Workwear and corporate clothing specialist Mandate - now renamed The Co-operative Clothing - supplies businesses across the UK, and Managing Director Paul Slocombe says he is aiming to double its turnover in the next four years.

The 98-year-old business has moved into a purpose-built 40,000 sq ft warehouse in Washington, Tyne and Wear, a few miles from its previous base in Gateshead.

The Co-operative Clothing, which was previously called both Robert Howarth and the CWS Shirt and Pyjama Factory, employs around 65 people and supplies about 40,000 garments each week.

"Our vision is to double the turnover of The Co-operative Clothing," said Paul Slocombe. "At Washington we've got 50% more storage than we had previously, allowing us to increase our stock, and so improve the service we can offer our customers.

"We are also investing £1m in new state-of-the-art warehouse systems and storage. This business has a long and distinguished history as part of the Co-operative Movement, and we will ensure it has an exciting future."

The Co-operative Clothing has also pledged to work with its main suppliers to ensure workers' labour standards are effectively managed and improved. Independent social audits of all principal suppliers are being undertaken, and the business has also signed up to the Supplier Ethical Database Exchange (Sedex), to help effective management of standards going forward.

  In addition, the business is committed to offset all its UK premises' carbon emissions, as well as continuing to recycle all its cardboard waste.

"The Co-operative Group's businesses are known for their ethical and environmentally-conscious approach, and that is something we are very keen to build on at The Co-operative Clothing," added Slocombe.

"We will work with all our major suppliers to ensure there is continuous improvement in labour standards, and that those standards are acceptable to us. We are committed to improving labour standards, and ultimately to achieving ‘ethical leadership' status in the corporate clothing sector."

The Co-operative Clothing currently supplies a range of clothing, including overalls, suits, shirts, high visibility and safety wear to business customers including other Co-operative Group businesses.

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