Supply Update

Supply Update

Industry update with Howard Wilder

Getting back to normal…

What a pleasure it is to be back to some sense of normality, with retailers open and everyone looking forward to busy Easter — unlike this time last year!

After an excellent Back to School, it seems that our customers are planning for another good year, with forward orders for 2022 well ahead of this time last year.

In February, we held our first Know-How Digital Seminar, speaking directly with customers about the new Government

Guidance and tendering requirements. The feedback was fantastic and now we’re planning more interactive seminars over the coming months.

A key takeaway for us was the enthusiastic response to our Media Hub which makes it easy for retailers to access the best content in the industry, helping to present a professional image to customers and schools.

Getting ready for this summer’s Back to School season is a priority for everyone here at Banner.

Although most Covid restrictions have been removed here in the UK, the Omicron variant is still significantly impacting some Far Eastern garment producing nations. We are confident, however, that our advance planning will absorb any issues.

Most importantly, we’ve brought forward our buying and deliveries and currently

have hundreds of thousands of garments coming into our Distribution Centres every week. This will ensure better and earlier stock availability, enabling us to prepare for our peak delivery dates in May, June and July.

It’s incredible to think that it’s now two years since we started the first lockdown – so much has happened in that time. I’d like to thank you for your support and understanding over this period, and as we look ahead, hope the upcoming Easter holiday will prove busy and successful return to ‘normal’ for us all.