Overview
Retail buying is one of the most competitive career paths in fashion and retail. Buyers at companies like John Lewis, ASOS, Marks & Spencer, and Primark manage multi-million pound categories, select products, negotiate with suppliers, and make decisions that directly affect sales performance. For graduates, a buying placement is the gold standard of experience.
Isla MacKenzie is a fashion business graduate from Heriot-Watt University who completed a year-long placement at John Lewis Partnership in the womenswear buying team. Her resume works because it shows real buying department experience with revenue numbers, SKU volumes, and supplier engagement.
What Makes This Resume Work
An £18 million category as the backdrop. Working on range planning for a category of this size immediately signals that Isla was in a serious buying team, not doing peripheral work. It tells the recruiter she has seen how buying decisions translate into revenue.
Sales data tracking for 200+ SKUs. Preparing weekly sell-through reports for the buying director shows Isla understands the commercial mechanics of retail. Tracking SKU performance is the analytical foundation of buying, and she has done it at scale.
Supplier meeting attendance and critical path management. Attending 6 supplier meetings and managing the critical path for 3 seasonal launches shows Isla understands the end-to-end buying process. These are the activities that separate buying assistants from generic retail staff.
A university project that scored 82%. Developing a 15-piece capsule collection buying plan with supplier sourcing, costing, and margin analysis demonstrates that Isla's academic work directly mirrors professional buying practice.
Key Takeaways
For junior retail buyer roles, describe the category you worked on, its revenue, and the number of SKUs or product lines involved. If you attended supplier meetings, managed critical paths, or prepared sales reports, describe them with specifics. Name the retailers you have worked for, as industry experience at a recognisable brand carries significant weight. A buying-focused university project can supplement your application if it includes commercial elements like costing, margins, and promotional planning.
