Selling Less Expensive School Uniforms

Thursday 31st of May 2007 03:08:03 AM

For the upcoming school year, many UK parents may be surprised by lower school uniform prices and new brands being introduced. Asda recently announced its George line which offers uniforms starting at £10, for three to six year olds. Uniforms for older children are available starting at £13. Other companies like Woolworth's have also launched less expensive uniform lines.

But there are many critics who are wondering how these companies are able to manufacture a quality product for such a low price. "There are lots of families who would be glad of clothes at that price, people with low incomes and lots of children, but I don't know what the quality would be like. We could source things much cheaper, but we choose not go down that road. The cheapest shoes we have for children are £35. In our defence, they are Start-rite, a good children's brand, and all our staff are trained in fitting shoes, and we carry half-sizes, and different width fittings. I would recommend them, especially for children whose feet are still growing," said the manager of Aitken & Niven's Morningside branch, Eileen Whitton.

"I ask where they are getting them, because nobody makes money on that. It begs the question of how it can be done without extremely cheap Third World labour, unless they are trying to buy business," said Michael Fyfe, the managing director of Clan House of Edinburgh. There are currently over 120 state schools and 12 private schools that get their school uniforms from Clan House.

For parents who cannot afford to spend a lot of money on school uniforms because they have more than one child to buy for, having the option of buying less expensive clothing is important. "Consumers have never had it so good. School uniform is cheaper than ever before and our quality standards have not been compromised," said Debbie Lauchlan, a buyer for Woolworth's.

(c)mexikids, www.sxc.hu