A focused, driven, and creative retail specialist with over 14 years experience in fashion, buying, and e-commerce. I have proven skills in planning, trading, data analysis, and content creation. My background includes global luxury brands right through to high street brands as well as small start-ups. In my most recent role, I was the Senior Buyer at ASOS.com where I was instrumental in implementing forward thinking processes and improving the productivity and profit of multiple buying departments.
Responsible for multiple branded menswear departments including UK High Street, European Heritage Brands, Accessories and Footwear, Grew the UK High Street department to one of the biggest within ASOS, with sales of over £100m+ and more than 3000 options. Achieved YOY sales growth of +40% and improved intake and exit margin by +2%. Reduced realised markdown by over 15% by bringing clear focus to the shape and flow of our ranges. Took ownership for the on boarding of Topman into the business resulting in over £15m incremental sales for the department. Negotiated buying terms and pricing with multiple brands resulting in increased net margin and 56%+ intake margin. Streamlined processes and approach to deliver above forecast results and profit. Delivered regular trade and strategy updates to both internal and external senior management. Regular buying trips across Europe, curating branded ranges for the ASOS customer and attending industry trade shows. Conducted regular interviews and assessment days for buying roles across the divisions.
Set up and ran ‘Mens Accessories’ as its own individual department. Delivered sales of +70% YOY. Outlined the sales targets, intake forecasting and markdown strategy for over 300 seasonal lines. Worked across own development and branded product. Regular solo trips to the U.S. for product development and to meet US counterparts. Reported directly into the Retail Director.
Worked as the Buyers Admin across the Perfumery and Cosmetics departments. Helped to facilitate the team to achieve record breaking sales. Moved onto the Mens Designer & Casuals department as senior BA. Organised the purchasing of multiple high volume, high value lines.
Sophia is a very talented individual, strong buyer and team leader. She progressed during her time and I would recommend her to any business. Strong analytical as well as creative. She drove several projects for me at Asos, and grew the business. Good skills with people.
Sophia is great to work with. Super commercial, hard working, and a great leader of a team. Sophia is equally comfortable creating product strategies, as driving process improvements. And she certainly knows her trends. Would be a great asset to any project or team
Sophia is a fantastic buying professional, passionate about great product, people and processes. Always looking for ways to improve herself and her team, she is a nurturer and a very strong leader. Insightful and driven to learn, Sophia also likes to challenge the status quo of a business to find better ways of working and a more productive environment. A high level thinker and a pleasure to work with.
Sophia is a standout product person and manager. I recruited her into the men's brands team at Asos and worked with her for over a year. During that time I was impressed by Sophia's ability to manage up and down, her organisation and efficiency, and her positive and friendly attitude which made her so popular with both her team and management. Sophia would be an asset to any organisation.