Latest news & insights

Retail Know-How

First Friday’s Retail experts share their expert insights and advice on how to get the most out of your retail systems, make effective planning decisions, advance your career in head office retail, and more…

Retail Know-How, News & Events,

Jean Spencer reflects on 21 years (and counting) at First Friday

This is the first in a new series of interviews where we explore the careers of our talented retail and training consultants. First up, we hear from Head of Systems Transformation Training, Jean Spencer, who shares with us how she first found her way into retail, some of her earliest memories, and why she still […]

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Retail Know-How,

Assortment Planning: What it is, and how to plan a basic fashion range

With my experience in buying, merchandising and planning, I am often asked to help retailers improve their Assortment Planning. From the CEO to the most junior member of the team there is an opinion on the assortment or range in store/online today; what there is too much of, what there is too little of, what […]

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Retail Know-How,

A Beginners Guide to Retail Merchandising and Planning

Maybe you have just started your career in merchandising or planning, or perhaps you are a training manager wanting to know more about the role so you can put together a training programme. In either case, you need to start by understanding the roles and responsibilities of merchandisers and planners. Let’s begin by explaining the […]

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Retail Know-How,

A Beginners Guide to Retail Buying: Understanding retail buyer basics

When people say they are a Buyer, or they want a career in buying, most of us have a picture of what that might mean. They are the people who buy the products that we in turn, as customers, buy from retail shops and websites. Simple, right? But is it..? The reality is that beyond […]

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Retail Know-How,

Essential merchandising processes, tools and skills for retailers

Essential merchandising processes, tools and skills for retailers Retail has always been an incredibly vibrant and exciting sector to work in. It has always been fast-moving and ever-changing as it has had to evolve to meet the evolving consumer and competitive environment. But boy, things have changed a lot in the last couple of years: […]

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Retail Know-How, Transformation & Change,

Implementing a new WSSI or MFP system: How to do it right

The WSSI (Weekly Stock Sales and Intake) is the engine that powers the decision making of Buying, Planning and Trading teams. Installing a new engine – while keeping the business running – might seem a daunting task, but, done right, it could transform your business.  You may not have a WSSI system to speak of, […]

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Retail Know-How,

What is a WSSI and why is it so important?

You may not currently have a WSSI, and, having survived without, you may wonder what all the fuss is about. Or you may be wondering why you’re under pressure from your team to replace that old Excel WSSI which has been around for years… But if you’re a retailer who needs to manage the risky […]

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Retail Know-How,

Merchandise planning in uncertain times

There is an old joke that when asking someone for directions the response is “but if I wanted to get there I wouldn’t start from here”. Planning 2021 is going to feel very much like that, I suspect. This year is going to be a heck of a place to plan from. We’ve always had […]

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