Master Lingerie Buying
BETTER BUYING tools & training
Better Buying
Buying for lingerie, swimwear and nightwear is more challenging than almost any other fashion category. The sheer volume of SKUs required, combined with size complexity, colour depth and fit sensitivity, makes getting the buy right both critical and difficult.
Developing a buying strategy that delivers maximum choice of size, style and aesthetic without over-stocking is essential. Get it wrong and the consequences are costly.
Over-stocking, under-stocking, or buying the wrong products, often referred to as “death by the stockroom”, is one of the biggest causes of underperformance and failure among lingerie retailers and department stores.
Every buyer faces the same pressures:
Buying enough, but not too much
Focusing depth in core sizes while still having a solution when that 28GG customer walks in
Getting the colour mix right
Backing bestsellers while keeping the offer fresh
Staying within budget
Lingerie buying and merchandising requires a unique, specialist approach. For new store owners and buyers it can feel daunting. Even established buyers often lack the time, systems or internal support to analyse stock and sales properly. In department stores, lingerie is frequently just one category among many, making detailed analysis even harder.
As a result, many businesses find that 80% of sales are generated by just 20–30% of their stock, leaving significant cash tied up in product that underperforms.
What the Better Buying Programme Delivers
With over 20 years’ experience buying for lingerie and swimwear businesses, and coaching buyers across the UK and internationally, Helen Masters understands best practice like few others. More importantly, she shows businesses how to implement it.
Through lingerie-specific expertise, easy-to-use tools, deep brand and product knowledge, and extensive supplier connections, the Better Buying programme delivers measurable, best-in-class results.
Clients typically see improvements in sell-through, stock turn, margin and total sales, achieved with less stock, less time and less waste. For a fraction of what many businesses lose each season through poor buying decisions, Better Buying can transform performance.
Testimonials to be added from AIS Workshops.
What the Better Buying Programme Delivers
An expert, in-depth approach to buying and stock management, including:
Detailed analysis of sales and stock at category, brand, range, style, size, colour and SKU level
Clear insight into what is actually selling versus what is being held and bought
Benchmarking of buying procedures and KPIs
A tailored action plan for immediate implementation, covering range strategy, OTB, size profiling, reordering protocols, sourcing and clearance
Improved systems and automated tools that integrate with your existing processes, saving time and money
Buyer and merchandiser training to embed Better Buying long-term
Better Buying Webinar
An introduction to Better Buying principles and tools.
This webinar explains how to adopt better buying practices and achieve stronger results, covering:
How to set clear criteria for what to buy
How to work out how much to spend
How to set pricing
How to ensure what you buy sells, and what to do if it doesn’t
Common pitfalls and how to avoid them
The Better Buyer self-test and next steps
Express Stock & Sales Plan
£750 +VAT
A focused analysis of your sales and stock, KPI benchmarking and a tailored action plan designed to increase profitability immediately.
Contact us to book
A–Z of Lingerie Buying
£750 +VAT
A comprehensive downloadable guide to lingerie and swimwear buying, plus a one-to-one coaching session tailored to your business.
Includes:
What to buy and why
How much to spend
Pricing strategy
How to maximise sell-through and manage underperformers
Starter Buyer Package
From £995 + VAT
Step-by-step guidance, tools and industry connections for start-ups, new store owners and new buyers.
Better Buying Bespoke Programme
Designed for more established retailers, brands and department stores.
Module 1 – Analysis & Action Plan
In-depth analysis of sales and stock, KPI benchmarking, and a tailored action plan covering range strategy, OTB, ordering, reordering and stock management.
From £3,500 +VAT
Module 2 – Implementation
Hands-on implementation of the plan, including revised OTB, range planning, size, style and colour profiling, sourcing, clearance and improved systems.
From £3,500 +VAT
Module 3 – Training & Ongoing Support
Buyer and merchandiser training, plus ongoing hands-on support for the first 12 months to embed Better Buying long-term.
From £3,500 +VAT
Full Programme
Discounted package available when all modules booked together.
From £7,500 +VAT
You can choose to upgrade to any of these modules or the full programme following the Express Stock & sales plan & we will redeem the fee paid against the programme you upgrade to.
Reviews
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"‘Helen was a pleasure to deal with and her passion, energy and detailed knowledge of every section of the lingerie industry is second to none. Her deep dive analysing every element of our lingerie business from inventory to skillset and expertise have been useful for both the team and myself and have real laser focus on where opportunities lay. Helen’s detailed training and toolkit for team has improved expertise and confidence in both fitting skills and delivering the Wow factor to ensure we strive for best in class service and be the experts in our town. Helen's insight of existing performance overall and strategic recommendations and follow up have ensured we have seen sales growth already and will continue on the journey to implement further enhancements to our range and service.’"
— Jo Wakeman, Store Director Camp Hopson
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"Helen has a wealth of knowledge about the lingerie business, and she understands the challenges of this very individual trade. Her deep dive analysis highlighted opportunities where we could improve our inventory to minimise lost sales and also areas where we could consolidate ranges by removing slow sellers either by style , size or colour. We have started to see an uplift in sales and profit but we need to continue focusing on these new standards and plan in regular inventory analysis. We will implement many of her suggestions across the rest of the group. Helen thank you for your feedback & support.’"
— Angela Bryanton, Morley’s Group buyer
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"We are delighted with the results we have seen following the consultancy and training from Helen at Pudding. Our lingerie sales have increased significantly; the team are rejuvenated and the fit by sight method is wowing customers. Our sales and buying teams are working much more closely together and sales of previously under-performing products have improved. We have seen big improvements in both conversion from footfall to sale and the average sale value. What’s more, both are customers and staff are loving lingerie again. We can’t wait to get started on the next phase of our growth programme, working with Helen again – the support we have had has been excellent.’"
— Simon Colquhoun, Retail Director, Ulster Stores Group
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"Our stores gained so much from just one session: - Great bra training and knowledge - A refocus on selling and the selling process - An awareness that we can be doing more - Fresh set of eyes to look at ourselves & what we have - Team being reinvigorated."
- Helen Houston, Head of HR , Ulster Stores Group
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"Helen’s training is incredibly in-depth and her approach to guiding you through her thought process is open and mindful of the resources that are available to your business. Helen is on hand to answer any questions/queries you might have and can also adapt her training to suit your needs. Helen covered everything and more in the training. She is extremely helpful and nothing is ever too much trouble for her. For instance, we had conversations late in the evening on more than one occasion, and in my opinion this is over and above what I was expecting with regards to communication. I have a much clearer view on size scales required per bra style. I know which bra styles per brand work best for our business and I also have a view on newness to add to the business that will cover our target customer segments to the correct % of sales."
- Laura Magee , Lingerie Buyer, Ulster Stores Group