Shoppers buying winter clothes and school uniforms boosted British retail sales last month, reinforcing hopes that the economy is on the road to recovery.

Retail sales volumes rose 0.6% in September following a 0.1% dip in August, according to the Office for National Statistics. City economists had pencilled in a 0.4% rise.

Sales were 1% higher between July and September than in the previous three months, the strongest quarterly rise since mid-2010. This bodes well for economic growth in the third quarter, suggesting that Britain came out of recession again after three quarters of contraction.

Many families bought school uniforms in September because schools started later than last year after the summer break, and shoppers also snapped up retailers’ new winter collections, the statistics office said. It had no evidence of an Olympics effect, although larger shops had reported some disruption in August during the Games, while sports goods and toy stores enjoyed a surge in sales.

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The new all-Wales uniforms are designed to make it easier for patients to identify different grades of nurses.

A Welsh Assembly Government spokesman described the problems as disappointing because staff welfare was paramount.

The director of the Royal College of Nursing in Wales said it was essential that any problem was reported.

The uniforms are being rolled out by Hywel Dda Health Board, successor to Carmarthenshire Local Health Board, and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board in north Wales as part of an assembly government initiative.

Although the number of nurses who have reported skin irritation is “a minority”, the assembly government said it was concerned because the welfare of staff was “paramount”.

“As only a minority of staff have reported a problem, we have sufficient supplies of alternative uniforms for use,” said a spokesman.

“We are also working in partnership with RCN [Royal College of Nursing] and UNISON [union] to address any concerns as quickly as possible.”

He added that news of the problem was “disappointing” as the fabric used in manufacture had undergone extensive testing, quality control and trials.

“Robust testing of the fabric is currently being undertaken by an independent body to establish the exact nature of the problem and, throughout contractual arrangements, we expect the manufacturers to put this right,” added the spokesman.

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The traditional dark-blue outfit is being replaced with specialist clothing which has been trialled by crews in the county.

Chief fire officer Darran Gunter said the lightweight uniforms’ outer layer provided “excellent” protection from heat and fire.

Firefighters will be wearing the new uniforms by the end of the year.

Mr Gunter added: “The [uniform] provides excellent protection without imposing high levels of physiological stress on our firefighters.

“Therefore it ensures they can operate safely and effectively at emergency incidents.”

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Admit it: since you started your working life there have been occasions when you’ve started the day behind schedule because of some kind of wardrobe crisis. Unless you are slipping into a uniform, dressing for work can be tricky and needlessly time-consuming.

Deciding what to wear only when you get out of bed can cause all kinds of problems – you may find your shirt needs ironing, the skirt you wanted to wear has lost a button, or the jumper that would really finish off your outfit turns out to be at the bottom of the laundry pile.

The answer to all this early-morning chaos isn’t exactly rocket science – either get up earlier, and give yourself time to choose or find whatever you want to wear, or just be organised and plan (and iron) what you’re going to wear the night before. Simple, yes, but how many of us get around to it?

Camelia Frederick, a London-based image consultant, says she has “a number of clients who are time pressed and always in a rush to get their outfits right before they head out to work”.

“It would be great to plan one’s outfits a week in advance,” she says. And if you were ultra-organised you would set aside some time on a Sunday to check your diary and decide what would be appropriate work wear for each of the next five days. You could then check what needed washing or ironing, and get those jobs done in time to have the right items ready on the right day. Great in theory, but it could be a problem if the weather changes half-way through the week, or you suddenly find you have an important meeting on a day when you’d planned to be scruffy.

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What arguments could an educated business person make to disregard the potential benefits of specialty promotional products?

• Specialty products just get tossed in the trash.
• Promotional items only reach one person.
• It requires face to face contact to deliver a specialty item.
• These items don’t reach the multitudes like other forms of advertising do, such as television or internet advertising.
• The cost is prohibitive.
Answering the Arguments

While the arguments against specialty promotional items expose some valid points, some say they are minor obstacles that can easily be overcome. We’ll look at each point individually.
Specialty Products are Trash?

Admittedly there are products out there that do not meet the needs of the target market and therefore end up in the trash. However, this can easily be resolved with careful item selection. By choosing a product that is useful, unique, and appeals to those you consider your target market, the trash issue is eliminated.
Promotional Items Reach One Person

Although promotional gifts are generally given to one person, that doesn’t mean that there is only one person affected by the product. Depending upon the item you choose, that can be exposed to a multitude. A great example of this is items of clothing. In addition, it is personal to the one person it was given to and that creates a loyalty that other advertising mediums never will.
It Requires Face to Face Delivery

The cost argument can easily be laid to rest by careful selection. Specialty items can range in price from a few cents to hundreds of dollars. It requires you to set a budget and remain within its boundaries. While lower budgets do require the marketer to be a little more choosey and be certain that the selected item not only fits within the budget and accomplishes the set goal, but that it also is a useful item to the targeted market.

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How often do you see someone wearing a hat, jacket, or shirt adorned with a business name or logo? Promotional wear has become increasingly popular in the corporate sector, used as an appreciation gift for employees and clients. A business that retails promotional clothing is an easy startup, as garments can be purchased in bulk and local silk-screeners and embroiderers can be engaged for their customization, thus greatly cutting the required initial investment.

Next, you need to meet with business owners so you can present your promotional wear samples and elaborate how the business can benefit through those. Since a person donning a promotional garment is literally a walking and talking advertisement, it would mean greater brand name recognition and, eventually, revenues for the business. Finally, in the promotional wear industry where product markups frequently reach above 50 percent, a business like this can do wonders!

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The corporatewear market can still be split into five segments. These are:

* workwear;
* careerwear;
* corporate casualwear;
* uniforms;
* protective clothing.

The dividing lines between them are becoming ever more blurred. It is no longer possible to be categorical about where workwear ends and protectivewear begins. To most people a standard boilersuit made of poly/cotton is workwear. But if the fabric is impregnated with chemical dyes which make it reflect light, and it therefore becomes a high visibility boilersuit, has it transformed into protectivewear?

The industry has suffered from becoming commoditised’, as a result of irrevocable and irreversible changes in the supply chain. Consequently the market has become fixated on price to its own detriment.

This latest edition of our global workwear review discusses the state of the sector at the end of the last decade, analyses the market from 2004 to 2016, looks at how sellers reach buyers, analyses worldwide production and reflects on views from people in the industry.

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There was no indication when the company would resume paying dividends, but chief executive Sue Morphet said that a third of the way into its three-year transformational strategy Pacific Brands was now in a position to build profitability.

She is pinning her hopes on the benefits of a reduced cost base as well as better returns on the company’s portfolio of brands such as Bonds and its workwear styles KingGee and Yakka, which should benefit from the mining boom.

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Wearing the new classics – a cape, some chinos and heeled workwear boots – Camille Dides, 18, has it all going on! We love how she’s styled her look – by rolling up the trousers you can see her boots, and simple shirt underneath adds a certain minimalist chic-ness. But what do you like about her look? Remember the most constructive comments could get printed in Grazia magazine. Check out Style Hunter’s other ladies here.

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