The school uniform market is a key battleground in price wars for large multiple retailers, who are prepared to absorb part of the cost of their uniforms to tempt customers to the clothing section with low cost uniform deals. This year Marks & Spencer unveiled its lowest priced uniform at £6.50, Woolworths' cheapest uniform came in at £4.50, Tesco's at £4.25 and Asda undercut them all by introducing a £4 uniform. Parents, however, are likely to be disappointed if they head to the shops now to take advantage of these cheap deals as they will probably be confronted with empty shelves - indeed Asda's much publicised uniform sold out a number of weeks ago.

This is where the school-specific retailers triumph. Their strength is the quality and personal service they offer all year round, rather than just in August when parents are getting their children ready for the next school year. They offer uniforms in a range of sizes, 52 weeks a year. 

Joyce Daly, Vice Chair of the Schoolwear Association says: "It is unsurprising, given Asda's size and buying power, that they are able to squeeze prices to this extent - next year they may be giving uniforms away with soap powder! School uniform is, however, not just about greywear - the basic grey trousers, white polo shirt combinations that supermarkets sell. Most schools, to some extent, have a distinguishing element to some parts of their uniform - an embroidered logo or a printed sweatshirt for example - the benefits of which have been proven time and again. Supermarkets do not supply these garments and this is why independent retailers - family businesses integral to their local community - such as our members, still exist. In a time of economic difficulty it is definitely a good thing that parents have the option to buy the basic items of school uniform so cheaply, however, unlike supermarkets, for our members school uniform is for the whole year, not just for Back to School."

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