Awards celebrate industry talent

The Schoolwear Association held its inaugural Awards evening on October 15th.

 

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 were named ‘Best Schoolwear Specialist’, impressing judges with their recently refurbished store which has led to a notable increase in sales. They were also praised for their 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 their recently upgraded website which includes an online appointment booking facility and the ability to download gender and year-specific price lists.

The runners up were David Luke and a special mention went to Michael Sehgal & Sons Ltd.

Rowlinson Knitwear were 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 were 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.



A surprise ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ was given to David Burgess, Chairman of David Luke and the Schoolwear Association. 

David was recognised for his long career in the industry and for his contribution to setting up and running the Schoolwear Association.

“David is known for his enthusiasm, his passion, his ability to speak his mind,’ judges said. ‘He has given unstintingly of his time and his expertise.”