School Uniform Supply Monopolies

looby75

jellyhead wrote: »

I think it's more of a 'fit' issue than quality.

Thin girls with large breasts should be able to shop around and get a blouse that doesn't gape over their bra yet doesn't have to be so huge that the sleeves need rolling up. I don't know if Trutex make blouses in several fits, like they do with their trousers? When we had a schoolwear shop in town they sold 'sturdy' fit trousers, for the chunkier child.

I've noticed that marks and spencers are selling shirts in slim, standard and plus fit.

sorry jelly only just seen this.

Nope the there is only one style of blouse in one fit that trutex sell with the school logo on. It's ridiculous tbh, you just have to look at one class in any school to see that there will be a load of varying body shapes and stages of development, so dictating they must all wear the exact same style and fit of blouse is just totally unrealistic.

TechnoBadger

danieltomlinson wrote: »

There is a code of best practice which suggests that schools should have multiple suppliers to ensure prices stay competitive and we sign up to that.

Signing up is one thing, going along with what you've signed up to may be a totally different kettle of fish. So you're saying that if one local schoolwear shop supplies a particular Trutex 'more detailed school uniform' then there's no reason why you won't supply a competing local shop or an internet seller to give parents choice?

You must have signed up with the fingers of your other hand firmly crossed behind your back - you also said:

danieltomlinson wrote: »

...it very difficult to make projects on sales when there are multiple retailers selling the same items.

Do you think we were all born yesterday?!

danieltomlinson_2

TechnoBadger wrote: »

Signing up is one thing, going along with what you've signed up to may be a totally different kettle of fish. So you're saying that if one local schoolwear shop supplies a particular Trutex 'more detailed school uniform' then there's no reason why you won't supply a competing local shop or an internet seller to give parents choice?

You must have signed up with the fingers of your other hand firmly crossed behind your back - you also said:

Do you think we were all born yesterday?!

Yes, that is exactly what I am saying, and what we do with hundreds of retailers and schools. So we do practice what we sign up to. One example being Rawcliffes in York and Rumours in Scarborough. We were sole supply to Lady Lumley School, (Pickering, N Yorks) through TD and invited two retailers to supply. In some instances we even have 3 retailers supplying the same school....We feel this is good practice as it give parents choice.

You obviously do not know our business or the schoolwear market and would therefore appreciate it if you did not suggest I was lying.

looby75

danieltomlinson wrote: »

Hi Looby75. We have a number of blouses in our range. Some are a standard fit rather than fitted and you can get these in a standard collar or rever collar. we have in hourse embroidery machines so if you have a word with your school and they are happy for you to have a slightly different blouse then we can get a badge put on and sent out to you. I have to agree people come in all different shapes and sizes and therefore there should be a few different styles available to buy

the only problem with that is that you can't try the blouses on before you pay. I would have had to buy a variety of blouses for her to try to get a good fit and I doubt trutex would be happy with me returning specially embroidered blouses because the fit wasn't right.

Buying uniform online just isn't practical if you have a child who isn't a standard shape. My daughter is a size 8/10 but a 32 FF bra size, so as you can imagine getting blouses that fit well is a nightmare. (well was, it's a bit of a moot point now as she's just left school but I know we are not the only people who have had problems)

danieltomlinson_2

looby75 wrote: »

the only problem with that is that you can't try the blouses on before you pay. I would have had to buy a variety of blouses for her to try to get a good fit and I doubt trutex would be happy with me returning specially embroidered blouses because the fit wasn't right.

Buying uniform online just isn't practical if you have a child who isn't a standard shape. My daughter is a size 8/10 but a 32 FF bra size, so as you can imagine getting blouses that fit well is a nightmare. (well was, it's a bit of a moot point now as she's just left school but I know we are not the only people who have had problems)

I see what you mean. Over the last couple of years we have started doing a number of joint ventures with TD. This is where there is also a local retailer supplying the items so parents can try thing on. Maybe if you can speak with your school and suggest they speak to their Trutex Account Manager about the possibility of this

looby75

danieltomlinson wrote: »

I see what you mean. Over the last couple of years we have started doing a number of joint ventures with TD. This is where there is also a local retailer supplying the items so parents can try thing on. Maybe if you can speak with your school and suggest they speak to their Trutex Account Manager about the possibility of this

as I said my daughter has now finished school so it's not a problem for me personally any more, I do and have strongly advised other parents who have similar problems to do as I did, take whatever good fitting blouses they like to a local shop that embroiders the logo on .......which costs a heck of a lot less than TD blouses

NicolaL_2

Our DC's school has iron-on embroidered school badges that we put on supermarket sweatshirts. Works out a lot , lot cheaper and much more convenient.

[Deleted User]

My MIL was saying it would be better to have the logo made into an embroided badget that could be stitch on and taken off to resew onto new garments. I guess the only problem with that is people wouldn't put them in the same place on the jumpers spoiling "the look". How do the iron on ones fair then Nicola?

TechnoBadger

danieltomlinson wrote: »

Yes, that is exactly what I am saying, and what we do with hundreds of retailers and schools. So we do practice what we sign up to. One example being Rawcliffes in York and Rumours in Scarborough. We were sole supply to Lady Lumley School, (Pickering, N Yorks) through TD and invited two retailers to supply. In some instances we even have 3 retailers supplying the same school....We feel this is good practice as it give parents choice.

You obviously do not know our business or the schoolwear market and would therefore appreciate it if you did not suggest I was lying.

I was in no way suggesting that you were lying! I was trying to point out the disparity of what you signed up to:

danieltomlinson wrote: »

There is a code of best practice which suggests that schools should have multiple suppliers to ensure prices stay competitive and we sign up to that.

and the problems for retailers if this were to actually happen (too often):

danieltomlinson wrote: »

One thing that needs to be considered is that these independent retailers are small business and it makes it very difficult to make projects on sales when there are multiple retailers selling the same items. If at the end of the year a small retailer is left with a lot of stock of badged or special items, they can not be sold elsewhere and the company can go under. The schoolwear market is a unique model, but its the school the makes the decision on where parents should buy their uniform.

I understand that you sometimes arrange more than one supplier to supply a school with your company's uniform. Are they free to, and do they in practice, compete with each other pricewise for the benefit of the consumer, or do they charge the same price as was noted by a parent in a previous post in this thread? If there were to be such arrangement, albeit with a manufacturer in the middle, would I be right in saying that this would be a cartel and therefore illegal?

TechnoBadger

danieltomlinson wrote:

Hi,

Hope you don't mind, I just wanted to respond to the message from looby75. I am the Marketing Manager at Trutex and do understand your position with the uniform. Many parents and teachers however are opting for more detailed school uniform as it brings a number of benefits and often looks really smart.

I would also like to assure you that the school will not be getting a 20% kickback for their school uniform. It will be considerably less than that and very likely less than the margin a local retailer would make, plus it goes back in to the school

At Trutex we really work hard to keep the price of school uniform down and our prices are always the same no matter if we are the sole supplier or one of many. We go to great lengths to ensure our garments are of a high quality and are made in factories that are audited on a regular basis to make sure the workers are working in good conditions for fair wages. This often means that are garments are a little more expensive, but they are made to last and therefore great value

The above post was deleted but someone had thankfully quoted it first.

Now a 'kickback', your term not mine (I used 'sweetheart payment'), is according to Wikipedia:

Kickback usually refers to:

• Political corruption
• Bribery, an act implying money or gift given that alters the behavior of the recipient

It can also refer to various dangerous conditions:

• The recoil of a firearm
• With power tools, a "kickback" happens when stock......

As we're not talking of political corruption, is Trutex, and are your customer / agent schoolwear shops, aware of the new bribery legislation this week?:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/2011/apr/01/revamped-bribery-act-firms-jitters

Will it affect the way headteachers are given 'kickbacks' for the school fund, or whatever, for agreeing to tell parents to use a particular shop or supplier to the exclusion of others thereby denying these parents choice and creating a monopoly? Just wondering... I'm sure you mentioned earlier that schoolwear is a unique industry, or something along those lines, is this a good enough reason for the very widespread practice to continue? I trust your compliance team is on the case!