Sam Lobban, 22

At just 22, Sam Lobban has already had as many great jobs as some people 10 years his senior. He left the Selfridges shop floor three years ago, after completing the pilot year at Fashion Retail Academy, to take on an allocator’s role, swiftly followed by assistant merchandiser and assistant buyer roles. Last autumn a further promotion saw Lobban take on an ecommerce job – facilitating the February launch of Selfridges’ online menswear and beauty offer.

Now he is back buying with his latest promotion back to the contemporary men’s and women’s wear department LAB.

“The online job was a massive learning curve”, Lobban says. “I was involved in the set up, sampling, making sure the content is right, that we had the right numbers and the right mix, especially on menswear, and making sure all the creative assets were in place,” he says.

One of the highlights of Lobban’s career so far is his role in developing the LAB department – and one he is pleased to reprise. “Selfridges runs with a close knit team so we were all involved, but I’m proud of the impact we made, growing the business hugely in three seasons,” he says. Lobban’s involvement includes identifying and bringing new and up-and-coming brands into the department.

Lobban says that he wants “to go as far as I can in fashion retailing – I love the trading side as well as the creativity of buying. Understanding the importance of all the different aspects of the business and the impact of each has been important to me. I’ve worked hard and I will carry on doing that.”

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