Meet the Findel family - Holly Dumble, Merchandising Manager

This month we hear from Holly Dumble , Merchandising Manager at Findel and hear all about her passion for merchandising, her experience across multiple industries and her love of shopping!

Great to catch up with you Holly, so firstly, could you tell us about the switch from fashion house to education resources and how you’ve found that?  

Obviously it’s very different in fashion as you are working in seasons well in advance. The trading process is a lot quicker, it’s always a push to turnaround stock quickly as you don’t want to be left with summer clothing into winter and vice versa. At Findel we aren’t as impacted by things like seasons and the weather, the focus is more on Term times/School holidays etc. It’s more continuity focused yet there is excitement around introducing newness particularly in the early years category. I would say that the trend aspect is different, It’s all about the products we need vs ‘nice to have’ fashion trends. Early years is probably the most similar range to fashion, as we have more focus on things like colour tones/palettes and materials. For me, I have to say the switch between industries has been pretty wild, it’s completely different from what I’ve been used to, but I’ve learnt through my career that it’s always a good thing to try something different. The thing with merchandising is that it’s the same theory that underpins the role. No matter what the product is the theory is always the same. I’ve found that the great thing about people coming from different backgrounds is that they bring a lot and can apply that into whatever industry, which can only be a good thing!  

What was it that made you want to pursue a career in merchandising?

For me the initial thing I remember was being in school ready to leave to go to university, I was filling in the application forms and thinking about what it was that I really enjoyed which was clothing. I loved going shopping and looking at clothes, and I was lucky to find a course that suited my interests. I then completed an internship alongside my degree and really enjoyed the analytics side of merchandising and instantly knew that was the route I wanted to go down. I really enjoyed relying on the data to make decisions. I also loved the internship, spending time in different work environments really appealed to me and I learnt a lot from this. Being exposed to visual merchandising, fabric sourcing, Far East sourcing all appealed to me and this really put into perspective for me how much I wanted a career in this field.

What would you say is your biggest achievement so far? What are you proud of?

I’d have to say that I am really proud that I’ve had such wide experience and not been pigeon holed into one particular area. I’ve had the opportunity to work across many different categories, at various companies, some large brands with hundreds of stores, to small one e-commerce site companies. I feel like I have been able to bring a lot to each company from my varied experience across all industries. I bring a really rounded view and experience to each business. I’m also really glad I took a risk to come to Findel, I felt like I needed it to broaden my knowledge and have learnt so much from this experience. You definitely have to step out of your comfort zone to grow. You have to be brave, which is one of the Findel values!

 What tips or advice would you give to anyone looking to start a career in merchandising Holly?

I would say definitely try and get some real-life office experience – this is key! People sometimes are unsure what merchandising actually is, so immersing yourself and seeing it firsthand and how it all links together is really important. Of course, there’s the theoretical side to it and you can read and learn about it a lot. I’d also make sure you were an excel whizz! Believe it or not, TikTok is the best go to place for hints and tips for Excel! I’d also say don’t be afraid to suggest ideas, after all we are all working towards same goal, use the data and be confident in making decisions. The biggest one for me though is experience it’s a no brainer, get yourself out there and experience a real-life environment. Understand the process and look at buying, marketing and e-commerce and understand how all areas collaborate together.

 As it’s just been the summer holiday season, what’s been the best trip you’ve ever been on and why?

In my previous job working at Woodhouse, I got to travel to Florence, this for me was probably the best work trip looking at the different brands coupled with lots of socializing in the evenings talking to people from across the industry. For me, it was the perfect mix of going out for work being really inspired and the social side too.

I’ve also recently been on a trip to Copenhagen, with my mum and sister. This holiday revolved around shopping and clothes and finding the perfect rooftop bars to relax afterwards! It was lovely spending time with my mum and sister as we don’t really get the chance to do this as much now we’re getting older. It was great visiting a really cool city, getting to show them around as they hadn’t been before.

 And finally, you are obviously really passionate about what you do, is there anything else you’d like to say about the world of merchandising?

I’d say the thing with merchandising is that people don’t seem to think about it as much as roles such as buying. There is always so much you can bring to merchandising. It’s probably seen as less glamourous than buying yet you can still have so much impact on product you’re just coming at it from a different angle.  I’m really lucky at Findel as I feel we have a really good balance of buying and merchandising. Findel is a company that both teams are equally valued which is a great environment to work in.