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Buying and Beyond
Welcome to the Buying & Beyond podcast, the podcast for all things Retail Buying...and more!
Join us, Kate & Lyns, buyers and best friends, each week for industry insights, stories and expertise from real people in retail.
Enjoy honest stories and conversations, retail therapy and learn bite-sized tips from us and our guests from across the industry.
- Season 1 starts with Becoming a Buyer - the background to how we started in the industry, what exactly is a Buyer, working your way up the ladder and the main meetings and tasks working in Buying
- Season 2 is all about Being a Buyer - leading a team, coordinating trips, working with suppliers, product & personal development and sustainability
- Season 3 takes us beyond just the direct Buying team - we introduce merchandisers, talk about designers and new trends, burnout & life coaching.
- Season 4 is where we are joined by more Retail Buyers and have also invited Retail Businesses to tell us their stories
- Season 5 continues with a fantastic assortment of Retail Buyers and Retail Businesses. We find out how they got started and what inspires & excites them about retail - plus we lift the lid on what Brands need and Buyers expect!
We are your modern day mentors; prepping Buyers of the future and empowering current Buyers. Our insights for retail businesses and entrepreneurs will shine a light on how to to build, grow, scale and pitch like a pro!
If you like listening to this podcast, please rate, follow and share - you can also find us on instagram @buyingandbeyond
Come behind the scenes with Buying and Beyond
Episodes
86 episodes
S8 E1: Behind every great product, is a product tech with Claire Ward, Senior Product Technologist at Mint Velvet
This week we are joined by Claire Ward- a senior product technologist. This episode is a particularly special one for us. Claire, Kate and Lyns all met right at the very beginning of our careers at Accessorize, learning the ropes of retail toge...
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43:25
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S7 E10: Progress Over Perfection: Making Circular Fashion Work at Scale with Nick Lambert, Head of Circularity at Primark
This week’s episode is a big one and a conversation we’ve been really excited to share. We’re joined by Nick Lambert, Head of Circularity at Primark, whose career journey is a powerful example of how deep commercial experience can drive r...
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Season 7
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Episode 10
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1:07:04
S7 E9: Why we fell in love with retail buying - and why so many are leaving
In this episode, Kate and Lyns reflect on seven seasons of Buying and Beyond and take on one of the most pressing - and personal - topics in retail today: why so many buyers are leaving the industry they once loved.With no guest thi...
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Season 7
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Episode 9
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37:26
S7 E8: Building beauty brands with Harry Zalk CEO of Arkive Headcare
In today’s episode, we’re delighted to be joined by Harry Zalk, CEO of ARKIVE Headcare at Matrix Brands an innovative, B Corp–certified brand incubator creating and scaling some of the most exciting names in health and beauty.Matrix is b...
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Season 7
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Episode 8
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57:52
S7 E7: Burnout & building confidence in Buying & Design with The W-Collective
In today’s episode, we’re joined by Katie and Clare, the brilliant duo behind The W-Collective - a platform built on honest conversations, practical tools, and real support for working women.If you haven’t come across The W-Collect...
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Season 7
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Episode 7
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1:02:03
S7 E6 - Expertise That Grows: Buying Plants with Claire Bishop, Senior Buyer at Dobbies Garden Centres
In today’s episode, we’re joined by the brilliant Claire Bishop, Senior Plant Buyer at Dobbies Garden Centres and one of the most knowledgeable people we know when it comes to all things horticulture.Claire and Lynsey first met during ou...
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Season 7
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Episode 6
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48:32
S7 E5: What makes a standout retail range? Buyer–Designer partnerships and the story behind Everley Studio
In this episode, we’re joined by two absolute gems of the design world - Sarah Spires and Rachel Perkins - the creative duo and big-hearted energy behind Everley Studio.Before launching Everley, Sarah and Rachel spent years inside retail...
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Season 7
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Episode 5
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1:01:04
S7 E4: How a former M&S and Amazon Buyer turned her fashion career into a personal styling business, with Alex Stanley
We’re so excited to welcome Alex Standley to the podcast this week! Alex has spent over 15 years navigating the high-stakes, fast-paced world of fashion buying at global giants like Marks & Spencer and Amazon - from trend-spotti...
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Season 7
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Episode 4
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41:08
S7 E3: What’s Next for Retail? AI, Innovation & Big Career Support with Julia Darlington (Part 2)
In Part 2 of our conversation with Julia Darlington, we shift from her remarkable career journey to the future of the retail industry and the work she’s doing now to shape the next generation of female leaders.With decades of se...
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Season 7
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Episode 3
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46:03
S7 E2 Inside Julia Darlington’s Retail Career: Buying, Reinvention & Confidence in a Changing Industry (Part 1)
In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, we’re thrilled to welcome Julia Darlington a woman whose career spans some of the UK’s most iconic retailers including M&S, French Connection, Habitat, Coast, Tie Rack, Arcadia, and Accessorize...
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Season 7
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Episode 2
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44:08
Retail Reflections 21st November 2025; Fast Paint, Knitted Scarves & Marketplace Madness
This week on Retail Reflections: Shein’s still stealing headlines, Clarks and Walmart double down on marketplaces, and B&Q delivers paint faster than you can make a cuppa. M&S takes Percy Pigs down under, Vinted’s value goes sky-high, a...
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Season 7
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Episode 1
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21:29
S7 E1: What it really takes to thrive in fashion buying today with Stevie, Head of Buying at Hobbs
In this episode of Buying & Beyond, we sit down with Stevie, Head of Buying at Hobbs, to explore her inspiring journey through the ever-changing world of fashion retail. From her early days at the London College of Fashion to leadi...
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Season 7
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Episode 1
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40:22
Retail Reflection 14th November 2025
Welcome to this week's episode! Here's what you'll hear:Shein: An update on Shein’s recent controversy in FranceUK High Street: The recent nationwide crackdown on organized crimeB&M
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Season 6
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Episode 10
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12:53
Retail Reflections 7th Nov: Ethics, Experience, and Christmas Cheer
This week’s Retail Reflections covers a mix of uplifting and challenging stories from the retail world. The episode opens with the positive news of Nobody’s Child achieving B Corp status, highlighting their commitment to ethical practices and s...
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Season 6
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Episode 10
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19:32
S6 E10: The Countdown to Christmas: we unwrap the chaos and charm of the Christmas retail season
In this lively season finale, we unwrap the chaos and charm of the Christmas retail season. Kicking off right after Halloween, we reflect on everything from giant spiders and creepy gingerbread men to the very first signs of Christmas fever.
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Season 6
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Episode 10
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57:44
Retail Reflections 31st October: Beauty, Brands, and Black Friday
This week on Retail Reflections, we’re diving into the retail rush that’s starting earlier than ever. With Black Friday deals already flooding our feeds, we explore why brands are breaking tradition and what that means for both shopper...
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Season 6
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Episode 9
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14:25
S6 E9: From High Street to Wholesale: How Rebecca Hawkes Reinvented Her Buying Career
In this week’s episode, we’re joined by the brilliant Rebecca Hawkes, Buying Manager at Something Different Wholesale and someone who’s experienced the buying world from both sides of the fence: big-name retail and fast-moving B2B.Rebecc...
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Season 6
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Episode 9
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57:04
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Retail Reflections 24th October 2025: Brands, Bans, and Bingham’s
After a brief hiatus, we're back with a fast-paced download of the latest happenings in retail, brand news, and industry trends.Temu Controversy: Discussion on Temu's ongoing issues with product and image copying, the impact ...
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Season 6
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Episode 8
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17:27
S6 E8: 'Just Buy Nice Things!' with Glenn Gallagher Scott Ex Arcadia, Next & Primark Buyer and founder of DEN Loungewear
This week, we’re joined by the brilliant Glenn, Founder of DEN Loungewear — and a true retail all-rounder who’s spent years shaping menswear for some of the UK’s biggest high-street names, including Primark, Arcadia, and Next
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Season 6
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Episode 8
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59:04
S6 E7: Podcast LIVE: with Rosie Head of Range and E-commerce at Not On The High Street
This episode was recorded LIVE at Top Drawer in September 2025. Top Drawer is the UK's leading design-led trade show for buyers and retailers to discover, connect, and purchase lifestyle products across sectors like Home, Gift, Fashion, and Sta...
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Season 6
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Episode 7
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49:02
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S6 E6: Why wine buying is the dream job with Emma Robinson
In this episode of Buying and Beyond, we sit down with Emma Robinson, a consultant wine buyer whose career is as rich and layered as the wines she sources. From studying science to stepping into the world of fine wines, Emma has...
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Season 6
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Episode 6
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53:04
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S6 E5: Retail runways and trade shows
In this week’s episode, we sit down for a lively catch-up - no guest, just an honest, in-depth chat about the trends, trade shows, and inspirations shaping fashion and retail right now.We kick things off with the joys of autumn fashion: ...
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Season 6
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Episode 5
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40:53
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Retail Reflections 26th September: Power Moves, Price Wars & Green Dreams
This week, we dive into the latest movements and shake-ups in the retail world, with a special focus on leadership changes, store strategies, and sustainability efforts.In this episode:Leadership Changes at M&S:...
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Season 6
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Episode 4
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19:34
S6 E4: Inside Fashion retail training with Louis from the Fashion Retail Academy
In this episode of Buying and Beyond, we sit down with Louis Clark, Head of Strategic Program Development at the Fashion Retail Academy (FRA) and the Education for Industry Group. Louis takes us inside the innovative ways FRA is transf...
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Season 6
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Episode 4
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48:00
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Retail Reflections 19th September: New Trends, New Stores, New Energy
In this episode of Retail Reflections, your hosts dive into the latest happenings in the world of fashion and retail for the week ending September 19th, 2025. Despite a few real-life interruptions (tree surgeons and lingering colds!), the conve...
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Season 6
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Episode 3
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16:23
