Sourcing strategies

By: Leonie Barrie - 26 November 2009 18:18

It seems so simple now doesn’t it? Looking back into the not-so-distant past, there were just two to four seasons a year. What a luxury. There was time to spend sourcing, sending garments backwards and forwards, working in big batches, two or three range review meetings, and crucial decisions made at key points.

It’s the exception now for a retailer to just have a few collections per year. Instead it’s the norm for retailers to be trying to drop new products in on a regular basis. Today there are six to eight seasons – with others working towards 10-12 phases throughout the year and some, like Zara, offering weekly deliveries to their stores.

What does constant innovation do to an organisation? Changing traditional ways of manufacturing where everything is made in an orderly manner now seems to be the name of the game, with decisions made constantly.

10 ways to develop a balanced sourcing strategy