Still time for a new supplier!

Hurrah! The New Year is upon us, well - January has passed by very quickly - and before we know it, it will be the first half term of the year. But does the ringing of the New Year bells means it's too late to ring in the changes with your school uniform supplier?

Not at all is the very simple answer. The key question I would ask, is what changes are you planning on making? If it's a completely new school range, then time is tight especially for maximising on discounts for bulk orders. Bear in mind that most of the manufacturers (not us "the resellers") are already making the blazers and embroidering for delivery in June. But, that said if the changes to your range are relatively small - then we still have many more months to go until parents need to order. 

It's even better if you are simply looking at taking on board a dual supplier. This is one of the most effective ways of dealing with the Department of Educations recommendations for uniform. By having dual suppliers then you enable local competition which can only benefit your parents. 

 One of the arguments I always hear when speaking directly to parents (the consumers in all of this) is how expensive uniform is - but is it really? Sure, when you fill your shopping cart with a blazer, tie, shirts, trousers and PE kit is does look a lot but considering that the uniform if well made and not from a budget supermarket, it should last you for the whole of the school year. That means that the £35 you pay for a blazer is costing you just 90p a week or around 18p per day - excellent value. Compare that to a non-uniform policy where you children may well be asking for the latest Superdry hoodies which they then get bored of and want replacing. 

But the real focus of the government guidelines is what constitutes uniform, not just about what gives parents the best value. We are seeing a rise off schools using a more casual approach to uniforms. Personally I'm surprised that a school would want to put their students in blazer especially when you consider that suits are a thing of the past in many workplaces. Surely the emphasis should be on how do you get the students to perform better. Yes - having a clear uniform policy helps but the more casual sweatshirt and polo combination is a more comfortable option then the historical blazer and tie. 

However, it's with the PE kit that I personally have the biggest bug bear. We know that a lot of teenage girls will drop out of sport around the age of 12-14 and its not surprising given how dreadful some of the PE kits are that the school enforce. By that age we need to be considering what changes the child is going through - both emotional and physical - so wearing a 2-1 short or leggings is surely more comfortable and encouraging then sending them out in the cold with a skimpy skort. 

But, back to the main point of this article - is there time for you to make a change? Of course there is and if you are considering it, then the first stop is an initial chat to discuss what your requirements are. Our sales team are waiting!