The Issue: A Cotton On Group Publication | Page 10

– I T A L L S TA R T E D W I T H –

FRIENDSHIP
BEYOND BORDERS
REDEFINING SUPPLIER PARTNERSHIPS
Much of the Cotton On Group’s success is founded on the long standing partnerships the retailer has built
with its global network of suppliers. The partnerships have allowed the business to develop an innovative
approach to its production pipeline, one that has cemented the Group as a pace setter for new product drops
and stock replenishment, both of which are delivered at industry leading standards.
Investing time, resources and energy into maintaining meaningful relationships with its suppliers is one of
the most important elements of the Group’s approach. After all, it’s the suppliers who are charged with the
responsibility of bringing the Group’s millions of products to market at the speed its customers have come to
expect.
Many of the suppliers have worked with the business since the early days, sharing a growth trajectory that
reflects the retailer’s own expansion over the last 24 years. With such a long history together, the Group’s
supply partners are considered an integral part of its extended global family.
Working in such close collaboration means relationships between the Group’s team of Production Managers,
Buyers and suppliers, who help bring each brand’s ranges to life, often moves beyond just a business to
business transaction.
Summer Buckland, Brand Production Manager for Cotton On KIDS, and KIDS supplier Sean Wei (pictured
above) is one such example. The two have spent almost four years working together to create new products
and ranges for the popular childrenswear brand and along the way have developed a special friendship.

T HE IS SUE C O T T ON ON GR OUP

11