Furniture is at the heart of the AIS buying group. We give independent retailers access to new, bestselling, and exclusive furniture products across upholstery, cabinet, bedroom, lighting, accessories, and garden.
AIS Fashion Buying
As the leading fashion buying group in the UK and Ireland, we work with a global network of brands across all sectors, including our womenswear own label First Avenue.
Get access to the best fashion brands
With our collective buying power and expertise, AIS helps independent retailers get their hands on the best fashion brands across womenswear, menswear, footwear, accessories, intimate apparel, and childrenswear. We have a particular focus on sustainable, lifestyle, high street, and high-end brands, to help indies stand out in the market.
First Avenue
We’re not just a fashion buying group. At AIS, our in-house team of fashion experts has a wealth of knowledge spanning design, retail, buying, sourcing, and merchandising, allowing us to fully understand an independent retailer’s needs. As a result, we created First Avenue, our own label womenswear brand exclusive to AIS Members. First Avenue adapts seasonal trends to provide a complete wardrobe solution for a stylish and timeless customer.
INDX fashion trade shows
Curated by our fashion buyers, the INDX fashion portfolio delivers 12 category focused trade shows a year. Covering an exciting and inclusive product offer across menswear, womenswear, kidswear, intimate apparel, sports & leisure, accessories, and footwear, INDX fashion shows are key order-writing events and open to all retailers.
Retail Buying and Merchandising
Retail Buying and Merchandising offers a one-stop shop of retail industry expertise across the home and fashion sectors, providing a bespoke service. This is an exclusive benefit of AIS membership.
AIS brings together the very best industry best practices for merchandising and budget management for today’s fashion and homewares environment, within independent retail.
Our Fashion Team
Meet our fashion experts
James Crabtree
Head of FashionWith a background in fashion wholesale, James started his career at AIS in 2002 where he progressed from Buyer, through to Product Developer to Head of Fashion in 2021.
Belinda Stuart
Senior Womenswear Buyer First Avenue & BrandsHolding previous Fashion Buyer roles at Harrods and Allders, Belinda joined AIS in 1993 and has been working in her current position of Senior Buyer for more than 10 years.
Devlin Lindeque
Interim Director of Fashion, Toys and SportDevlin brings over 20 years of experience to AIS, including Disney, Mothercare, and Merlin Entertainments - with expertise in leading buying and design teams as well as constructing and developing ranges across multiple product categories.
Why become an AIS fashion Member?
From sourcing the best brands and designing the best own label product ranges, to negotiating exclusive terms and discounts and curating the INDX Fashion shows, AIS Fashion delivers a complete service to enhance our Members margins and to drive their profitability.
Exclusive labels
Our exclusive womenswear brand, First Avenue, is a highly commercial collection that delivers high margins and seasonal newness. Quality and style for a contemporary-classic customer.
Payments made easy
As a Member, pay all AIS preferred suppliers with one simple direct debit payment. You’ll also get access to discounts, extended payment, and other beneficial terms.
Expert support
Our fashion team share weekly newsletters packed full of the latest updates and news from AIS and the wider industry. Our Members can join monthly community calls to share best practice and other insights.
INDX Fashion trade shows
Menswear, womenswear, kidswear, intimate apparel, footwear, and accessories, explore the latest products and trends at our independent retailer focused INDX Fashion trade shows.
Planning and budgeting
With seasonal performance reports at your fingertips future seasonal budgets and investments can be planned better. AIS provides recommendations using historical performance, current seasonal performance, intake margin, and where applicable stock levels to enhance your profitability.
Trading
Get full visibility of your sales, markdown, margin and profit by style, category, and department so you can understand your trading patterns. Our reporting will help you analyse and assess “New” season performance versus older products to save you time in manual auditing. Real-time analysis allows you to optimise each season, we'll recommend markdown strategy on poor-sellers too.
Stock management
We can protect your best-selling lines that take a high percentage of department sales. Our delivery scheduling service allows visibility of all your orders placed and their delivery dates to allow you to plan and prepare.
Buying and brand selection
Curating collections, brands, and products tailored to an independent retailer’s customer base and location is a specialist skill that combines creativity and experience with strategy, commercial acumen, and sector insight knowledge. AIS has a team of experts to help you range plan, negotiate the very best prices, and develop your promotions to maximise every sales opportunity.
Exclusive brands
With our AIS exclusive own label womenswear range, we help you stand out on the high street; delivering strong margins and effective stock forecasting. As a Member of AIS you can also contribute to our future product development to drive growth and sales.
Supplier relationship management
Our teams have developed and secured a breadth of suppliers to suit all independent retailers. AIS can leverage buying power and negotiate the best prices for you. We'll help oversee your relationship with brands and suppliers, saving you time with the assurance that you have an expert team working on your behalf.
Our Products and Services
We have a team of highly respected experts across home, fashion, leisure, sports, and toys. We source the best brands, suppliers, exclusive products and provide essential, commercially driven services to support the independent retailer.
Homeware Buying
From well-known brands to exclusively sourced ranges across cookware, kitchenware, small electricals, dining, glassware, home fragrance, and home textiles, AIS is the UK and Ireland’s leading homeware buying group.
Fashion Buying
Explore men's, women's, and kids ranges across fashion, accessories, and footwear. With access to exclusive brands, a strong focus on lifestyle, high street, and high-end names, plus our own label First Avenue.
Flooring Buying
The AIS Flooring One team offers Members the best quality, largest, and most innovative selection of floor coverings in the UK and Ireland, with a wide variety of traditional and contemporary products to suit every room of the house.
Retail Buying and Merchandising
A one-stop-shop of retail industry expertise, supporting with annual strategy and planning, buying, and brand selection - all designed to improve margins and profitability.
Sports and Leisure Buying
Our newest division, the AIS sports and leisure team work with leading sports, active lifestyle, performance wear, and team wear suppliers with a focus on innovation, expertise, and quality.
Toy Buying
Playroom is the home of market-leading toy brands as well as unique and sustainable products for children and nursery. As an AIS Member you can get access to exclusive margin-beating import programmes too.
Easy Payments
CENPAC is our unique AIS central payment system. CENPAC enables Members to settle all invoices from our preferred AIS suppliers with one easy and convenient direct-debit payment.
Become a Member of AIS
Membership is by Application. Register your interest and start your application today.