Massive task

Press, 4 June 1984, Page 30

Massive task

In the last financial year the Farmers’ Trading Company sold more than $325 million worth of goods, or •over $1 million worth for each selling day of the year. “Everything from pins to anchors,” says Mr Glen Stevens, general manager merchandise. “We’re the only company in New Zealand which carries such a range.” Mr Stevens leads a team of 100 buyers who are constantly assessing customer needs. “A lot of market research goes into what people want. “The demands of people in the North Eland for clothing, for example, can be quite different from what people want in the South Island, where they have longer winters. “We have to be aware. “As well as travelling throughout New Zealand, buyers go overseas regularly to keep up-to-date with new trends. Imports are made from 50 countries.” Buyers must be able to gauge changing demands and commit themselves, sometimes up to 12 months in advance of goods actually being put on sale. “A buyer has to make a boo-boo occasionally, otherwise he’s not having a go. He’s being too cautious,” says Mr Stevens. And even a “boo-boo” can often work in the customers’ interests because it usually

means a clearance sale for the mistake. Mr Stevens will retire this month, after 46 years with the company. He says he has seen many changes in buying patterns. “Take men’s clothing. You used to have white shirts and a dark suit and that was it.” In recent years there has been growth in the millinery department, perhaps because of the Princess of Wales’ love of hats, in hardware as home handymen tackle renovation tasks, and in sportswear as the fitness boom has taken hold. Company buyers have been quick to follow overseas trends in furnishing and manchester, for example in the American move to bedroom co-ordi-nates. Mr Stevens joined the Farmers’ Trading Company during the depression, originally seeking a job as an apprentice electrician, and jokes he is still waiting for that vacancy. He was appointed to his present position in 1978, after 15 years as a buyer himself. “I don’t know why more young people don’t look at retailing as a career. “Every day presents a new challenge and you are meeting new people and looking at new merchandise all the time. “It’s certainly not boring.”