For business

There is a huge range of resources and services available from the School of Media, Arts and Design and the University. We have a network of expert academic practitioners with hands-on experience and up-to-date research knowledge.

Since 2002 the University of Westminster has offered its dynamic and industry-focused range of training courses which specifically target buying and merchandising professionals who wish to brush up on their skills and develop themselves and their organisation by learning the key principles involved in retailing in the 21st century.

The short-course unit of the University of Westminster works with many large retailers to train their personnel in a variety of retailing, buying and merchandising disciplines. The approach can be bespoke, best practice or a combination of the two. Courses can take place in our new state of the art dedicated training suite in central London, or on your own premises. Tutors are all industry professionals with specialist buying and merchandising skills.

Our clients include:

  • Tesco
  • George at Asda
  • Arcadia Group
  • Debenhams
  • Jaeger
  • Harrods
  • Karen Millen
  • Blacks
  • Firetrap
  • Mothercare
  • New Look

For more details or to discuss how the University of Westminster can work with your organisation to develop your people for the future, please contact Fashion short courses leader Jane Rome on +44 (0)1923 451507 via email or contact our centre of excellence

Available courses

The Short Course for Business team at the University of Westminster work together with organisations to develop individual courses which suit particular needs of the organisation and the team pride themselves on being flexible to the needs of the individual business. These are just some of the programmes we have run recently:

  • The Business Game
  • Planning and Buying Range
  • From Design to Delivery
  • Basic Buying Skills
  • Textile Garment Manufacture
  • Sourcing Workshop
  • Distribution and Grading
  • WSSI/ Range Planning
  • Merchandising Calculations
  • Communications Skills
  • Multi-Channel Retailing made simple
  • Advanced Negotiation Skills
  • Trend Forecasting
  • Simple Textile Technology
  • Fashion Retail Summer School

The University of Westminster has worked with many different clients, both in the UK and internationally over the years and has used a differing range of methods. Examples of some of the approaches that have been taken to meet the needs of individual business are:

  • Development of the Fashion Retailing Management Degree BA (Hons) to be delivered in the workplace for George at Asda
  • Series of one day workshops covering buying and merchandising basics through to more advanced management tools for a leading supermarket
  • One day bespoke buying skills courses for branded wholesale
  • One day bespoke distribution and grading course for upmarket womenswear chain
  • One day bespoke Design to Delivery course for niche eclectic brand
  • Series of training days covering merchandising principles for outdoor store and mail order brand
  • Series of training days covering buying and merchandising principles for large outdoor branding
  • Graduate training programme for major High Street chain
  • International merchandising training programme developed for new business in international supermarket partnership in Korea and Central Europe- using simultaneous translation methodology
  • Summer School refresher courses for Buying+Merchandising personnel from major High Street Retailers
  • Development of simulated Business Game for more advanced Buying and Merchandising personnel.

Management team

Jane Rome

Course Leader

Jane is the Commercial Course leader at the University of Westminster and develops and manages all the courses. Her experience spans more than 20 years in the retail industry working for House of Fraser and the Arcadia Group brands as a merchandising professional. Her roles have included buying, merchandising, distribution, retail planning, training, research, corporate communication and strategic management. Experience has been gained from working with a variety of brands across mens and womenswear and at different levels of the business including Board level.

Jane also runs her own retail management consultancy which concentrates on understanding the retail market structure and operation, identifying appropriate strategies to drive performance and implementing them in line with business needs. Clients include Bhs, Tesco, Burton, Miss Selfridge, Country Casuals, Austin Reed, Dorothy Perkins, Wallis, Evans, Top Shop, Osh Kosh, George, Principles and Mothercare. Recent assignments have included global consultancy work in the Middle East and USA. In addition, Jane manages and conducts consumer and market research for a host of retailers and operates comparative shopping and pricing studies.

In addition, Jane works with a team of professionals who specialise in different elements of retailing such as global sourcing, multi-channel retailing, textiles, and communication and negotiation skills. These associates are responsible for their individual discipline on each course and ensure that the content is up to date and relevant.

Lorraine Harper

Consultant & Principal Lecturer

Lorraine is consultant to Westminster Fashion & the ‘Centre for Professional Learning from the Workplace’ at the University of Westminster.

She is an experienced fashion retail buying and merchandising professional with particular skills in communication, motivation, strategic management and organisation spanning over thirty five years in the fashion retail industry. Lorraine’s roles have been across buying, design, product development, manufacturing, distribution and merchandising at different levels of the business including Board level gained from an extensive variety of companies namely Harrods, Lord & Taylor’s New York, the Burton Group, Coats Paton, Biba and Chelsea Girl / River Island.

Lorraine is passionate about maintaining strong links with the fashion retail industry and is now strategically positioned in the ‘Centre for Professional Retail Excellence’ hosted within the ‘Centre of Excellence for Professional Learning from the Workplace’ ensuring this remit is maintained. Lorraine is committed to the teaching of fashion retail business management in an interesting, innovative and inspirational teaching environment, ensuring new fashion retail professionals are equipped with the analytical and practical skills they need to manage effectively at both strategic and operational levels.