The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : School uniforms’ sale up

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Saturday, May 24, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

School uniforms’ sale up

Meera Srinivasan

Some schools have changed uniforms for new academic year

— PHOTO: K.V. SRINIVASAN.

NEW ATTIRE: A child trying out a new uniform at a shop in Triplicane on Thursday.

CHENNAI: With about a fortnight left for the new academic year to begin, stores selling school uniforms are seeing a brisk business.

With some schools having changed the uniforms for children, parents are forced to purchase new sets. “My younger daughter’s uniform has been changed. Though the set we bought last year fits her well, we have to buy a new set before her school reopens. It’s one additional expense this year,” said R. Amudavalli, who sends her daughter to a matriculation school in T. Nagar.

For R. Krithika, who is barely four, her first uniform is a matter of great excitement. Come June, she will walk into her school wearing her brand-new pinafore, carrying her little school bag. “We got some good discounts for our purchase. Our older daughter will use the set we bought last year,” said her mother R. Kavitha. She was one of the customers at Kumaran Dresses in Triplicane.

The store, which has been into this business for 20 years, has uniforms for about 50 schools in and around the locality. “The cost of yarn has gone up this year and therefore, the cost per meter of fabric has also increased by 10 per cent,” said its proprietor M. Vaithianathan.

Several matriculation schools in the area had changed their uniform and intimated him, he said. One set of uniform for a kindergarten child costs between Rs. 75 and Rs. 100, while a high school student’s uniform costs about Rs. 200 per set.

“Some parents buy more than one set. Others prefer to buy just one set as they have several expenses before school reopens. They come later in the year and buy one or two more sets,” he said.

Sugan, which has been selling uniforms for over three decades now, has over 300 varieties in uniforms.

The material used is blended fabric as maintenance is easier and cost is slightly less, partner of the store Dipesh Jain said.

“Though the input cost has gone up, we are trying to maintain the prices at last year’s rates. But we are making profits because of a significant increase in sales this year,” he said.

With a largely middle class and upper middle class clientele, the store is seeing parents go in for three or four sets of uniforms this year. “The purchasing power seems to have increased,” Mr. Jain said.

On an average, about 500 students have been visiting the store over the last few weeks. Sales have hence been very brisk at both the T. Nagar and Anna Nagar outlet of the store, he added.

“We customise our fabric. The store’s name is put on the selvage, for every meter. Customers can bring back the material if there is any manufacturing defect. We take great care about the quality,” he said.

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