Experience

Matthew Williamson

• United Kingdom
• Apparel & Fashion
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Sampling and Production Manager

  • Sep 2015 - Present



Jack Wills

• United Kingdom
• Retail Apparel and Fashion
• 300 - 400 Employee

• Head of Production - Womenswear

  • Mar 2014 - Jul 2015

• Production Manager

  • Mar 2013 - Feb 2014

  Overall responsibility for Womenswear department, representing 58% of total Jack Wills revenue.Management of the Womenswear department of six; including Senior Production Coordinators, Production Coordinators, Fabric Coordinators, overseeing the development and delivery of the entire Jack Wills Womeswear range of apparel and accessories.Frequent travel to the Far East and Europe to develop new products and for face-to-face price negotiations with key suppliers.Sourcing and rationalising the supply base for the evolving Jack Wills offer, and responsibility for setting supplier deadlines in line with the company critical path,Development and implementation of the rebuy strategy and booking greige yarn and fabric to enable more reactive rebuys.Keen involvement with International department to ensure all international and wholesale requirements are met, providing additional options for specific, local markets and working creatively to provide rebuy opportunities.Assisting the Head of Production in compiling Ethical Trade Initiative (ETI) end of year report and attending all ETI roundtable discussions/working groups and training sessions. Collating information from all Indian suppliers and factories relating to auditing and ethical trade.Supporting the implementation of SAP into the business, championing business process change and supply chain efficiencies for the benefit of Production department.

• Senior Development Coordinator

  • Mar 2010 - Mar 2013

  A highly product focused role, managing product development across all areas of womenswear, across six seasons, as well as cross-costing up to 25% of the range.Responsible for providing all target costs, negotiating all cost prices and sourcing and presenting additional options to achieve target margins.Negotiating all payment terms and delivery dates in line with seasonal launches and distribution centre capacity.Supporting Production Coordinator and, after 12 months taking on management of the entire department (Production and Development), and line managing two Production Coordinators, in order to facilitate year-on-year option growth within the department.Keen involvement with the fabric sourcing team and ensuring fabric costs are taken into account during fabric selections.Attend all design/tech pack handovers and contribute to designs and design details from a product development point of view.Management of sourcing all Marketing promotional related apparel, often at short notice, for major Jack Wills events e.g. Jack Wills Varsity Polo, Seasonniares bar sponsorship, etc. and ensuring all products is in the right place, at the right time.

• Production Coordinator

  • Oct 2008 - Mar 2010

  Managing the critical path (approx. 125-200 options per season), across five seasons per year, from buy to delivery, ensuring key dates are adhered to and best possible launch positions achieved.Daily contact with over 20 core suppliers across Europe and the Far East, resolving all issues/queries relating to product and delivery.Updating and management of delivery schedule to ensure accurate reporting to all areas of the business.Raising all purchase orders and updating all costs and delivery dates throughout the season. Working closely with design and technical teams to ensure commercial decisions are made in a timely manner.Collating all samples for meetings and working with suppliers to ensure all photo samples are submitted ahead of deadlines. Assisting senior members of the team with product development and attending all buying meetings.



BHS

• United Kingdom
• Retail
• 700 & Above Employee

• Assistant Buyer

  • Feb 2008 - Oct 2008

  Responsible for buying an area worth £1.8 million and accounting for 34% of the sales mix for the department.Assisted the Buyer with the development and range building, working closely with designers and suppliers in product development. Assisting in the management of three departments, including strategy development, critical path management and sales analysis on a daily basis. Liaising with the internal marketing department and responsible for providing the initial marketing brief to ensure that our requirements are met.

• Buying Associate

  • Nov 2006 - Feb 2008

  Critical path management - tracking products and their progress, liaising with suppliers and Quality and Packaging departments to ensure no delays occur.Sales analysis and feedback, range building and strategy development, competitor analysis, and day-to-day organisation of the department.