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| International apparel brands |
Buying office may be the buyer’s regional office or an independent company that works with multiple buyers. For example, H&M has its own regional buying office to the sourcing countries. On the other hand, Asmara International is a buying house that works with many buyers, brands and High street retailers.
There is two way to know more about a buying house. One, services provided by buying houses or functions of apparel buying house in the apparel supply chain. Second, what all departments are there in a buying house?
Major functions of a buying house
A buying house may provide a number of services to their buyers. In this post I have listed down major services provided by most of the apparel buying houses.
- Product development and sampling for buyers
- Finding good suppliers for their buyers
- Order processing from local vendors
- Contacting buyers and taking approval on developments, samples, swatches, strike offs etc.
- Forwarding buyers comments on samples and buyers requirement to vendors
- Giving local approvals to vendors
- Follow up order processing with vendors (export houses)
- Take care of product quality from sample development to final inspection
- Sometimes buying houses do outsourcing of fabrics and trims for buyers and vendors
- Conducting social compliance audit at vendor factories
- Shipping and logistics
Different departments in a buying house
A buying office may be run by a couple of people from a single room office to a big office equipped with various departments and dozens of employees. A middle-size buying house is set with the following departments.
- Design and product development
- Technical team (Pattern making and fit approval)
- Merchandising team
- Quality assurance team
- Sampling room with few sewing machines and tailors
- Shipping and Documentation
- Textile testing lab
- Sourcing of fabric and trims
- Factory compliance audit team
- Shipping and documentation
- Other administrative departments
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