Rachel Pugh

I loved being a buyer. By 2022 I’d been on such a rewarding personal journey that I honestly could have stayed as a buyer until I retired.

But then a friend of mine suggested I should look at retail recruitment for my next career move. I wasn’t sure. We all know the sort of reputation recruitment gets tarnished with. I didn’t want to be a salesperson. But he knew Zac and Danny [ZD founders] and knew Zachary Daniels wasn’t that sort of recruiter.

He also thought this would be a chance for me to share my love of buying would help others find the right outlet for their passion and connect them with great retailers.

As it turned out, he was right.

Inspiring client and candidate confidence

Initially I focused on recruiting for buying roles and loved it. Since then, I’ve expanded to recruiting merchandisers, designers and garment techs too because I’ve got a good feel for their day-to-day responsibilities.

For clients, my experience means they can have total confidence in the candidates I send their way. They know I’m not going to have the wool pulled over my eyes – I’m only going to send them really good candidates and, if I think there’s a development gap, I’ll flag it so there’s less chance of them being blindsided by something unexpected.

For candidates, my experience helps me prepare them better. I can have those open conversations that enable me to put amazing people with employers who would be perfect for them. I get really invested in my candidates. One of the things that gets me out of bed in the morning is wondering whether I’ll hear that they’ve got the job.

One thing I have discovered is that you don’t need to be part of a big, famous brand to have an amazing retail career experience. That’s true for buying. It’s true for retail recruitment too. Working with Zachary Daniels, I feel like I’ve gained an understanding of how the industry really works, and that benefits my clients and candidates.

To discuss your buying, merchandising and design recruitment plans, please contact me directly on 07860 770 240 or via rachel@zacharydaniels.co.uk