Protecting the future of merchandising expertise
Some might say that our founder, Sarah, likes to keep busy. Not content with running Flourish, supporting her clients, providing media commentary to the likes of the BBC and being a mum of two, 2024 saw her co-found a second business.
Sarah has joined forces with fellow merchandising consultant Anna Whalley to found The Merchandising School, teaching the fundamentals of merchandising to people in the retail sector.
Adapting to a changing retail landscape
We’ve all seen the changes on the high street in recent years, from the rise of online shopping to the demise of UK retail powerhouses like Arcadia or Debenhams’ bricks-and-mortar stores.
As well as changing our individual shopping habits, those shifts have had a potentially devastating knock-on effect on the world of professional retail merchandising.
Sarah explains:
“Anna and I have both worked in merchandising across various big UK retailers and we were lucky enough to have great training from them as we came up through the ranks. That training – and the experience we gathered over the years – set us up to understand how to apply the fundamentals of merchandising in a practical sense in subsequent businesses and in our consultancy journeys. These days, there are fewer big retailers in the mix. We want to make sure that the art and magic of merchandising lives on, as it’s so crucial that businesses embrace and implement it if they want to scale and grow profitably”.
How does The Merchandising School work?
The Merchandising School runs a five-week series of online masterclasses several times a year. They’re delivered by Sarah and Anna, who have more than forty years of experience between them.
The masterclasses aim to teach the fundamentals in a genuinely actionable way, helping product-based businesses unlock their full potential (and profit!). They focus on real-world techniques that can boost your sales, lower your costs, optimise your cash flow and more.
And if you’re looking for something a little more specific, The Merchandising School also offers bespoke training for businesses and teams.
Find out more
Sarah and Anna are excited to help more retail businesses harness the power of merchandising in a way that works for them. You can find out more on The Merchandising School’s website.
