SCHOOLWEAR BUYER: THE LATEST NEWS AND OPINION FROM THE SCHOOLWEAR INDUSTRY
55: News
56: Back to School prep Schoolwear retailers reflect on last year’s Back to School and discuss how it has shaped their approach for this year’s selling period.
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Schoolwear NEWS: The latest news from the schoolwear industry. CWB INDEPENDENT RETAIL AWARDS 2016 This year sees the launch of the second CWB Independent Retail Awards, recognising performance and innovation across the childrenswear sector. Schoolwear retailers are invited to nominate their stores for the Best Schoolwear Store category, which is open to independents across the UK who trade within the specialist schoolwear sector and designed to recognise those who deliver quality and durable uniform within a strict seasonal timetable, while providing excellent service to parents. As well as the prestige of being crowned the best in schoolwear retail, the winner of the Best Schoolwear Store 2016 will receive a comprehensive store marketing package and dedicated coverage in CWB magazine, both in print and digitally. Applications open this month at www.cwb-online.co.uk. —
NEW OFFER FROM MARTON MILLS Marton Mills, a traditional Yorkshire family-owned weaving mill, is the largest fabric manufacturer to the schoolwear industry in the UK. In addition to its established range of high quality plains, tartans, checks and blazer stripes from stock, or bespoke to customer requirements, this year sees the launch of a wool blend suiting collection of fabrics designed to perform and deliver to the standards required for schoolwear. Marton Mills’ joint ownership of Roberts Dyers and Finishers ensures that high standards of quality and care are managed and maintained thoughout every aspect of the production process. Fabric woven to individual specifications can be finished to suit a particular end use, from a simple fluorocarbon coating, a rainwear proof, a flame-retardant finish or the latest NanoSphere technology. —
NEWS IN BRIEF
FIRST HOUSE OF ADIDAS OPENS IN SCOTLAND Greaves, a family-owned and run sports retailer that has been operating in Glasgow since the 1920s, has opened Scotland’s first House of Adidas for children, men and women; the only House of Adidas in the UK outside of Harrods. The £1m development in Greaves’ flagship Gordon Street store takes the shop to almost 13,000 sq ft, confirming Greaves’ position as the largest independent sports retailer in the country. “It’s great news for Greaves and our customers, of course, but it’s also a real shot in the arm for the city of Glasgow that the world’s top sports brand would choose to partner with its oldest retailer, rather than open its own shop around the corner,” says Greaves’ MD, Sandy Greaves. —
SA GUIDE TO SPECIFYING AND SOURCING UNIFORM The Schoolwear Association (SA) has launched a guide to specifying and sourcing uniform for head teachers, governors, teachers, managers, buyers and other school staff. The aim of the guide is to ensure every child and school benefits from the advantages of a high quality, good value uniform in terms of its benefits to learning, behaviour and safety. “Like schools, many schoolwear businesses are part of their local community, with high ethical values and standards of service, providing local jobs for local people,” says SA chairman David Burgess. “We believe they deserve support but we also recognise that schools must always seek value when specifying uniform, which is why we have produced this guide.” The guide contains advice on producing a tender document, with links to further in-depth resources. It advises schools when tendering to ensure potential suppliers are commercially viable without making overly complex requests for financial information that place an unnecessary burden on them. “Schools and academies need to be aware that during the autumn of 2017, the Department of Education guidelines on buying school uniform are expected to become statutory, and schools will need to make sure that they are aware of their responsibilities,” adds Burgess. “If schools continue to require a sole stockist of the school specific part of their uniform and they have not already gone through a tendering process, they will need to put uniform contracts out to tender and consider carefully the benefits of sole supplier agreements versus a shared supply arrangement.” A copy of the guide can be downloaded from www.schoolwearassociation.co.uk/schools-info. —
Two mothers have devised a barcode scheme to replace the traditional name tags used in school uniform. The women make unique barcodes to stick into children’s schoolwear, which teachers and parents can scan on an app to determine the owners of lost property. The barcodes are currently being trialled in a school in Milton Keynes.
DAVID LUKE’S NEW JUNIOR DAY SKORT David Luke has launched a new junior day skort. The garment has the styling and appearance of a skirt from the front, yet has neatly tailored shorts behind the skirt front panel, which are seamlessly linked. The result is a practical alternative for girls who prefer to have the look of a skirt, to feel comfortable and modest, while continuing to be as active as they want to be. The fabric quality of the skort is the same soft and durable mix of polyester, elastane and viscose as the already popular girls’ skirts and trouser styles. Part of David Luke’s Eco-uniform range, it uses polyester derived from postconsumer recycled plastic bottles. Sold by age, from 2-3 years up to 11-12 years, the skort is offered in grey from stock and is available to order at www.davidluketrade.com from early July for current customers, including free next-day delivery. —
The UK economy is expected to grow at a slower rate through 2016 and 2017, with signs of global economic risks starting to weigh on investment plans, according to the latest CBI economic forecast. The leading business group’s quarterly forecast predicts the UK will see 2.0 per cent GDP growth in both 2016 and 2017, both of which are downgrades from its last forecast in February (2016 – 2.3 per cent, 2017 – 2.1 per cent).
Manchester children’s charity Wood Street Mission has opened referrals for its flagship project to kit out children for school, SmartStart Manchester & Salford. Families living on a low income can apply to the charity during June for help with uniform in time for the new school year. The charity is working with leading national supplier Trutex to help kit out thousands of school children over the summer. JUNE/JULY 2016 - 55
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BACK TO SCHOOL PREP Rebecca Jackson asks schoolwear retailers to reflect on last year’s Back to School (BTS) and discuss how it has shaped their approach for this year’s selling period. — SHARON FINNIGAN OWNER, SCHOOL DAYS & JUST DANCING, TWICKENHAM How was BTS 2015? It was very busy up until mid-October last year. One of the schools had a compulsory uniform change and some parents waited until the term started and they had to change them. Generally, customers wait until later on to buy uniform anyway, so it made the whole process a bit later than usual last year. Are you making any changes to improve the way you work for BTS 2016? We’ve changed how we order. Instead of ordering in bulk, we are ordering less and more frequently so that the stock room is freed up a little more and we can cater to demand. How do you market BTS? We’ve just moved onto Twitter this year, so we’re trialling how this will work at the moment. We have Facebook and already market through this. We aim it at the PTA generally and I’d like to focus on promotions and making people aware of what we have on offer. I also run pop-up shops in school. I take stock with me, but when this runs out, I take orders. This has proven to be successful so far. What channels do you sell across? We mainly sell through the shop, though we also sell a fair proportion through the website. Events, such as the pop-up shop, are very successful and a way for me to meet customers and hopefully attract new ones. This year, as we work towards building on our e-commerce offering, we should be selling through mobile phones, too. Are you seeing any trends in school uniform? Not so much with younger children, more so with the senior and secondary school pupils. Uniforms are moving towards a more traditional style and colour palette. We’ve had one school who has made its uniform grey trousers and leggings only, so that pupils can’t get away with wearing skinny jeans or similar styles. Last year, we introduced an eco range and schools like this. Primary schools have got a bit more relaxed in their style. Schools started letting the children wear logo hoodies and generally moved away from cotton to more flexible, sporty fabrics. One school also started letting the children wear their PE kits one day a week. More parents order 100 per cent cotton fabric uniforms now, too, as they believe it’s better for kids who have eczema. What services do you provide to make your business more competitive? We offer buy one, get one half price promotions and a free embroidery service on book bags, rucksacks and PE bags. Any plans for the business? I’d like to grow the number of schools and build on business, as always. The main challenge for us is the social media side of things and growing this side of the business to keep up with larger retail giants who can offer it all. Businesses like Amazon offer immediate delivery, and that’s what people expect nowadays. —
MATTHEW HARRISON MANAGING DIRECTOR, SIMPLY UNIFORM, DERBY How was BTS 2015? Very hectic and busy. Are you making any changes to improve the way you work for BTS 2016? Yes, we have invested in an additional embroidery machine and extra staff. How do you market BTS? A combination of email marketing, mailshots and social media is a large part of our marketing strategy. We also use social media to engage with customers. What channels do you sell across? The majority of sales are currently web-based, which is why we use SEO services to assist: a website can look great and be easy to use, but customers need to know it’s there and be able to find it. Have you noticed any trends in school uniform? Tank tops are making a bit of a comeback with us, especially as schools opt for a more traditional look. Do you have any sizing issues with uniform? In our opinion, the manufacturers are answering any sizing issues in school uniform and also offering a benefit over products offered by supermarkets. Are you trialling anything new for BTS 2016? Our sublimation range of sportswear is a growing area for us. Is there anything suppliers could do to better support your business? Marketing support is getting better, especially Blue Max Banner who is very active with resellers. What services do you offer to make your business more competitive? As a family business, and as parents ourselves, we can appreciate the pressures felt on parents and hopefully help by offering good oldfashioned service. What’s your forecast for BTS 2016 sales? Very promising. Any plans for the business? We are due to move into a new purpose-built unit on a prominent site and would like to start offering other forms of uniform for other sectors, as well as schools. —
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RACHEL MCHUGH DIRECTOR, JOHN MCHUGH, STRETFORD, MANCHESTER How was BTS 2015? Hard work as usual but all in all, a successful year. Are you making any changes to improve the way you work for BTS 2016? We have upgraded some of our systems; new telephones, computers, accounts packages and PDQ points. We have also extended the range of items on our online store to hopefully maximise sales and reach a wider market. Although we are open seven days, we have extended our opening times to include a late night through the summer season, too. How do you market BTS? We have close links with our schools and include marketing material in the parent packs and leaflets and posters within the schools, with store information and links between school websites and ours. We attend all the school induction evenings to promote our store to new parents, advertise locally, and sponsor school events. Being established nearly 60 years also means that we have built up a relationship with generations of customers and have a reputation for quality goods at great prices. Do you utilise social media to engage with customers? It is area we are developing right now, so watch this space. What channels do you sell across? We do them all excluding social media. Our primary way is still through our retail store, but year-on-year, internet sales are on the increase. Telephone and mail orders remain stable, but there has been a drop in demand for in-school selling and ordering events. This is probably due to having an accessible store stocking the full range of sizes, open seven days a week, with knowledgeable staff on hand to assist customers. Have you witnessed any changes in customer buying habits? We have noticed an increase in sales of plain garments, particularly trousers and shirts. Customers are returning to us for better quality products, often after having sampled cheaper high street alternatives. Customer feedback is that they would rather pay a little more for quality and service than opt for price driven goods. What are the current trends in school uniform? Big trends are the slimline and skinny trousers for boys and girls and a move towards straight skirts from the ever popular pleated ones. Do you have any sizing issues with uniform? Every year we seem to extend our range of specials, stocking longer length blazers, smaller and larger sizes, XL long leg length trousers and a bigger range of sturdy trousers. Are you trialling anything new for BTS 2016? We have introduced scout and guide uniforms so it will be the first BTS with a full range on offer. We have also introduced pumps, hair accessories from Bows4Schools and some of the new range of bags from William Turner. Is there anything suppliers could do to better support your business? Overall, suppliers have improved. We have found online ordering helps, especially in busy times, and we would like to see this from all of the major suppliers. Faster embroidery turnaround in season and quicker made-to-order garments would help, too – along with keener prices. What services do you offer to make your business more competitive? Customer service is key. Having a dedicated team with in-depth knowledge of correct uniform requirements and ability to assist with sizes is vital. We offer savings plans, operate a layaway scheme, we have a variety of purchasing options and offer a very competitive, quick tailoring service. What’s your forecast for BTS 2016 sales? We will be looking for continued growth. We have retained existing schools and taken on a couple of new accounts for BTS 2016. We would hope for increases in sales from plain items and accessories. Any plans for the business? We will continue to focus on updating our systems and look to further improve our online services to ensure that customers receive the same level of customer service as they do in-store. We are also keen to develop the skill set of the existing team, and provide the staff with more opportunities to take on new and exciting responsibilities. —
STEVE OPTIX PARTNER, BRENDA’S, CAMBERLEY, SURREY How was BTS 2015? Crazy! Are you making any changes to improve the way you work for BTS 2016? We are increasing staff numbers even further and opting for a shift pattern. We’ve added two more changing rooms, taking our total to nine to increase throughput and reduce waiting times. We’ve also invested in a warehouse unit so that we can store more stock offsite and utilise the freed up space to add to the shop floor. How do you market BTS? Generally we don’t. We attend many, or supply material for, new parents’ evenings, which of course does market BTS for us, but not in the traditional sense of marketing. Do you utilise social media to engage with customers? We use Facebook. We used to use Pinterest, but it’s not localised enough yet. We also used Twitter for a while, but didn’t find it beneficial. Personally, I think Facebook ‘likes’ are a much stronger indication of an interested party than a Twitter ‘follower’. What channels do you sell across? In-store and online. We are seeing continual growth in both, partly down to new contracts, but also natural growth in online sales. I’d like to say it would reduce pressure on the shop floor during BTS as the online take usage grows, but I can’t see that happening. Have you witnessed any changes in customer buying habits or any trends in school uniform? Buying habits, nothing really noticeable. Uniform trends, I think skinny and slim fit has reached saturation point and will start to ease off whilst the trendsetters decide on the next ‘cool’ look. Do you have any sizing issues with uniform? We of course have a natural increase commensurate with higher customer numbers year-on-year, but suppliers are adding more and more extra length to their ranges, which is very helpful and saves an alteration. Despite the media coverage, we don’t notice any more demand now then there was 10 years ago. Are you trialling anything new for BTS 2016? We are growing some brands we’ve built up over the last two or three years, but it’s our ongoing mission to constantly re-evaluate to ensure that the best products are being sold for each purpose. Currently we believe 95 per cent of our product is from the best possible sources for style, durability and cost and we are always tweaking about five per cent. Schools’, parents’ and children’s requirements change all the time. We’ve got to be adaptable in the products we supply to ensure they are 100 per cent fit for purpose and we stay ahead of the competition. Is there anything schoolwear suppliers could do to better support your business? The suppliers we work with are fantastic in the way they are all looking at ways to make our lives easier. Order updates, live stock figures online, larger stockholding, forward booking offers, increased credit limits during peak season and early settlement discounts are just some of the ways in which our suppliers support us. What services do you offer to make your business more competitive? Our online service with 24-hour delivery is very popular; we subsidise the cost of this to make it more attractive for the customer. We operate a deposit scheme to help families spread the cost of school uniform purchases, which has had more take-up than ever this year. We believe our ongoing mission to sell the best products for the best price coupled with our massive customer service ethos and huge stockholding keeps us competitive in all areas. What’s your forecast for BTS 2016 sales? We’ve taken on three more schools with a combined roll of 3,000 children in the last two months, so we envisage an even busier summer than usual. Any plans for the business? Something big is in the pipeline, which should be launched for BTS 2016. The details are being finalised as we speak. —
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CAROLINE HARDY MANAGER, THE SCHOOL SHOP, BEACONSFIELD, BUCKS How was BTS 2015? Last year’s BTS went well for us. In the main, our suppliers delivered on time and we got our stock levels right. A complete new uniform was introduced at one of our schools last BTS. This change went smoothly for us and our customers love the redesign. Are you making any changes to improve the way you work for BTS 2016? We have invested in a ‘take a ticket’ queue management system for this BTS. We hope this will help us on the very busiest days at the end of August and beginning of September. Hopefully, having this system in place will help our customers see how close to being served they are and will prevent arguments between customers about who is next in the queue. How do you market BTS? Every year we produce leaflets specific to each of our schools. These are distributed to new parents by the schools in preparation for the new school year. They introduce our business and explain the services we offer. They also include a price list for all of the specific school uniform parents need to buy. Do you utilise social media to engage with customers? We don’t currently use social media but setting up a Twitter account is on the to-do list for this year. Most of our schools use Twitter regularly and I think it will be a good way to connect with them. What channels do you sell across? The main focus of our business is our shop in Beaconsfield and most of our business is done through face-to-face selling. Our website has been up and running for three years and is proving to be increasingly popular. However, for BTS, most complete new uniforms are sold in-store rather than online. We find parents are more likely to use the website for top-up orders where they already know what size they need to buy. Have you witnessed any changes in customer buying habits? We always recommend to customers that they come into the shop early to avoid the inevitable last minute BTS rush. Some do listen and plan ahead, but by far our busiest days are still after the August bank holiday. Are you seeing any trends in school uniform? As we mainly sell quite traditional private school uniforms, trends aren’t always noticeable to us. However, the introduction of skorts as part of girls’ PE kit has been a big trend in the last few years and girls all seem to prefer them to the traditional games skirts. Do you have any sizing issues with uniform? Every year there are always some children who need uniform that is bigger or smaller than the sizes that we typically sell. We always try our best to source uniform for them so they can look the same as their classmates and not feel different. Are you trialling anything new for BTS 2016? We are introducing more stationery into the store. We are using Helix/ Maped products to make up pencil cases full of the stationery items required on the school lists. We think that having exactly what pupils need, made up for them as one item, will be helpful for busy parents who won’t then need to go on a separate stationery shopping trip. Is there anything suppliers could do to better support your business? For the most part, I find our suppliers very helpful. The only thing that I feel could be improved is to have more honesty when things are going wrong. For example, if a delivery is going to be significantly late, I would rather know exactly how late than not be told the whole story. That way, it is easier to manage customers’ expectations and keep our schools informed of delays. What services do you offer to make your business more competitive? We provide a free of charge deliver-to-school service to some of our schools every week during term time. Next day delivery is available for most of our web and mail orders. We also offer a very popular name tape sewing service. What’s your forecast for BTS 2016 sales? We believe sales this BTS will be at a similar level to last year. Any plans for the business? After this BTS, we will be looking to invest in our own embroidery machine. We hope this will make our business more efficient and give us more flexibility. —
LUKE CONOD FOUNDER, SCHOOL UNIFORM SHOP, HEREFORD How was BTS 2015? We had a very good year. The implementation of a number of new systems to improve customer service were very successful. We also spent time reinforcing what we stand for to our customers and school partners by promoting our ethical stance and our values. This, combined with excellent customer service, helped increase sales by just over 11 per cent. Are you making any changes to improve the way you work for BTS 2016? We have invested significantly in our online presence; we now have a dedicated colleague working on digital marketing and all our bespoke products are now available online. Our biggest change for 2016 though, is that we now donate five per cent of all our sales on bespoke uniform towards educational and schools projects in Cambodia and Nepal. How do you market BTS? We use social media, our store and transactional websites to market to our customers, which works well alongside local and regional PR. We also use more traditional leaflets and price lists, which go out to all new students across our partner schools What social media platforms do you use to engage with customers? We use Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We have been using these for a number of years and they work well for keeping in touch with our partner schools, parents and students. What channels do you sell across? We sell from our store in Hereford, a concession in Labels Outlet Shopping in Ross on Wye and also from our transactional website www.schooluniformshop.co.uk. Sales of bespoke products are performing well in both Hereford and Ross on Wye so we have just added these to our website and the early signs are good. Basic plain product sales are challenging, but we have started to see slight improvements over the past 12 months. Are you witnessing any trends in school uniform? We are noticing a trend towards smarter uniform again, with a resurgence in the blazer and tie for senior schools. Schools are also moving towards more specific school skirts and of course, the boys’ slim fit trouser is really selling well. Do you have any sizing issues with uniform? The suppliers support us well in these areas, so we don’t have any sizing issues. Are you trialling anything new for BTS 2016? We are adding David Luke’s Eco range to our website for summer 2016, which we are very excited about. Is there anything suppliers could do to better support your business? We work closely with all our suppliers and find the support we get is excellent. What services do you offer to make your business more competitive? We offer an in-store name tape service where customers can pay a small extra charge and we will heat press their child’s name onto all of their garments before they leave the store, which has proved very popular. In 2015, we launched our new in-store ordering system so that if an item is out of stock, we email the customer when the item is back in and ready for collection or deliver it to their house or school free of charge. What’s your forecast for BTS 2016 sales? I believe we will have a strong 2016 and have forecast a 7–9 per cent growth, predominantly through the bespoke products. Any plans for the business? We are looking at bringing some of our embroidery in-house to reduce lead times to the stores and wholesale customers for small runs. —
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Established for over 25 years, two generations, covering all areas of the UK. Representing leading brands from Europe and Canada, catering for boys and girls 0 to 16 years. Styling from contemporary to traditional. FUN & FUN, LE CHIC, DEUX PAR DEUX, NO NO, BOBOLI, FOQUE, SARDON, LARANJINHA, ITTY LONDON Weldon Agencies, Southport, Merseyside Tel: 01704 576033 Email: barrieweldon@btconnect.com, andrewweldon@btconnect.com www.weldonagencies.co.uk
Warth Industrial Park, Warth Road, Bury BL9 9NB Tel: 0161 761 5151 Fax: 0161 762 0202 Email: tieandscarf@chaytow.com Web: www.tieandscarf.co.uk
Van Huizen Agencies is a young, fresh and vibrant agency, for the more discerning retailer requiring beautiful and unique collections. OILILY CHILDRENSWEAR, LIONS OF PORCHES, NOA NOA MINIATURE COLLECTION Unit 1, First Floor, Paragon Works, Wilsthorpe Road, Long Eaton, Nottingham NG10 3JW. Tel: 07967 560633 Email: franck@vanhuizenagencies.co.uk www.vanhuizenagencies.co.uk
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TALKING POINT | WWW.CWB-ONLINE.CO.UK
LIZ PILGRIM Curator of Bubble Bump and editor of Maternity Buyer This season’s edition of Bubble London will see the launch of Bubble Bump, a showcase of maternity and nursery product curated by Liz Pilgrim. Something of a maternity guru, Pilgrim’s expertise spans retail, marketing, brand consultancy and the founding of trade website maternitybuyer.com. CWB quizzes her on the concept behind Bump and what visitors can expect from Bubble’s newest arrival. Laura Turner: You previously owned the baby and maternity shop, Babye. What’s the story? Liz Pilgrim: After having my first baby and discovering there were no maternity and baby shops in my local area, I decided to launch my own. I opened Babye in Ealing in 2003 following a successful career in kids’ marketing. It was a beautiful, award-winning shop that quickly gained a high profile, as did our online shop, and that was in the days before brands even had their own online presence. Sadly, sales were badly affected by the economic crash in 2008, and in 2011, the Babye store was destroyed in the Ealing riots. With my 10-year lease up for renewal, and the shop having lost its magic, I decided to close. LT: You then became an agent? LP: Yes, a few of the brands I sold in the shop approached me to be their agent and I decided to change my focus from retail to wholesaling. LT: Where did your passion for the maternity sector come from? LP: Like many consumers, I had no idea about the maternity industry, or its products, until I was pregnant myself. You think you can get away without buying maternitywear and in some ways you can, but having good quality, well-fitting clothing and underwear is really an absolute must. When pregnant, you’re coming to terms with your changing body shape, so to have clothes that make you feel and look good is important. LT: Can you tell me about your website, maternitybuyer.com? LP: Having built up a retail database being an agent and being constantly approached by brands needing an agent, I identified a gap for a maternity industry resource and content hub in the UK. Maternity Buyer provides news and brand information as well as a directory of brands and services to connect brands with buyers. My long term plan is to make it interactive. LT: You also consult for brands? LP: Yes, utilising my expertise in marketing, retailing and selling, I’ve provided consultancy services to brands either wanting to launch products, enter the UK market for the first time or who simply need marketing expertise. LT: What training and workshops do you offer? LP: I’ve lectured at the local university,
inspiring would-be entrepreneurs; I’ve run workshops within local business networking groups and I provide a one-day course for anyone wanting to open a shop, either one-toone or in small groups. I’d have loved to have done a course like mine before opening my own shop: it’s a huge learning curve opening as an independent. LT: What triggered the idea for Bump? LP: When I first opened Babye, there were lots of maternity brand agents and showrooms, but with a declining industry and many boutiques closing, most of the agents disappeared. With a resurgence in the industry and many retail buyers not being able to afford – financially or time-wise – to visit European shows, I felt the need for a maternity and baby show in London. I wanted to collaborate, and Bubble London had, like myself, also identified that a maternity section could work in the UK. LT: How have you applied your expertise to Bump’s creation? LP: I’ve got a lot of contacts and, having the unique all-round experience of being a marketer, independent buyer and agent, I know what I’d be looking for: a mix of maternitywear and new and unique products to stand out from the competition. LT: What is the criteria for exhibitors? LP: We’re focusing on high quality brands of maternity or nursery product with a point of difference. Bump will be a platform for both British brands looking to showcase products, and international brands hoping to reach the UK and Europe. Bump will be in its own branded area of Bubble, so it will be easy for visitors to navigate. LT: Why should kidswear retailers consider branching into maternity and nursery? LP: Look at this incremental revenue stream: with 800,000 expectant mothers every year and the birth rate set to increase over the next 10 years, I’d say kidswear retailers cannot ignore this consumer group. Being pregnant, especially for the first time, is such a special experience where there’s the inbuilt excuse to indulge. Sell a decent maternity outfit to an expectant mum and you’re likely to gain her loyalty for her baby and nursery choices. In a tough marketing environment, retailers should be doing all they can with the ‘bump pound’.
LT: What are the core maternity and nursery products retailers should buy into? LP: A strong selection of basics at good price points work well, but also having a range of clothing for special occasions can give an edge on high street maternity offerings. Maternity clothing that can be used for nursing also gives a good USP. Seamless nursing bras, maternity skincare, nursing accessories such as muslins, baby change bags, hospital bag products and layette are all good options. Breastfeeding is another area of growth, with many mums wanting to feed discreetly, so having nursingwear or accessories is an area retailers can really respond to. There has also been huge interest in the benefits of baby slings and carriers: where space is limited, retailers should consider this as a product range, with many brands offering training for in-store demonstrations. LT: How do you rate the UK maternity and nursery market? LP: It has seen decline over the last 10-years, but we’re now seeing growth. More high street retailers seem to be increasing their stock keeping units (SKUs) and the independents need to address this and make sure they don’t lose out on sales. I think we’ll see more products manufactured under licence, whether that’s through celebrity endorsement or design, and I predict some online retailers will start opening their own shops, too. Great Little Trading Company opened its doors for the first time in April and I anticipate more of the same. JUNE/JULY 2016 - 62
Tel: 07961841054 Email: info@deenalondon.com www.deenalondon.com
Summers here and kids just want to be outside Clear skies and sunshine are the perfect recipe for summer fun, just add a pair of funky RAP sandals for a really cool summer. With their sturdy and supportive construction a RAP sandal is both comfortable and cooling for their little feet. Come and see the collection at Bubble on the 19th-20th June stand C24 at the plaza or make an appointment with Franck@arautorap.com or call 07967 560633
RAP‌ for your little eco warriors