Specialist retailer School Uniform Direct, which supplies many UK schools, has written to thousands of customers urging them to place orders for branded clothing as soon as possible. In a repeat of last year, the clothing company said it had been told by its manufacturers that retailers were experiencing delays in getting stock into stores due to disruption related to the coronavirus pandemic. “We are currently in a strong position. However, I am not completely immune to circumstances around the world,” School Uniform Direct said in an email to customers. “We ask parents and guardians to place their orders or come to the store as soon as possible. This will help ensure that they receive uniformly on time.” Many families put off buying school uniforms until the last minute for financial reasons or to avoid getting caught up in a summer rush. However, financial concerns loom large ahead of the next academic year due to the squeeze on household finances caused by rising food, fuel and energy bills. “It’s not like fashion, where you can predict X number of sales and it doesn’t matter if you sell out,” says Alex Gani, director of the London-based family clothing company. “With the school uniform you have to stock all sizes. “If we get everybody in early, then we start to see in our own stocks where there are shortages, and then we can cover them now and get the stock levels to a sustainable level and then be able to manage those people coming in to us at the last minute.” The warning of shortages comes as the government faces calls from the specialist industry to help the cost of living crisis by scrapping VAT on school uniforms such as designer polo shirts, jumpers and jackets. The School Uniforms Association has launched a petition to persuade the government to scrap what it calls the “school uniform tax”. Children’s clothing and shoes are not subject to sales tax. However, older children’s school uniforms, as well as all other clothing and footwear, are subject to the full standard rate of 20% VAT for products aged 14 and over. Clothes and shoes for older children have the full normal VAT rate of 20%. Photo: Andrew Boyers/Reuters Research by the Schoolwear Association estimates that removing VAT from compulsory schoolwear would save every family with a child over 14 almost £20 a year. Matthew Easter, chairman of the association, said scrapping the single tax was “misguided” in the current climate, with the cost to the Treasury of scrapping it in England at around £13m a year. VAT is levied on non-essential goods, yet the vast majority of schools require their pupils to wear uniform, Easter said. “Therefore, school uniforms should be considered essential,” he said. “As tampon tax was abolished in January 2021 because sanitary wear is essential, so should VAT on school uniforms.” On the shortages, Easter, who runs school uniform brand Trutex, said: “Like many industries, global supply chains have been a nightmare this year for a number of reasons and things have been delayed – there’s no doubt about that.” However, he added: “I don’t think there will be much of a supply problem from decorating specialists because we all keep stock all year round anyway. So, even if the new stock hasn’t come in on time, there should be enough stock in the system.”
