SCHOOLWEAR BUYER: THE LATEST NEWS AND OPINION FROM THE SCHOOLWEAR INDUSTRY
63: News
64: Business Resolutions With the New Year upon us, schoolwear suppliers reveal their business resolutions for 2017.
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Schoolwear NEWS:
PMG ACQUIRES BUSINESS ASSETS OF CLASS DESIGNS
The latest news from the schoolwear industry. SMES’ SKILLS SHORTAGE
ENCOURAGING OUTLOOK FOR UK TEXTILE MANUFACTURERS A recent survey carried out by Make it British, the resource for information on UK manufacturing and British-made brands, revealed “business is better” for 45 per cent of UK textile manufacturers, with many enjoying increases in production of 25-50 per cent in 2016 compared with 2015. Of the 95 UK textile manufacturers surveyed, 30 per cent reported receiving more enquiries now than prior to the EU referendum, but did highlight that they are being hit by rising costs for raw materials, many of which are imported from the EU. —
With 50 per cent of small businesses with over five employees planning to grow their headcount over the next two years, finding skilled staff tops the list of challenges for business owners, according to a recent report by UK independent venture capital investors, Albion Ventures. This is the first time SMEs have identified a shortage of skilled staff as the biggest obstacle to growth ahead of red tape and regulation, which ranked in second and third places in 2016. Political uncertainty and leaving the EU were ranked in fourth and sixth place respectively. According to the fourth Albion Growth Report, which is based on interviews with 1,000 SMEs and highlights factors that create and impede growth in post-Brexit Britain, the biggest skills gap reported by over 26 per cent of SMEs is marketing, followed by new technology (21 per cent) and business planning (17 per cent). The smallest skills gap is in financial management at only 9 per cent. Entrepreneurs in the east Midlands are the most underpowered in marketing, with 32 per cent lacking expertise in this area. The technology skills gap is the widest in Scotland (34 per cent), while a quarter of businesses in the north east also felt they lacked expertise in HR. —
NEWS IN BRIEF
SOURCING SCHOOL FOOTWEAR The UK’s most comprehensive trade footwear event, Moda Footwear, is once again set to present a varied selection of school footwear amid its forthcoming a/w 17 edition. Highlights from the impending show, which takes place on 19-21 February at the NEC, Birmingham include Back to School shoes from brands such as Bo-bell, Froddo, RAP, Ricosta, Petasil, Pediped and Lelli Kelly. For further information on the exhibition, or to register as a visitor, visit moda-uk.co.uk. —
RECYCLING UNIFORMS TO RAISE SCHOOL FUNDS Pupils at Mab’s Cross Primary School in Standishgate, Wigan, are donating ‘grown out, not worn out’ school uniform garments to other children who have outgrown theirs as part of a recycling scheme to help raise school funds. Entitled Unicycle, the initiative’s additional aims are to provide an alternative means to affordable school uniform and to help cut landfill. Funds generated through Unicycle will go towards renovating the school’s playground. —
— Long-standing Gravesend school uniform independent Bobby’s Fashion and Schoolwear has closed its doors this month after over 40 years of trading. The retailer cited rising rent costs and declining profits as the main contributing factors behind the closure.
Late last year, PMG Schoolwear acquired the assets of Class Designs Hanwell, a long established retail supplier of school uniforms in West London. Commenting on the development, Paul Gelernter, MD of PMG, says, “This is great news for schools, suppliers and parents of children and students who attend schools supplied by Class Designs. It means the business will continue seamlessly and the supply chain will be unbroken. PMG is one of the largest, most experienced and competitive suppliers of school uniform nationwide. We bring strength and reliability. “For PMG, it gives us a personal relationship with schools and parents in the area. We are a multi-channel supplier and will maintain the outstanding service that Class Designs has provided over the years. PMG will also ensure the quality, service and value for money that PMG is famous for will extend to the customers of Class Designs. “The service we provide to schools and parents will also be enhanced by moving it to bigger premises nearby, which will benefit from our updated transactional website and advanced technology, all designed to give a better shopping experience.” Mary Gill of Class Designs, adds, “I am delighted that we agreed terms with PMG. I was concerned that the business should go to an experienced schoolwear supplier who understood and would maintain our tradition of excellent service. Under the new management, and with the strength of PMG behind it, I am confident the business will go from strength to strength. “I will continue to be involved with the business and I am satisfied that this move will enable us to provide an even better service to our schools and parents.” —
— Since the collapse of BHS, The Fashion & Textile Children’s Trust - a charity that has been supporting families in the UK fashion and textile industry for over 160 years - has seen an influx of former BHS employees applying for grants to help meet the cost of essentials, namely school uniforms, winter clothing and shoes.
— Corporate clothing supplier Incorporatewear has donated 1,300 pairs of shoes on behalf of its client Virgin Atlantic to Sal’s Shoes, a charity that provides pre-loved shoes to impoverished children worldwide. The shoes are destined for schoolgirls in need, with the first consignment distributed in Zimbabwe before Christmas and the second being delivered this month to Burkina Faso. JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 - 63
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2017 BUSINESS
RESOLUTIONS The start of a new year is the perfect time to assess goals and aspirations. Rebecca Jackson speaks to schoolwear suppliers to discover their business resolutions for 2017. —
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SARAH HORTON-PARSONS, DIRECTOR, CHARLES KIRK
“Following the referendum in June 2016, I hope we can get back to a more stable environment for the schoolwear market, and focus on what matters most to schools, parents and pupils. Talking about Trutex specifically, we will continue to put our customers at the heart of our organisation, and focus on trying to improve in everything we do next year. We are excited about the prospects of 2017 and look forward to working with our many customers.” MATTHEW EASTER, MANAGING DIRECTOR, TRUTEX
64 - JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017
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Having taken into consideration everything that was thrown at us in 2016, our resolution is to simply look forward to getting on with the job in hand which is all about assisting customers with their sales and marketing. Our priority resolution as a company in 2017 is to share the sales and marketing benefits of our products and applications by reminding everyone as to the power of One. With over 25 years’ experience in over 45 countries, we confirm that customers who actively target personalised samples to customers get results and create new business. This cost-effective method of marketing generates actual orders and improves customer perception of you as a supplier. The schoolwear market is changing and those involved directly in supplying the market also need to change. The focus is on what else can you supply to the school, and on supporting it with an actual personalised sample for evaluation. TheMagicTouch continue to host sales and marketing seminars throughout 2017 at its UK headquarters in Dunstable, Bedfordshire. —
JIM NICOL, MANAGING DIRECTOR, THEMAGICTOUCH
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Our new year’s resolution for 2017 is to communicate the benefits of a UK-made product both to our customers and schools in general. With children’s garments made in the UK you can be sure that they are made for children and not by children. The Charles Kirk workforce work under the same national conditions as the parents of the children that wear our garments. There are lower carbon emissions as the garments are not transported vast distances by air or sea. Due to the higher minimum wage levels in the UK, which are nearly 20 times more than those set in some parts of Asia, our garments will be more highly priced than imports but, by using our skilled workforce and good quality raw materials, we produce hardwearing garments that will not just last months but years. —
PEOPLE | WWW.CWB-ONLINE.CO.UK
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JEREMY ASTON-PHILLIPS, SALES DIRECTOR, GOLDEN FINISHES
Our New Year’s resolution for 2017 is to be better. This goal complements our vision of being a great company to work with. We want our customers to benefit from an even better service, faster turnaround times and improved quality year on year. We resolve not to cut corners, cheapen products or add to our range, because we aim to represent stability and trustworthiness in the coming challenging years. For our suppliers, this means sustaining strong and loyal relationships. For our people, we want to reward trust, care and customer service excellence. In 2016, as an employeeowned firm, we demonstrated our responsibility to do the right thing for our customers and our people. This was showcased by the BBC who featured us as a role model in response to the important debate about excessive boardroom pay and greater corporate governance. Finally, we will continue to live up to our customer charter by not supplying schools or parents directly. —
DONALD MOORE, MANAGING DIRECTOR, ROWLINSON KNITWEAR
ANDY SMITH, SALES DIRECTOR, WILLIAM TURNER
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It is looking like another exciting year ahead. At David Luke, we’ll be focused on continuing to invest in key stock lines such as Eco blazers, jackets, skirts and trousers, where we’ve been achieving year on year growth. We will be aiming to enhance our stock support and service delivery further, as this will be even more important to retailers if the trend towards a last-minute Back to School continues into 2017. We remain committed to providing our customers with resources to support with school tender applications and presentations. There are many different tools we have put in place and we will be exploring more ways of ensuring that independent retailers can retain control of the supply contracts held with schools.
KATHRYN SHUTTLEWORTH, MANAGING DIRECTOR DAVID LUKE
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Having put 2016 to bed, with all its challenges, I am very excited to look forward to 2017. My personal goal is to get the Golden Finishes (GF) range of cost effective promotional textiles in front of as many schoolwear companies as possible, explaining the benefits of promoting these products to schools, clubs and businesses and why garment retailers can explore other revenue streams that sit perfectly with their existing offerings. I will also be looking at how GF can work closely with dynamic and forward thinking garment suppliers to offer more to their retailers. Working together, I have always believed, is the way forward in business and if each level of the supply chain can benefit, then there is a real incentive to make this work for all involved. I am continually investigating new and exciting ways that we can develop the range. We will continue to promote the benefits of ‘Made in the UK’ and will be getting out on the road to talk to customers both directly and at shows. This is how we at GF have built the business to where it is today and how we will be continuing to build throughout the new year. I have a feeling that 2017 is going to be another fabulous year for Golden Finishes – so let’s make 2017 great together so we can all benefit from the success. —
“We have a few goals for the New Year; firstly to continue growing our export side of the business to 10 per cent of turnover, and secondly to reduce lead times (especially on our UK made products) during the Back to School period. As usual we are keen to provide a service unrivalled in our sector and to not allow Brexit to be all-consuming.”
“We have had an encouraging year since launching our specially adapted schoolwear brand that is suitable for children with eczema and sensitive skin in September 2015. In 2017 we plan to consolidate and further build on our market presence and brand awareness throughout the UK. In addition, we plan to continue our product development so we can meet more than the uniform needs of children with sensitive skin. We have products in the pipeline that we plan to bring to market in 2017, so watch this space. I am anticipating an exciting and busy year for Totally Cool Clothing.” JUDY MICKLETHWAIT, FOUNDER/MANAGING DIRECTOR, TOTALLY COOL CLOTHING
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Following the recent acquisition of SWI and Orion Teamwear, our vision is to encourage customers to wake up in the new year to our exciting, new and invigorated sportswear portfolio. APTUS Performance is our professionally designed ready-to-wear collection which brings a new class of sportswear to the industry. Technical fabrics as well as innovative designs are the direct result of collaborative research with students and staff. The collection offers six pieces for girls, and six for boys. Girls, who have historically been under-catered for on the school sportswear field, will welcome a range of unique features incorporated into each garment to ensure a flattering fit. The purchase of Orion Teamwear has added a new bespoke dimension to our sportswear line-up in the form of Teamwear Kit Design. We are now able to offer either cut and sewn or sublimated products made from Orion’s advanced, technical fabrics, in an unrivalled choice of colour and designs. BMB is already widely known as the leading schoolwear provider in the UK. Our vision is that our greatly enhanced sportswear collection will help us get to the top of our game in this sector, too. —
LAURA THOMAS, SALES & MARKETING DIRECTOR, BMB
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Van Huizen Agencies is a young, fresh and vibrant agency, for the more discerning retailer requiring beautiful and unique collections. OILILY KIDS, ROOM SEVEN KIDS, RAP KIDS SHOES Unit 12, Derwent Business center, Clarke Street, DERBY DE1 2BU Tel: 07967 560633 Email: franck@vanhuizenagencies.co.uk www.vanhuizenagencies.co.uk
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ANNA WHITEHOUSE Founder, Mother Pukka Journalist, editor and mother Anna Whitehouse is founder of MotherPukka.co.uk, an infamously candid and witty blog for news, events, reviews and honest comment “for people who happen to be parents”. This month, Whitehouse will be joining the judging panel for kids’ trade fair Bubble London’s Rising Star competition, which champions the best launch brand at the show. In the meantime, CWB catches up with Whitehouse to learn more about the personality behind one of the UK’s most popular and humorous parenting blogs. — LT: Which blogs and social media accounts are you following? AW: @Clemmie_telford for her brutal, laugh-out-loud honesty; @dresslikeamum for her knockout fashion threads; and @notsosmugnow for being the biggest woman champion on the internet. LT: What are your top blogging tips? AW: Don’t follow the crowd. Pave your own way and people will listen. Authenticity is a word bandied about, but it essentially means “just be you”. Harder than it sounds on the internet. LT: As a parent, which are your go-to kids’ fashion brands? AW: Tiba & Marl for nappy bags, Scamp & Dude for cool kids’ threads and Kyna Boutique for serious quality and stuff that doesn’t get mashed up after one day at nursery. LT: What do you feel modern-day parents want and expect from a kids’ brand? AW: Something that stands out, something that lasts, and something that has a story. Kidswear label Scamp & Dude does all of those things. Its motto is “a superhero has your back” after Jo, the brand’s founder, battled a brain tumour and feared leaving her children behind. It’s a brand with a strong aesthetic and much heart.
© EMILY GRAY PHOTOGRAPHY
Laura Turner: What was the drive behind Mother Pukka’s launch? Anna Whitehouse: I was working in-house at the L’Oréal Group as a senior copywriter and felt that the precarious balance between work and family life wasn’t, well, working. So I quit, and officially launched Mother Pukka – a platform “for people who happen to be parents”. The one common denominator across parenthood is humour and that is the focus – as long as I’m laughing more than I’m crying, I’m winning. LT: How did your professional background lend itself to Mother Pukka’s creation? AW: I used to be a journalist, so I was always keen on tackling punchy issues – like our Flex Appeal campaign to promote flexible working – and then I moved into being a lifestyle editor for Time Out and Grazia. Those two experiences combined led to Mother Pukka. I wanted to push the boundaries of what a blog could do. Why can’t fashion unite with politics? 70 - JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017
LT: Who do you see as your target audience? AW: Everyone and anyone in a family. Brothers, sisters, grannies, granddads, teens, mums. People, really. I have many non-parent followers who follow for our Flex Appeal campaign; they are interested to know what will happen when they have kids. LT: Can you tell me more about the new e-shop? AW: We are launching a Flex Appeal portable coffee cup this month, which will be available via an e-shop on the Mother Pukka website to support the campaign and keep the conversation going. That’s the start – from here, who knows? LT: Which is your favourite social media platform and why? AW: Instagram. I find it more inclusive and positive than other channels. I think because it’s more personal, people tend to respect each other a little more. You can hide behind words, but not as easily behind photos.
LT: How would you sum up your views on parenthood? AW: Do it your way. Ignore the books (other than @mother_of_daughters’ one, How to grow a baby and push it out) and try not to let them eat too many Monster Munch. LT: You’re on the judging panel for this season’s Bubble London Rising Star competition, which celebrates the show’s best launch brand. What do you generally look for in a brand? AW: A stellar story, a knockout look, and something that’s not going to dissolve in the wash. I’ve loved many a brand whose wares haven’t lasted the week. Lt: What’s the next phase for Mother Pukka? AW: To remain true to our hashtag and “parent the s**t out of life” – wherever that may take us.