Fashion merchandising turns into a lucrative career

Consistent growth in apparel export earnings and rapid expansion of the $35.81 billion clothing industry has turned fashion merchandising into a prestigious and lucrative profession for Bangladeshi youths – especially those with a knack for marketing and business management.

Jobseekers did not view this profession in a positive light until the 1990s, and foreign merchandisers used to dominate the sector, industry insiders say, adding that such notions have changed drastically as merchandising proved to be a great career with attractive salaries.

Fashion merchandising requires planning and promotion of sales by presenting a product to the right market at the best time, by carrying out organised and skillful advertising. In retail, merchandising refers specifically to stock planning, management, and control processes.

Sharing his experience, Tex Care’s Merchandising Manager Riad Hossain said, “After completing my graduation in Bengali Literature from Dhaka University in 2009, I started as an assistant merchandiser at INZ Sourcing – a buying house – with a monthly salary of Tk 3,000.

“After completion of a one-year probationary period, my salary rose to Tk 18,000. My family and friends were initially not happy with my career, but the gradual increase in my salary and benefits as well as my increasing station as a profession helped change their mind.”

Riad is now drawing a monthly salary of six figures. He has also inspired a few to follow in his footsteps to build a career in this lucrative industry. Around 95 per cent of the merchandisers in the industry are now Bangladeshis. Executive Director of Square Group Md Alauddin shared a similar story, saying, “I joined the apparel industry as a merchandiser after completing my graduation in 1996 at marketing from the University of Dhaka.

“At that time, the majority of the merchandisers were foreigners, and very few local staff had proper education. Back then, Bangladesh had no institutes or learning centres for teaching merchandising. We learned everything from our seniors, and it is still a tradition in this sector.”

He continued, “I began performing well and my company paid me excellent salary and benefits. This inspired some of my university juniors to join this sector as well. Most of the merchandisers are now local and they are also highly educated.”

Good start for young professionals

According to Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers Exporters Association (BKMEA) there are about 3,000 active export oriented apparel factories.

There are about 1,430 buying houses in the country who are members of Bangladesh Garment Buying House Association (BGBA). A mid-sized factory employs around 15 merchandisers on average, but it could be more or less depending on the establishment size.

A buying house usually employs about five-six merchandisers. The number of merchandisers also depends on the number of buyers and brands a company has. More merchandisers are a key to tackling more buyers.

Nipa Group – an export oriented garment manufacturer with $110 million in exports last year – employs 37 merchandisers. Industry insiders say there are about 70,000 merchandisers in the country’s apparel industry and buying houses, and 95 per cent of them are Bangladeshis.

Though there is no government recommended salary structure for this profession, a merchandiser’s monthly pay starts from Tk 15,000 – Tk 20,000. The salaries are a bit higher in foreign buying houses.

Based on professional quality and experience, a top level merchandiser earns from Tk 6 lakh to 7 lakh per month, but some professionals in the sector are earning as high as Tk 10 lakh per month.

Sheikh HM Mustafiz, the managing director of Cute Dress Industry who runs his factory with 224 machines and 18 merchandisers, said, “We offer Tk 15,000 – Tk 20,000 for a fresh graduate for the post of assistant merchandiser.

“We prefer aspirants with a degree in merchandising or business education, good communication skill, as well as proficiency in the English language. A good command over language and communication skills is very important for conversing with the global buyers.”

Meanwhile, Managing Director Md Khosru Chowdhury of Nipa Group said, “We offer a minimum monthly salary of Tk 1,00,000 to merchandisers with six-seven years of experience.

“The pay can go higher if the person is more skilled, and has good experience and connection with buyers and brands.”

How did it become mainstream?

Fashion merchandising started to get popular among the younger generation during the 1990s, but the more recent boom came after universities and vocational institutions gradually introduced the necessary curriculum essential to this profession.

Providing more details, BGMEA President Faruque Hassan told The Business Post, “In primary stages of the apparel sector’s growth, we were highly dependent on foreigners to fill positions of staff, merchandisers and other experts.

“But local expertise started to grow in the early 1990s and merchandising as a profession started to grow in popularity from 1995. Since then, local merchandisers have been leading the industry, and 95 per cent of them are now home grown”

Hassan, also the managing director of Giant Group, added, “With the aim to take merchandising as a profession, many students are currently studying the subject in universities such as the BGMEA University of Fashion and Technology (BUFT).”

The BUFT included apparel merchandising and knitwear merchandising in their curriculum in 2012.

Md Hasan Shahriar, one of the students studying knitwear merchandising at the BUFT since 2020, said, “I chose this university after completing my higher secondary school education in hopes of a bright future.

“I heard from my seniors, who work in several factories as merchandisers, that the sector has huge job opportunities for a graduate in textile background. They are getting good salaries and enjoying a good life. This is why I am studying this subject at BUFT.”

A number of senior merchandisers told The Business Post that the curriculum in BUFT and other textile-oriented universities are not adequate enough to cover all practical aspects of the merchandising profession.

They recommended attaching students to factories for hands-on training from the first academic year, and appoint senior merchandisers as teachers in such institutions.

What are the stepping stones?

Industry insiders say there are two effective ways to become a merchandiser in Bangladesh.

On this subject, Executive Director of Square Group Md Alauddin said, “People with either a textile or a non-textile background can become a merchandiser. When evaluating a fresh graduate, we first take note of their command of English language and communication skills.

“We then appoint an eligible candidate as an assistant merchandiser, and then attach him with a senior merchandiser to learn the trade. Assistant merchandisers can get promoted to merchandisers after a few months based on their skills.

“They can continue to move upwards by the merits of their performance.”

Monirul Islam Rasel, senior merchandiser of Beximco Group, said, “If anyone wants to be a merchandiser, he should get admission at a textile university, which will help them with getting a job in this sector.

“Students with other backgrounds can complete a course about merchandising to get into the industry. The Beximco Group allows students with a textile background to complete their internship here. Some of them get the opportunity to work in Beximco as full-time employees.”

Md Waliullah, merchandising manager of Linkers Buying House, said, “A newcomer should work a minimum of three to four years at the factory level. He may then look for better opportunities in buying houses.

“Buying houses offer better salary and opportunity compared to factories, and the work is a bit more relaxed.”

What role do merchandisers play?

Discussing the merchandiser role in the apparel industry, Beximco’s Monirul Islam Rasel said, “Merchandisers communicate with buyers to understand requirements. They then create samples, and maintain communication till buyers become interested in placing an order.

“A merchandiser might also have to calculate costs, and communicate with raw material suppliers.”

Shahidullah Azim, managing director of Classic Fashion, said “Merchandisers play such an important role in this industry that we used to recruit foreigners with high salaries to play this particular role.

Md Khosru Chowdhury, managing director of Nipa group, said, “To understand its importance, I also learned merchandising to lead my team. A merchandiser plays a vital role in making his factory a gainer or a loser.

“If a factory owner possesses proper knowledge in merchandising, his factory has less chances of being the loser.”

Success stories easy to find

Merchandisers create a bridge among manufacturers, brands and retailers. This connection later helps a merchandiser become an exporter, and there are many examples of such transition in Bangladesh.

Abdullah Hil Rakib, managing director of Team group and director of BGMEA, started out as a merchandiser. After working a few years in this profession, he was able to earn the trust of his buyers and later set up a factory. Team Group now has 18,000 workers.

Mostafiz Uddin, managing director of Denim Expert Ltd, started his career as a merchandiser with a monthly salary of only Tk 2,500. He is now a poster boy of the denim sector in Bangladesh and the industry affectionately calls him Denim Mostafiz.

SM Khaled, managing director of Snowtex, started his profession too as a merchandiser and he also set up a garment factory after a few years. Snowtex currently employs more than 17,000 employees with an annual turnover of $250 million.

Al Shariar Ahmed, managing director of Indet Group, said, “A merchandiser can easily become a factory owner, and I am an example of this phenomenon. They just need to work with passion.”

Echoing the same, Fazlee Shamim Ehsan, vice president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said, “There are a lot of examples of entrepreneurs who started out as a merchandiser, but now export apparel goods worth millions of US dollars.