22 | SCHOOL UNIFORMS | COVER FEATURE Why uniforms mater click here F
rom the increasing popularity of pop-up shops and online ordering, via the arrival of crest-
embossed butons and on to a school shoe company with a fascinating back story, there are some fascinating trends in the provision of uniforms to children in independent education. One major development in recent
years has been the expansion of multi- channel supply solutions, as deployed by Stevensons. The school uniform provider now sells to parents via a variety of methods: its online shop, retail branches, on-campus school shops, an order hotline, school selling events and pop-up shops, and wholesale direct to schools. Over 20% of Stevensons’ annual sales are now online: at the last count the company had 96,500 online customers and processed over 6,500 online orders monthly, a figure which can triple in August. Pop-up shops or selling events held
at school are growing in popularity as parents seek the convenience of being able to visit the school to buy all the uniform their child needs – and to try everything on for size. Stevensons runs over 300 selling events at schools around the UK each year, greatly assisting the school by providing the stock, trestle tables, signage, staff and tills and communicating with the parents to tell them when the event is happening. Profitability in the sector is notoriously
difficult, with companies working to low margins and having to keep a large stockholding of uniform year- round, over 80% of which remains unsold until July and August each year. Many smaller uniform shops are closing nationally and there have been some recent mergers and acquisitions: both Barrets in Bournemouth and Schoolwear Oxford have been acquired by Stevensons in the last 18 months. Elsewhere, there is greater unity than
ever at Gloucestershire’s Bredon School where, for the first time, all ages from four upwards wear blazers (juniors formerly wore sweatshirts.) A new headmaster’s fresh approach to the school’s uniform now sees the girls wearing tartan, rather than plain blue skirts – but children remain free to choose their own overalls and wellingtons when working on the school’s farm. Meanwhile, the much-loved retailer
John Lewis brings experience to the uniform-buying experience, according to Katrina Mill, the company’s schoolwear buyer. “We’ve been selling schoolwear
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for more than 80 years, so we know the importance of offering schools and parents uniforms in a reliable, helpful and convenient way. Parents know that they can rely on us for good value, excellent quality and easy-maintenance clothing that their children will want to wear, as these are the key principles we consider when designing our John Lewis-branded uniforms. Even our Basics range features Teflon fabric protector, our knitwear and jersey sportswear has a safe treatment preventing bobbling and colour fading, and all
our shirts and blouses are non-iron.” John Lewis also offer easy ordering,
and can accommodate all sizes of pupil. “For parents’ convenience, all our school-specific uniform is available to purchase online 365 days a year and parents can also visit our shops where we have samples available to try,” Katrina explains. “Our trained schoolwear partners offer a fiting service and provide advice on fabrics, quantities and fiting for growth. With school-specific schoolwear we also offer a special measure service on bespoke
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