1 BA (HONS) BUYING AND MERCHANDISING RETAIL

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BA (HONS) BUYING AND MERCHANDISING
RETAIL CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCT
MANAGEMENT
Unit Code FU001850
Credit Rating 40
Notional Learning Hours 400 hours
Stage 2
Level 5
Unit Leader Lois Baile ([email protected])
Teaching Team Stephanie Liberman & Katie De Ley
Timetable Accessible via UAL Timetables
Academic Year 2018/19
INTRODUCTION
In this unit you will be given the opportunity to explore
emerging fashion business models, market
opportunities and product management solutions in the context
of a live industry brief. You will showcase
your creative, commercial and decision-making skills by
developing a business concept that satisfies an

emerging opportunity within the wider context of the global
fashion industry. This unit builds upon your
understanding of sustainable product development,
merchandising, business planning principles and
research methodologies you have developed over the duration of
your course. By refining your business
presentation and communication skills you will learn to
articulate a convincing and engaging proposal that
is well structured and commercially viable.
ASSESSMENT AND PROJECT BRIEF
Report
The assessment is a group assignment to produce a business
development report of 4,000 words with
supporting imagery, data presentation and team work
agreement.
The aim of this project is to provide a robust business case to
PUMA for a range expansion targeting an
age group of 14 and under and within one of their Retail Tier
One Accounts: JD Sports / Footlocker /
Office / Sport Direct.
Complete collections of clothing, footwear and accessories
should be considered in order to drive
incremental revenue in a challenging and competitive market.
The report should include comprehensive research of the
potential market, target consumer and
competitor activity across all distribution channels to define a
competitive advantage:
• Market Analysis: Marketing Concepts and Campaigns, Product

Offer, Range Influences, Customer
Experience, In Store Presentation, Digital Activity, Online
Presence, The ‘Wow’ Factor
• The purchasing behaviours for the age group should be
examined using both qualitative and
quantitative research methods to validate your concluding
proposal.
• Trends and influences will play a major role, including the
impact of adult sports offers.
https://mytimetable.arts.ac.uk/timetable_navigate/
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• Competitor Activity and Competitor Strategy must be
considered to engage and retain consumers
including the identification and analysis of ‘success factors’
employed by fast fashion brands as
they move into the sportswear market.
Factors to secure Brand Loyalty are a requirement, together
with an approach to sustainable product
programs.
Pricing, range content and timing are critical in your
observations and recommendations.
Be targeted in your approach remembering what will truly
‘make a difference’ and stand out from the crowd.
The plan, following the layout below, will show a thorough

rationale to support your idea by researching
the size and potential of the target market, the product ranges
and pricing structure to ensure your concept
will be a success. Your plan should show commerciality and
entrepreneurship and above all be
believable, realistic and based on factual evidence.
Presentation
Following the report submission, you will be invited to attend a
formal meeting with the PUMA UK where
you may present your strategy, product offer and marketing
concept. You will need to prove your research
and proposals for a compelling PUMA kids product offer.
As 2020 marketing budgets are not yet finalized this gives you
the unique opportunity to make your
proposal a reality.
Submission Requirements
Element 1: A group research report with supporting visual
material (maximum 4,000 words)
The Business Plan report must include:
An Executive Summary
• An overview of the business concept and rationale (excluded
from the word count)
Market Research
• PESTEL analysis

• Evidence of background research from a range of sources,
such as business pages and
company reports, use of EDITED, WGSN and appropriate
sources to support your ideas.
• Consumer insight research, primary and secondary research
highlighting emerging micro trends
and innovation to support your concept.
• Consumer profile and customer segmentation concepts.
• PPM and market competitors’ macro and micro trends.
• Analysis from competitor store reports and inspirational
shopping research.
• SWOT analysis
The Concept
• Use of appropriate strategic tools (e.g. Ansoff’s Matrix), as an
explanation of your USP and
product development.
• In-store visual merchandising plan and ideas for an
experiential store to support the success of
your concept. The floor plan of the space should include areas
for the stock, display proposals
and visual marketing ideas.
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The Product, you will:
• show evidence of use of ethical and sustainable suppliers to
source your products, where
possible.
• decide the breadth and depth of product ranges to support your
market research findings and
construct choice for the consumer aligned to relevant trend
influences
• provide a category structure to support your range build
• decide on the number of stores and the space constraints
within the stores to effectively
showcase your product offer
• decide on the timing for the launch of your range which will
support an optimum trading initiative
and suggest relevant promotional events on a marketing
calendar
• construct a robust sales plan to trade the ranges and
demonstrate through submission of a
planning WSSI indicating Sales Phasing, Terminal Stock
Targets, Markdown Spends and Stock
Flow
• submit Customer Profile Boards, Trend Boards, Concept
Boards, Product Ranges, in Store Visual
Presentation
Merchandising Finance Pack will include:

• Top Line Sales Proposal
• Category Structure to show % Contributions to the bottom line
• Weekly Sales Forecast in a WSSI Format
• Monthly Sales Plan / Promotional Calendar
• Top Line Option Plan
• Option Framework by Category
• Line Details
Please note the Finance Pack should also be submitted as
separate Excel documents, to Part 2 of the
Turnitin submission.
Summary of recommendations (guide 500 words)
Summarise the key recommendations for your project and
ensure the benefits of implementing the
project are clear
References
List of academic sources using Cite Them Right conventions
Appendix
A copy of the Teamwork Agreement must be included as an
appendix to your report
IP consent form
Supporting material as appropriate
The outcome should be an original, professionally presented
project which documents the
project process and offers innovative solutions for the PUMA
UK youth consumer.
NOTE 1: There is a Teamwork Learning Agreement that
operates with this unit. You will be briefed on this

in class during your first session. All students are required to
sign this agreement and submit a copy to
Moodle one week following the briefing. Please refer to the
Teamwork document on Moodle for all terms
and conditions. A copy of the Teamwork Agreement must be
included as an appendix to your report.
NOTE 2: There is an IP consent form that all students MUST
sign at the first Puma briefing on Monday
28th January to establish rights to the project content and
permission to use marketing collateral on social
media. A copy of the IP consent form must be included as an
appendix to your report.
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Evidence for Assessment will include:
A Report to include the following deliverables relevant to the
Account Tier
• Target Consumer
• Creative Direction
• Product Range
• Marketing Concept Online and Offline
• Timelines
A Financial Business Plan to include

• A Summary to show the overall Retail Value of the Proposed
Buy with Key KPI’s (Intake Margin
%, Sell Through %, Mark Down %, Terminal Stock %)
• A Category Structure and Option count and Buying Quantities
of the Proposed Buy
• A WSSI to demonstrate Sales Opportunity, Sales Phasing,
Trading Calendar and Stock Flow for
the Proposed Buy
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SCHEME OF WORK
Week Session Topic and Learning Activity Self-Directed Study
Activities
W
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k
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28
th
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01
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BRIEFING
Puma Brand and Project Briefing
LCF Monday 28th January 2:30pm – 4:30pm
Start secondary research
Research Puma and direct
competitors
W
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11
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Lecture 1 - Understanding the UHB and project Brief
Seminar – Unpack the Brief / Team Organisation
Belbins
Lecture 2 – Trends and Innovations and influences
from the Macro Environment
Seminar – Data Gathering, Assessing the Market
Opportunity, Research Proposals (potential focus
groups in week 4/5)
Marketing Seminar – Recap of Principles 7Ps and 4Cs
Marketing Tutorials – Understanding the Puma Tiering
and Competitor analysis
Merchandising Seminar - Financial principles, recap:
range framework, category structure, product phasing,
trading opportunities, WSSI

Creation of teams
Create a critical path (Gantt Chart)
according to key dates
Comp Shop in groups to
understand market
environment/target consumer/range
differentiation
Generate SWOT for Puma
Prepare 7 P’s and 4Cs
Read Posner (2015) Chapter 2
Identify KPIs,
Clark (2015) Chapters 6 and 7
Generate Category framework,
Sales Phasing and WSSI format
W
ee
k
3
18
th
F
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20
19
Lecture 3 – Buying the Range, Product Strategy,
Complexities of Childrenswear
Seminar – Scope out range content
Lecture 4 - Innovation in experiential retailing, offline
and online
Seminar – what does good look like? Competitor
SWOT and Identifying new opportunities to WOW the
consumer
Product Seminar – Developing Range Content:
Pricing Architecture, Age Breaks, Gender, Sizing, End
Use, Coordinated Offer
Financial Merchandising Seminar – Aligning the
numbers to product and Building the financial
presentation pack
Brainstorming ideas around
research findings
Review WGSN trends & conduct
inspirational shop
Research Competitor Online sites
to benchmark product offer, pricing,

marketing and promotional
concepts
Read Posner (2015) Chapter 4
Understanding the Customer
Read Varley (2014) Part II
Read Clark (2015) Range Planning
Chapter 9
Refer to case studies included
within Varley et al. (2019)
Research Financial Templates to
demonstrate key metrics
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W
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4
25
th
F
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ar

y
20
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Lecture 5 – The Digital Experience and Online KPIs
Seminar – Enhancing the Brand and Preparation of
questions for Puma visit
Lecture 6 – Sourcing Childrenswear
Seminar – research compliance and ethical trading,
the impact on cost base
THURSDAY 28th FEBRUARY – Visit PUMA with
project progress and content for Q&A at PUMA HQ
10:00am – 1:00pm
Marketing Seminar (March 1st)
De Brief of visit – Issues and actions
Question preparation for Focus Group
Read Clark (2015) E-Retailing
Chapter 12
Research responsible sourcing
using corporate websites and
supply manuals
ETI – Ethical Trading Initiative

https://www.ethicaltrade.org
ILO – International Labour
Organisation
https://www.ilo.org
https://www.mckinsey.com –
What’s next in apparel sourcing
Read Hines (2013) Chapter 12
T
B
C
Focus Group
Date & Time TBC
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01
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Lecture 7 – Range Evaluation of Product
Seminar – re-evaluate range content
Tutorials – opportunity for groups to review their work
to date and suggest improvement
Finance seminar – Finalise financials and Construct
Presentation Pack
Refine range content
Determine USP
Satisfy consumer needs and wants
Scope of Business Proposition
Refer to The Princes Trust
Business Plan Pack for guidelines
https://www.princes-trust.org.uk
W
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k
6
11
th
M
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2
01
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Lecture 8 – Elevator Pitch (Liz Bunting tbc)
Seminar – Group activity to work on presentation
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT Friday 15th March
Marketing Seminar – Group Presentations (Dry Runs)
with Peer feedback
The Elevator Pitch
https://youtu.be/bZTWx2bftaw
Practice your presentation to refine
content and timing
W
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9t
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M
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12
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M
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WEBL

Work Experience between Saturday 9th March and Sunday 12th
May
Minimum of 20 days experience is required
Latest date to start work experience is Monday 15th April
https://www.ethicaltrade.org/
https://www.ilo.org/
https://www.mckinsey.com/
https://www.princes-trust.org.uk/
https://youtu.be/bZTWx2bftaw
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29
th
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2nd and Final Contact Session with PUMA at PUMA HQ
WEDNESDAY 1st MAY – Visit PUMA with project progress
and content for Q&A at
PUMA HQ
3:00pm – 6:00pm
W
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T
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FINAL PRESENTATIONS TO PUMA MANAGEMENT TEAM
Final Report Submission Thursday 16th May
The scheme of work is intended only as an outline of topics to
be covered and is not a definitive list of what will
be included in individual sessions.
From time to time alterations may be made to the scheme of

work to take account of students’ progress and
unforeseen events or opportunities. If so, you will be informed
in advance where possible, but check Moodle
daily.
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ASSESSMENT METHOD
The unit is assessed holistically (100% of the unit).
• A group business development report with supporting visual
material (maximum 4,000 words with
supporting imagery, data spreadsheets and team work
agreement).
Assessment will be against the specified marking criteria.
LEARNING OUTCOMES (& MARKING CRITERIA FOR
ASSESSMENT)
Upon successful completion of this unit you will be able to
demonstrate:
• The design and delivery of a clear research strategy to identify
consumer and market opportunities
underpinned with critical justification (research, analysis);

• An exploration and evaluation of supply chain and fashion
product management solutions leading
to viable and sustainable business recommendations (subject
knowledge, analysis);
• Evaluation of consumer marketing techniques to communicate
and position the proposition in the
mind of the target customer (communication and presentation,
experimentation);
• Competence with trading data analysis and financial
forecasting to create a viable business
proposition (subject knowledge, technical competence);
• Project management skills for the delivery of a business
proposition in a professional report with
supporting visual imagery. (collaborative and/or independent
working, personal and
professional development).
The assessment website provides an overview of all the key
course regulations for your course.
SCHEDULE OF KEY DATES
PUMA Overview 28th January
2019
Briefing 11th February 2019
Formative assessment 1 15th March 2019
Formative assessment 2 1st May 2019
Summative assessment 16th May 2019
Accommodated assessment 16th May 2019
Publication of assessment feedback 27th June 2019

Publication of Exam Board results 11th July 2019
You must check your course Moodle site for the Exam Board
results.
FAIR ASSESSMENT
The University has robust processes in place to make sure that
assessment is fair for all students and
you can find out more on the Fair Assessment webpage: Fair
Assessment
As part of its approach to fair assessment the University has an
Anonymous Marking Policy which
means that for some assignments, where this is appropriate, the
marker will not know the name of the
student whose work they are marking.
This assessment will not be anonymously marked because it is a
group assessment where the work of
others contributes to the final mark and it is an observed
assessment where you will present your work in
person in front of the examiners. However internal moderation
and all other elements of the assessment
http://www.arts.ac.uk/assessment/courseregulations/index.html
http://www.arts.ac.uk/study-at-ual/academic-regulations/course-
regulations/3-assessment/fair-assessment
9
process will remain in place for this assignment to make sure
the assessment is fair, accurate and

consistent for all students.
SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT SUBMISSION DETAILS
Date 16th May 2019
Time before 3:00pm
Location Turnitin on course page of Moodle
Accommodated Assessment deadline if your ISA includes
additional time / ISA includes
additional time for written and practical assignments:
Date 16th May 2019
Time before 3:00pm
Location Turnitin on course page of Moodle
Please note the following:
• Ensure your work clearly states a) your name and student ID
number; b) your degree and year of
study; c) the title of the unit and the name of the tutor;
• Do not hand your work in anywhere else. You should not
hand in work prior to the hand in time
unless your Course Leader has previously agreed this;
• You should submit your work personally, in order to be secure
that it has been delivered on time
and to the right location. Once you have submitted your work,
you will not be able to access it again
until after the assessment of your work has been completed;

• You must keep an electronic copy of all written and digital
work;
• Ensure you obtain a receipt upon submission (email or hard
copy) and that you keep this receipt.
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RESEARCH
Refer to your Lectures, Unit content and Presentations to date,
all provide appropriate material suitable
for this unit.
READING AND RESOURCE LIST
Essential Reading:
Clark, J. (2015) Fashion Merchandising Principles & Practice.
London: Palgrave
Posner, H. (2015) Marketing Fashion; Strategy, Branding and
Promotion 2nd Ed. Laurence King
Publishing
Varley, R, Roncha, A, Radclyffe-Thomas, N, Gee, L, (2019)
Fashion Management: A strategic approach.
Macmillan: Red Globe Press
Additional resources:
Cox, C. and Britain, P. (2000) Retail Management. 4th ed.
Dorset: Prentice Hall.
Elliott, F. and Rider, J. (2007) Retail Buying Techniques. 2nd
ed. Cirencester: Management Books.
Grose, V. (2012) Concept to Consumer. Lausanne: AVA.

Hines, T. (2013) Supply Chain Strategies: demand driven and
customer focused. 2nd Ed. Routledge.
Jackson, T. and Shaw, D. (2006) The Fashion Handbook.
Basingstoke: Palgrave.
Maynard, J. (2006) Fashion Buying and Merchandising: the
principles. Thorpe-le-soken: Jonjaqsaw.
Neilson, A.C. (2006) Consumer-Centric Category Management:
how to increase profits by managing
categories based on customer needs New Jersey: John Wilson &
Sons.
Nesbitt, C. (2016) The complete journal of Fashion Retail
Buying and Merchandising. CreateSpace
Independent Publishing
Varley, R. (2014) Retail Product Management: buying and
merchandising. 3rd ed. London: Routledge. *
Varley, R. and Rafiq, M. (2014) Principles of Retailing. 2nd ed.
Basingstoke: Palgrave.
*Also available as an e-book
Further Reading and Resources:
Drapers
Edited Via library e resources.
FAME
WARC
WGSN
11
IMPORTANT INFORMATION

LCF STUDY SUPPORT
The study support programme at LCF is designed to meet the
needs of all students from all levels and
disciplines. Our emphasis is on enhancement of learning to
assist students in achieving their full
potential, to help improve their self-esteem and employability.
Developing skills is a gradual process and
does not happen overnight. It is very much an individual
process that you build on, as you progress
through your course. If you are anxious about starting your first
assignment or just want a few tips with
reading and notetaking, or with getting started with something,
then we can help. In addition to this, our
dedicated team can also support you with presentations, time
management, referencing, plagiarism and
much more. For more information on our drop-ins and how to
make an appointment, please go to: UAL
Academic Support Online
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 020 7514 7586
Room number: JPS 218 (second floor)
REFERENCING
UAL Academic Affairs advises that the Harvard Referencing
Style on the Cite Them Right Online
website is used for all taught courses.
Cite Them Right Online is a referencing resource. It will help
you to cite and reference just about any
source and to avoid plagiarism. The site also allows you to
create your own references by copying the
layout illustrated; you can then email the example to yourself or
cut and paste it into a document.

On campus go to Cite Them Right and you will be automatically
logged on. To login off campus go to
Cite Them Right (off Campus) you will be asked to go via your
home institution and then to log in with
your University login and password.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
You must acknowledge any support from within UAL, for
example, Language Support; UAL Dyslexia /
Disability Service; LCF Study Support and LCF Writer in
Residence, during your assignment.
You must also acknowledge any external (to the University)
support, such as tutoring or proof-reading,
that you have received during the research and writing of your
assignment. Please note,
unacknowledged support, such as proof reading, constitutes
academic misconduct.
e.g. In the writing / compiling of this essay / report / assignment
/ dissertation / portfolio I have received
assistance from…
You should include the following statement:
“I, your name, certify that this is an original piece of work. I
have acknowledged all sources and citations.
No section of this essay has been plagiarised.”
N.B. Plagiarism forms part of Academic Misconduct.
https://academicsupportonline.arts.ac.uk/events/london-college-
of-fashion

https://academicsupportonline.arts.ac.uk/events/london-college-
of-fashion
mailto:[email protected]
http://www.citethemrightonline.com/
http://arts.ac.libguides.com/citethemright
12
What is Academic Misconduct?
Academic Misconduct refers to any form of academic cheating.
Please note that if you choose to use
any proof reading services outside the UAL Language Support,
this may be subject to Academic
Misconduct. You are therefore advised to make use of services
offered by the UAL only.
UAL guidance on Academic Misconduct can be found on UAL
Website.
Self-plagiarism / submitting the same piece of work for more
than one assignment
It is important to understand that “Deliberately submitting the
same piece of work for assessment for
more than one assignment” is classed as Academic Misconduct
at UAL as you have already received
academic credit for the work. Therefore, you must not resubmit
work, in whole or in part, for another unit
if the work has already been assessed either at UAL, or
elsewhere, for academic credit or an award.
What happens if I fail a piece of work or miss the deadline?
The UAL assessment website provides useful information on:

• What happens if you fail a piece of work or miss a deadline;
• What to do if you are ill or have other extenuating
circumstances;
• How to avoid plagiarism in your work;
• What to do if you want to appeal an exam board decision
Retrieval
If you fail a unit, or fail to submit work by the agreed deadline,
the Exam Board will normally allow you to
‘retrieve’ that failure through a ‘referral’ or ‘deferral’
opportunity.
• Referral is where you will be asked to resubmit work for
assessment. This will be capped by the
examination board at D- for the unit
• Deferral is when there are extenuating circumstances that have
been accepted by the exam
board. Any deferral work submitted will be uncapped, and you
can receive the full range of
marks
Further information on Fail and Retrieval can be found in the
UAL Student Guide to Failure and
Retrieval.
You must check your course Moodle site for the Exam Board
decision and for details of any
retrieval work set and deadline. You could be set a new
question or asked to redo the original
question.
New Question: you must check your course Moodle site for

details of the new piece of work you
have been set, the deadline and the member of staff you are
required to contact for a referral
tutorial.
Original Question: If you are asked to resubmit the original
question, please note the original
question is found in this unit handbook on page 1.
Please note that it is your responsibility to contact your Referral
Officer / Course Leader to take up the
offer of any referral / deferral tutorial. You should contact your
Course Leader if you are unsure of what
you are required to do.
http://www.arts.ac.uk/media/arts/study-at-ual/academic-
regulations/Student-Guide-to-Avoiding-Academic-Misconduct-
1718-(PDF-244KB).pdf
regulations/
regulations/3-assessment/
regulations/3-assessment/
Ethics and Professional Issues in Psychology
Answer each question using 100 words. Must cite information
and must be original work.
1. What advantages did the addition of enforceable standards
provide to the APA Ethics Code? Did the addition of
enforceable standards simplify or complicate making ethical
decisions? Explain your response.

4. Provide citation and reference to the material(s) you discuss.
Describe what you found interesting regarding this topic, and
why.
5. Describe how you will apply that learning in your daily life,
including your work life

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