find out more at www.jointhebuyersclub.co.uk

If you'd like to show a little more love, then head here to give us just a little bit *extra* and show us your support :) thank you!

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2300060/support

In this special episode, we’re doing something a little different. Before we dive into our usual conversations, we’re sharing something we’ve been working on behind the scenes for a while- the launch of The Buyer’s Club.

This has been a long time coming, and it’s something we feel incredibly passionate about because it really started with our own experience. Throughout our careers in buying, we’ve always leaned on each other to sense-check decisions, share the highs and lows, and navigate what can often feel like a fast-paced and, at times, quite intense role. Having that support made a huge difference, and it made us realise just how valuable it is to have people around you who truly understand what you do.

Created by buyers, for buyers, The Buyer’s Club is a members-only community designed to support those working in retail buying through connection, shared insight and ongoing inspiration. The idea came not only from our own experience, but also from speaking to the wider industry. After gathering feedback from over 400 retail buyers, it became clear that there was a real need for a space like this, somewhere buyers could feel more connected, supported and understood.

Retail buying sits in a unique position within the industry. It’s a role that blends creativity with commercial thinking, requiring instinct, data, and the ability to make decisions quickly. It’s incredibly rewarding, but it also comes with its challenges and often, those experiences are only truly understood by other buyers. That’s exactly what led us to create The Buyer’s Club: a space where those conversations can happen more openly, and where buyers can learn from each other in a meaningful way.

Inside the club, members have access to a range of content and experiences designed to support them in their roles. This includes curated trend edits and retail insights to help inform buying decisions, learning and development tools, and a calendar of key industry moments. Alongside this, there are opportunities to connect through networking events and monthly online catch-ups, as well as access to a private community space, behind-the-scenes podcast content and exclusive member perks.

The Buyer’s Club is for anyone working in retail buying, whether you’re at the beginning of your career or have years of experience behind you. If you’re looking to feel more connected to others in the industry, stay inspired, and have access to tools and insight that support your role, this is exactly why we built it.

If you’d like to join, you can find more details via our website:
www.jointhebuyersclub.co.uk

Key Takeaways

Built on real buyer feedback
The Buyer’s Club has been shaped by insights from over 400 retail buyers, ensuring it reflects the real needs, challenges and aspirations of those working in the role every day.

Retail buying deserves its own space
It’s a unique role that sits between creativity and co

Join us for our next Retail Buyer Meet up in London on Wednesday 28th April! Go to www.jointhebuyersclub.co.uk or DM us @jointhebuyersclub

Support the show

If you've liked this episode please rate, follow, subscribe and share :)
- and if you already have, thank you! It honestly really helps to keep this going and growing!

Follow us @buyingandbeyond on Instagram

Send us a DM or email hello@buyingandbeyond.co.uk

We also have a retail buyers membership @jointhebuyersclub

Find out more at www.jointhebuyersclub.co.uk

If you'd like to show a little more love, then head here to give us just a little bit *extra* and show us your support :) thank you!

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2300060/support

In this episode, we sit down with Lyndsay Mason, founder and CEO of For The Creators, a business transforming maternity and early parenthood fashion through a sustainable rental model. What began as a personal frustration with the lack of stylish, practical options for expectant and new mothers has evolved into a comprehensive platform offering curated clothing rental, thoughtfully selected lifestyle products, and soon, a dedicated community space.

Lyndsay shares her journey from global digital marketer for baby brands to building a fashion-tech rental business without a traditional fashion background. She talks candidly about launching with just a 10-dress capsule collection, navigating the operational complexities of rental logistics and technology, and scaling the model through wholesale partnerships with brands including Whistles, Hatch and Rykä.

We explore the clear gap in the maternity and postpartum market, and how Lyndsay built a rental model from scratch to serve women during a significant life-stage shift. The conversation covers curating for bump-friendly and breastfeeding-ready styles, developing a membership model that enables unlimited wardrobe swaps, and the realities of inventory forecasting in a stock-heavy, capital-intensive rental business.

Lyndsay also explains how the platform is evolving beyond clothing into beauty, wellness and lifestyle, driven directly by customer feedback and community insight. At its core, For The Creators is not only providing a more sustainable and stylish solution for modern parents, but also creating new customer acquisition channels for fashion brands - all while building a supportive ecosystem for women navigating pregnancy, postpartum and identity transformation.

Three Key Takeaways

1. Underserved life-stage markets present powerful opportunities. The maternity and postpartum period represents a major identity and lifestyle shift, yet many women feel unsupported by existing fashion options. Spotting these gaps can unlock meaningful and commercially viable business ideas.
2. Rental requires operational depth, not just great branding. Success in fashion rental depends on sufficient sizing, variety and stock depth at all times. It’s a capital-intensive model that demands careful forecasting, utilisation management and forward planning.
3. Customer feedback should shape evolution. From expanding into maternity wear to introducing beauty, wellness and lifestyle products, For The Creators has grown by listening closely to its community — building what customers genuinely need, rather than what the brand assumes they want.
   
   
   

Join us for our next Retail Buyer Meet up in London on Wednesday 28th April! Go to www.jointhebuyersclub.co.uk or DM us @jointhebuyersclub

Support the show

If you've liked this episode please rate, follow, subscribe and share :)
- and if you already have, thank you! It honestly really helps to keep this going and growing!

Follow us @buyingandbeyond on Instagram

Send us a DM or email hello@buyingandbeyond.co.uk

We also have a retail buyers membership @jointhebuyersclub

Find out more at www.jointhebuyersclub.co.uk

If you'd like to show a little more love, then head here to give us just a little bit *extra* and show us your support :) thank you!

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2300060/support

This week we’re joined by Janine McManus - former fashion buyer, therapeutic coach and founder of We Beam - for a powerful and honest conversation about burnout, identity and redefining success.

Janine began her career as a print designer before carving her way into buying at Burton, later spending formative years at ASOS during its meteoric rise. She shares what it was like to be part of that high-energy growth phase - the creativity, the camaraderie, the culture that made it feel like anything was possible.

But alongside the highs, Janine speaks candidly about the pressures many buyers will recognise: relentless deadlines, constant decision-making, long hours and the quiet normalisation of stress and burnout.

We explore what happens when the role you once loved no longer serves you - and how Janine made the brave decision to step away from retail to retrain in hypnotherapy and transformational coaching. Today, through We Beam, she supports individuals navigating stress, career crossroads and the search for something more sustainable.

This episode is a thoughtful reflection on identity beyond your job title, the power of community in high-performance cultures, and why investing in people - not just productivity - is what truly drives long-term success.

Three Key Takeaways

1) Your job title is not your identity
In fast-paced industries like retail, it’s easy for your role to become who you are. Janine reminds us of the importance of reconnecting with your values, your energy and your personal definition of success - beyond promotions or prestige.

2) Culture and community fuel performance
ASOS thrived in its early years because of belief, creativity and genuine team connection. When businesses prioritise people and belonging, productivity follows. When they prioritise output alone, burnout isn’t far behind.

3) Burnout isn’t “just part of the job”
Retail buying has long normalised overwork and high stress. But accepting that narrative limits both people and businesses. Seeking support - whether through coaching, therapy or community - is a strength, not a weakness.

Join us for our next Retail Buyer Meet up in London on Wednesday 28th April! Go to www.jointhebuyersclub.co.uk or DM us @jointhebuyersclub

Support the show

If you've liked this episode please rate, follow, subscribe and share :)
- and if you already have, thank you! It honestly really helps to keep this going and growing!

Follow us @buyingandbeyond on Instagram

Send us a DM or email hello@buyingandbeyond.co.uk

We also have a retail buyers membership @jointhebuyersclub

Find out more at www.jointhebuyersclub.co.uk

If you'd like to show a little more love, then head here to give us just a little bit *extra* and show us your support :) thank you!

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2300060/support