18/10/10
Uniform2Go top of the class with new online venture
A young Welsh entrepreneur has bucked the recession by expanding her specialist Bridgend-based school uniform business, launching a new online platform to take her business nationwide and creating six jobs.
Uniform2Go, established by 26-year-old Emma Staple in April 2009, manufactures wholesales and embroiders school uniforms. Since opening for trading in April 2009, it has seen steady growth, exceeding its forecasts and expanding its client base.
It now supplies 250 schools from nurseries to some of the area’s largest secondary schools, including her former school Brynteg Comprehensive.
Addressing a niche gap in the school uniform supply market, Uniform2Go stocks thousands of clothing items from blazers to socks and offers an exclusive on-site embroidery service. This sets it apart from competitors - who often outsource embroidery to developing economies such as China – and cuts waiting time in half for customers.
The firm, which operates from a retail and warehouse unit on the Bridgend Industrial Estate, is now launching an online venture to take its products nationwide and is already seeing pre-orders flooding in from as far afield as Scotland. Emma has quickly grown the business from a one woman operation to a team of six and is looking to recruit further.
An International Business Management graduate from Swansea University, Emma struggled to find a job when she finished her studies. Setting up her own business seemed like her only option, she explained:
“I saw a gap in the school uniform supply market, which is a product that is in constant demand regardless of economic conditions. I set Uniform2Go up with a clear vision of offering premium quality garments alongside excellent service at a competitive price. I knew that other local uniform retailers weren’t offering an in-house embroidery service and that this could be a niche area for us.”
With a potential business identified, finding the funding to get the business going was more challenging.
“It was a really hard time to start a business. The banks weren’t lending and I struggled to secure funding to get the business off the ground. I signed on to the Graduate Start-Up Support Programme funded by the Welsh Assembly Government which is available for entrepreneurs fresh out of University who have a business idea with the potential for growth. Through this I was awarded £6,000, but I also needed secure a further £30,000 loan to buy an eight-head embroidery machine. Without it I just couldn’t get started.”
Through Venture Wales, the leading business support organisation in Wales, Emma was able to tap into a team of advisers who helped her draft a business plan, organise her finances and prepare the information banks would require to consider a loan. She explained:
“I was prepared at the interview and had a well crafted business plan which meant the bank listened and agreed to lend me the money which was a great feeling.”
Finding affordable premises was also a challenge but Emma managed to secure a recently abandoned unit with a shop front and a large stock and machinery room at a reasonable rate:
“The unit was in such a state that I was able to negotiate the first three months rent for free and then a further six months at half price. I spent days scrubbing the floors and walls but it was what I could afford and it was in a good location. All the hard work paid off and it looks great now.”
Word of mouth and recommendations played a large role in initial expansion of the business but Emma quickly pinpointed internet sales as a platform for growth.
“We foresee huge growth in the number of sales coming in from both schools and parents via the internet” she says.
David Tossell, Manager of the Bridgend Branch of Venture Wales explained:
“When Emma could have felt disheartened by the challenges of finding a job, she took control of her future by setting up her own business. Rather than waiting around for a job, Emma created one not only for herself but also for the six people she employs. The results of her passion and hard work have been astonishing, and she is a true example of what can be achieved if you set your mind to something.”
