Buying the right amount, so cash isn't sitting on a shelf.

For most product businesses, stock is the largest sum of cash tied up anywhere in the business. It can also go wrong in two directions at once: too much of what isn't selling, and too little of what is.

Get a free 45-minute chat See the other places I look

Where it leaks

Five places stock quietly costs you money.

These are questions you can ask of your own numbers. If you can't answer one from them, that is the place to start.

Cover by productHow many weeks of sales are on hand for each line, and which lines hold more than a season's worth?
Size and colour mixAre you out of the sizes and colours that sell while holding the ones that don't?
How the last buy was decidedWhat was the quantity based on, and did anyone check it against what actually sold?
MarkdownsHow much of last season's markdown came from buying too deep?
Time to replenishHow long is it between knowing you're short and the stock arriving?

All five can be answered from your own sales and stock records.

Where I've done it

The record behind this page.

Merchandise planning manager at EziBuy, responsible for inventories of $30m.
GM Supply Chain at EziBuy and Briscoe Group, optimising international supply chains: cost down, service levels up.
At Briscoe Group, supported the merchandise planning function, then new to the business, and gave buyers the insight they needed on product.
For a retailer, built a live planning system that tells them how much to buy and where to place it. They get product to market faster, and their stock problems were resolved.
For a product business, built the planning flow across six countries, so they can see their stock right through the supply chain. They run it themselves.
At EziBuy, worked with the CFO to take over $10m out of working capital in about six months, by changing supplier terms and managing inventory more closely.

The first conversation

What the first 45 minutes covers.

Most retailers struggle to get the right amount of stock, and planning tools are what I use to solve that. You tell me what you sell and how you buy, and I tell you where I'd look first. The first measures I pull are stock turn, GMROI (gross margin return on inventory), months of cover, days of cover, and margin in purchases: your first margin against your final margin. You get a one-page readback of where the money is most likely being lost. Any work after that is scoped with you before it starts.

FAQ

Questions

What is merchandise planning?

Deciding what to buy, how much of it and when, then tracking whether the buy is selling as planned. Done well, it keeps cash out of slow stock and keeps the lines that sell on the shelf.

How do I know if I'm overstocked?

Compare the stock you hold with how fast each line sells. Lines with more than a season's cover, or that keep turning up in markdown, are the first suspects.

Do you only work with retailers?

My background is retail, e-commerce and product businesses, so that is where I'm strongest. I also take on other businesses where I can help. If you're not sure you fit, tell me about your business and I'll say so straight.

What does it cost to get started?

The chat's free. After that my time costs money, and if the results don't come, you'll know why and we'll sort it out.

Buying the right amount, so cash isn't sitting on a shelf.

Five places stock quietly costs you money.

The record behind this page.

What the first 45 minutes covers.

Questions

Other places I look

Tell me about your business.