Printwear & Promotion The Total Promotional Package
The Schoolwear Association held its inaugural Schoolwear Industry awards evening on October 15.
Representatives from across the industry gathered at the Strictly Come Dancing themed event to mark the achievements of the award winners and of the schoolwear sector as a whole.
David Burgess, chairman of the association said: “The awards have been a wonderful celebration of an industry that is incredibly proud of its standards. The nominees and indeed the winners are proof that we have much talent in our sector.”
The awards were sponsored by Children’s Wear Buyer Magazine, Banner, William Turner and David Luke.
Whittakers Schoolwear was named Best Schoolwear Specialist, impressing judges with a recently refurbished store which has led to a notable increase in sales. The company was also praised for its good relationships with suppliers, high levels of staff training, and regular involvement with schools and the local community.
Runners up in this category were Billings and Edmonds and a special mention was given to Alleycatz.
In the Best Digital Schoolwear category, the award went to Stevensons for the usability and responsive design of its recently upgraded website which includes an online appointment booking facility and the ability to download gender and year-specific price lists.
The runners up was David Luke and a special mention went to Michael Sehgal & Sons.
Rowlinson Knitwear was named Best Schoolwear Supplier with its impressive financial and customer satisfaction performance. Staff satisfaction was also high and the firm demonstrated significant investment in infrastructure, IT and service.
The runners up in this category was Marton Mills and the judges gave a special mention to National Weaving.
The final award recognised individuals for their Outstanding Service to Schoolwear. The winner was Rob Facey of William Turner who was praised for his 40 year dedication to the company as UK production manager.
The other finalist was Kate Haigh of Charles Kirk and a special mention was given to Bernadette Hawkes of Falcon Sports.
Finally, a surprise Lifetime Achievement Award was given to David Burgess, chairman of David Luke and the Schoolwear Association.
David was recognised by his peers for his long career in the industry and for his contribution to setting up and running the Schoolwear Association. He is known for his enthusiasm, his passion, his ability to speak his mind. He has given unstintingly of his time and his expertise and the schoolwear industry has benefited from his efforts.
