Episode #197
Ep 197 Mastering Stock and Cashflow in your product Business
How much stock should you actually be holding? With Anna Youngson of Majury Merchandising Stock and cash flow can catch out any product business, whether you're turning over £100k or £1m. This week I'm joined by Anna Youngson, merchandising and retail consultant and founder of Majury Merchandising. Anna spent 20 years in-house in corporate retail, including eight years at Topshop and, most recently, head of department at a kidswear brand. She works across own label, wholesale, marketplace and branded stock. We get into the numbers that tell you how much stock to hold, how to spot a problem before it eats your cash, and how to clear stock without shouting "closing down sale". In this episode we cover: Why data visibility comes first. Know why something is or isn't selling, or you can't do anything about it. A simple sales forecast. It doesn't need to be fancy, but without one you have no benchmark. It also drives your buy budget and your range plan (your "shopping list"). The ideal stock formula. Sales target × supplier lead time, plus a 2–3 week buffer. A 10-week lead time means planning for 12–13. Don't commit 100% of your season budget upfront. Hold some back and set reorder trigger dates in your diary. Buying branded stock. Work with your brands' lead times, drops and stock-holding policies, and share your forecasts with them. Sell-through explained. Units sold ÷ units bought. Aim for 60–70% as a minimum. 50–60% is a "plodder", and anything under 50% needs a question mark over it. Never look at it in isolation. Weeks cover. Current stock ÷ last week's unit sales tells you how long the stock will last at your current rate of sale. Sales mix vs stock mix. The quickest health check for any category, and why Shopify makes it hard to see. Bricks and mortar vs e-commerce. Store space and footfall versus page position and the customer journey. Clearing stock without blanket discounts. Staggered markdowns, bundling, gift with purchase, spend and save, and archive or warehouse sales. Your free delivery threshold. Average order value + average selling price. One brand saved £35k a year with this single change. DON'T FORGET to follow me on instagram from lots more tips https://www.instagram.com/thebuyerandretailcoach/ ❤️ Enjoyed this video? Subscribe to our channel and hit the notification bell to never miss a new video — and let us know what how-tos you’d like to see next in the comments! Sign up to the newsletter and get support straight to your inbox https://thebuyerandretailcoach.com/newsletter-sign-up/ Cashflow| Product Business | Ecommerce This episode is sponsored by Neon Digital Clicks Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
