Experience

Edinburgh Woolen Mill

• United Kingdom
• Retail
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Country Manager

  • Jan 2019 - Present

  Duties: - Lead Shanghai team to meet company growth and profit targets - Prepare company budgets in accordance to head-office targets. - Lead Shanghai team in maximizing sourcing of competitive suppliers in China and Far East for main UK brands of EWM group - Streamline supplier base and set up reliable supplier matrix for main product categories - Extend supplier base to fill the product gaps - Continuous reviewing and strengthening of supply chains - Work closely with EWM product teams, organize product development in order to obtain the most innovative and up-to-date design/products - Strengthen relationship with buying team of the main UK brands thereby increasing confidence with Shanghai sourcing team Achievements : - Based on effective organizational and management skills, and diligence, succeeded in one year to rebuild up Shanghai team that resulted in operating independently and efficiently in sourcing, product development, co-ordination and follow up of orders covering women’s, men’s, children’s wear and home textiles. - Upgraded performance and efficiency of Shanghai team, succeeded in increasing turnover from less than USD 1m. per annum to more than USD10 within a year. - Successfully migrated businesses of product categories of main UK brands from the original traders to the direct manufacturers, thereby reducing buying costs and enhancing products from a price competitiveness in the marketplace. Show less



Self-employed

• Guangdong, China

• Sourcing Consultant

  • May 2017 - Dec 2018

  Sourcing & Business Development: - Sourced suppliers in China and South East Asia for UK Brands including Missguided & M&CO. - Set up sourcing office in Guangzhou for leading UK on-line retailer – Missguided. - Visited suppliers in China / South East Asia to assess their production facilities, factory management and quality control system to achieve quality / ethical requirement of the UK Brands. Supervised requests for specific / core items thus strengthening supplier chain. - Preparation of the monthly and yearly budget covering all overhead and daily operational costs. - Reviewed all monthly expenses and took appropriate actions needed to ensure all expenses were within both the monthly and yearly budget. Achievements: - Established an effective merchandising and QA team in the China Hub for Missguided in a 6-month period that enabled the new team to handle hundreds of styles of development. Managed follow through of new direct orders from UK. - Increased BIM by 8% points. - Successfully set up direct supplier chains for main categories of Missguided, enabling the shifting of orders from agents to direct sourcing. Show less



Sainsbury's

• United Kingdom
• Retail
• 700 & Above Employee

• Head of Shanghai Office

  • Nov 2012 - May 2017

  - Lead merchandising teams in HK and Shanghai to achieve North Asia clothing annual shipment budget. Succeed in increasing turnover from 8 mil. to 85 mil in 4 years. - Lead HK and Shanghai team on sourcing of suppliers in China and South East Asia for main product categories. - Enhance supplier chains of North Asia to reduce the safety / quality problems and improve on time deliveries. - Streamline supplier base and set up reliable supplier matrix for main product categories. - Extend supplier base to fill product gaps. - Strengthen relationships and increase the confidence with UK counter-parts . - Build and strengthen both the HK and Shanghai teams to ensure SAL Clothing is always the first choice for buyers. Show less



C&A China

• China
• Retail
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Brand Manager

  • Aug 2010 - Oct 2012

  - Lead buying team to meet defined growth and profit targets - Prepare sales budget and define product strategy to meet company targets. - Optimize product range taking into account product trends , buying & sales volume. - Proactively source new competitive suppliers to develop and maintain market position. - Ensure buying team achieves optimum terms with respective suppliers for gross profit maximization. - Continuously review and strengthen supply chain. - Work closely with design team and organize product development to maiximize the most innovative and up-to-date deigns / products. - Regularly review sales , stock and margins against sales plan and initiate actions to drive sales and optimize gross profit. - Work closely with store managers, quality control , merchandising team , logistics and other counterparts to maximize sales and profit performance . - Effectively train and motivate buying team to optimize team performance. Show less



Source Direct International Limited

• Shanghai City, China

• General Merchandise Manager

  • Feb 2005 - Jul 2009

  A) Sales Administration - Sourcing of potential competitive suppliers in China for all Ladies’ wear , Men’s wear & Children’s wear of Shop Direct and Littlewoods ( LWHS ) . - Set up Shanghai merchandising team of around 10 members and supervise office to handle , co-ordinate and follow orders to ensure all garments were finished in right quality and delivered on time to customers. - Organize product development , collect and offer buyers the most innovative and up-to-date samples. - Negotiate with suppliers independently regarding prices , production bases , quota booking , fabric backing , payment terms , capacity reservation and all claims due to the quality / delivery issues. - Maintain close contact with buying head of each buying team / director in UK to evaluate and adjust future buying strategy / plan to maximize market share and achieve highest contribution to profitability. - Working together with buying head / product director to explore business possibilities in China . - Set up and Maintain efficient communication channels & good relationship between Shanghai merchandising team , suppliers and buyers so that best servicing and support can be offered to all the buying teams - Leading and supervising the Shanghai merchandising team to achieve company business target every year . (B) Office Administration - Responsible for training , administration , discipline and expenses control of Shanghai merchandising team. - Provide senior support and guidance to Shanghai merchandising team to ensure achievement of assigned tasks and main responsibilities. - Ensure smooth and efficient operation between each team member of Shanghai merchandising team with good representation of the Company Policy and Code of practices. - Preparation of all monthly and annual reports / budget regarding team performance , sales and the market situation. Show less



Argos

• United Kingdom
• Retail
• 700 & Above Employee

• Sourcing Manager / Head of Merchandise

  • Jun 2001 - Nov 2004

  (A) Sales Administration - Sourcing of competitive suppliers in HK , China and Far East for Ladies’ wear, Men’s wear & Children’s wear including Formal Clothing, Jacket , Suits , Outerwear , Casual Wear, Sport Wear, Nightwear, Swimwea, Underwear etc. - Succeeded in accomplishment of the China Sourcing Project with fruitful result to start business with 4 selected Shanghai suppliers from zero base. - Organizing product development , collect and offer buyers the most innovative and up-to-date samples. - Liaise with buyers independently regarding sourcing strategies , buying policy and business development. - Visit local and overseas suppliers to assess production facilities, factory management and quality control system. - Frequent travel to EU / China / Southeast Asia to gain acquaintance with latest market trend and supplier information. - Negotiate with suppliers independently regarding the prices , production bases , quota booking , fabric backing , capacity reservation and all the claims due to quality / delivery problems. - Ensure buyer visits were well prepared , attended and co-ordinated by their respective merchandising team member. (B) Office Administration - Responsible for internal staff training , administration , discipline and expenses control of merchandising team. - Provide senior support and guidance to merchandising team to ensure assigned tasks and main responsibilities. - Ensure merchandising team providing good representation of the Company Policy , Code of Practices and General Delivery Instructions to all external company contacts. - Preparation of all kinds of monthly and annual reports regarding the team performance , sales and market situation. - Represent the GMM in her absence. Show less