Uniform News - June 2007

Retail Trends and Advice

Apparel Flying off Virtual Racks: U.S. Study

May 14, 2007 (CBS News) - Online shoppers in the United States spent more on apparel than on computer hardware and software for the first time ever, according to an annual e-commerce study released Monday.

Retail sales of clothing, accessories and footwear reached $18.3 billion in 2006, a 61 per cent increase over last year, according to the survey by internet research group Forrester Research for Shop.org, an arm of the National Retail Federation.

"This is a real milestone in the industry," said Scott Silverman, executive director of Shop.org. "We have really gone mainstream."

The jump in clothing sales helped spur a 25 per cent growth in online sales, to $219.9 billion last year. Excluding travel — the biggest sector of online retail — e-commerce rose 29 per cent to $146.5 billion.

Apparel sales passed the $17.2 billion in hardware and software sales for the top spot among non-travel sites, the first time the sector has done so.

The sales of clothing, footwear and accessories also surpassed Forrester's projections for 2006 by over 30 per cent.

Sucharita Mulpuru, the author of the report, said the industry owes its success online to a number of features, including the decision of some sites to add customer reviews or free shipping on returns.

But fashion-conscious shoppers haven't completely passed computer geeks: computer peripherals sales, which totalled $1.5 billion, were not included in the hardware and software category. Computer-related equipment then, still accounted for $18.7 billion in sales last year.

However the apparel industry has room for more growth, the study found, with online sales accounting for only eight per cent of total retail sales. Online sales accounted for a much larger piece — 44 per cent — of total hardware and software sales.

The study also predicts non-travel sales should reach $174.5 billion in 2007, an increase of 19 per cent from the previous year.

The figures were based on an analysis of industry data and responses from 170 online retailers.

Managing the Costs of Payment Acceptance: A Guide for Retailers

May l, 2007 (AboutRetail.com, written by Scott Cruickshank, chief marketing officer, Paymentech) - Whether your business is a single location selling to consumers or a large, multi-channel business-to-business operation, chances are your company accepts credit and debit cards for payment. Allowing customers to pay with plastic is no longer an option, it’s a requirement in the modern world.

But for businesses that accept credit and debit cards, the other requirement is the cost associated with each transaction: the fees owed to both the card associations (i.e. MasterCard and Visa) and the payment processor carrying the transaction.

Depending on the type of business you own, your annual sales volume and a number of other factors, those fees can vary. But there are some ways to control the costs of payment acceptance.

First and foremost, there are some basic best practices recommendations that we advise each of our merchant customers to follow.

The basics - Every transaction processed for your business is categorized. To qualify for the lowest rate, the transaction itself must meet certain guidelines that have been set by the card associations. Without going into the details of each one, here are some good rules of thumb to make sure you get the lowest possible rate:

Always swipe the card, if possible (and be aware if your employees are keying in transactions manually due to lack of training or equipment failures).

When keying a transaction, employ the use of address verification.

Settle your batch every day to get lowest rates.

Reconcile every day, to make sure all your transactions were transmitted to the host, and that you are in balance.

Reconcile again when you get your statement, to compare what you think you sold to what you were actually funded.

If you offer prepaid cards and/or gift cards, it’s important to reconcile these reports as well. Being out of balance can be an indication of theft or fraud .

Stay on top of your business - If you are out of balance, often the problem can be traced to simple, easily rectifiable issues: your employees need a training session on using the hardware, batching out, etc., or your software needs to be tweaked slightly to accommodate your transaction needs. Nevertheless, we can’t overemphasize the importance of keeping abreast of your unique business patterns, from how transactions are entered to the amount of your average ticket, to being aware of the times of day when sales tend to spike. The simple truth is that if you stay conscious of these things, you will know when the alarm bells begin ringing when something is amiss – if an employee is improperly trained and processing incorrectly, if you have an excessive amount of transactions, or ticket volumes, at unusual times, etc.

Avoid outsourcing to numerous vendors - Consider all the methods of payment acceptance that your business requires. Your processor likely supports all forms of credit and debit payments, but what about gift cards? Or corporate purchasing cards? What about wireless terminals? Are you planning to add an e-commerce site? A catalog? Whatever payment acceptance needs your business plan calls for, remember to partner with the processor that can offer the most. The simple truth is that multiple vendors often translate into multiple pieces of hardware, software programs and bills. Outsourcing to numerous vendors is always more costly, and confusing, so avoid it whenever possible.

An Experiment in Retail: Orange County Shop Aims to Turn Surf/Skate Market Upside-Down

California, May 22, 2007 - Orange County retailer AntiApparel.com is officially launching with an aim to shake up the surf and skate apparel industry by taking a unique approach: selling only smaller, up-and-coming apparel brands.

"You won't find Quiksilver, Hurley, Volcom, Billabong or any of the other big brands here" says AntiApparel.com Co-founder Sean Brady. "We only sell smaller surf and skate brands that we see as having the potential to be the 'next big thing'. Many of these brands have great quality and designs but lack the necessary funds, popularity, or connections to compete for shelf space in surf/skate stores."

Sean, along with friend and AntiApparel.com Co-founder Adam Paddock, got the idea behind AnitApparel.com at the summer 2005 ASR tradeshow, the action sports industries largest tradeshow.

"While walking through the tradeshow we saw a half dozen apparel brands that we never heard of before" Adam said. "We took a look at the lines and liked what we saw. To our surprise, we found that many of the brands were not in any stores and were even having problems booking appointments (to show their lines to store buyers)."

After signing a handful of Orange County's best up-and-coming brands Sean and Adam created a tester website and used Google Adwords and Myspace to market the soft opening of the store.

"We are really excited about the response we got. We have not even begun to market our site and we are already getting orders from all over the U.S, Japan, and Australia." says Sean. "Many industry insiders had doubts regarding our business model, but I guess the idea not to sell any larger traditional labels and focus on up-and-coming brands does sound a little backwards."

"The success of AntiApparel.com depends upon finding the best up-and-coming brands before other stores and growing with each brand" Says Adam. "We are always looking for new brands with good quality and unique designs. We like to support rider owned brands both by carrying them in our stores and undertaking co-op marketing."

AntiApparel.com will officially open on May 25th, 2007 with 17 surf and skate brands from Orange County, Hawaii, and Florida. However the store aims to continuously add more up-and-coming brands from all over the U.S.

Company News:

Chef Works Selected Culinary Uniform Supplier by Avendra

San Diego, CA, May 1, 2007 - Chef Works, Inc., a privately held culinary uniform supply company, has been awarded a three-year contract by Avendra, LLC, who offers over $2 billion in leveraged procurement services to their clients.

“Avendra continually seeks to provide customers with exceptional value, high quality culinary products and excellent customer service,” said Chris Owens, commodity manager, strategic contracting for Avendra. “It has been a true pleasure to work with the entire Chef Works team in the development of this very important relationship with Avendra. Everyone is looking forward to the benefits offered through this partnership. Most importantly, our customers will receive the highest product quality and business integrity that has made Chef Works a leader in the culinary apparel industry”

Since January, Chef Works has provided culinary uniforms to all Avendra affiliated properties. Chef Works will design, manufacture and distribute chef apparel and accessories to Avendra properties in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean. The scope of this contract encompasses more than 5,000 hotels, country clubs and food service organizations.

“Ten years ago, Chef Works was barely known in the industry and today we have been awarded one of the largest culinary uniform supply contracts in the world,” stated Dale I. Gross, CEO of Chef Works. “Our high quality products, outstanding customer service, competitive pricing and dedicated staff have been the key to Chef Works’ success. I applaud our team’s achievements.”

Chef Works is privately held by the Gross family. For over 40 years, they have been devoted to transforming a small family business into a global manufacturing and distribution operation utilizing their own factories in South Africa and China. For the past decade, Chef Works has established itself as one of the premier culinary uniform suppliers to the food service and hospitality industries in the United States. Currently, Chef Works maintains offices in the United States, Canada, England, Australia, South America, China and South Africa.

“To ensure a smooth transition for Avendra customers, we have increased our production capabilities, assigned key sales executives as Avendra Brand Managers and made strategic changes to our headquarters and warehouse facilities,” said Gross. “We want to fulfill our commitment to Avendra by continuing to support their customers with quality products, timely deliveries and the level of customer service that they deserve.”

Harvey Singer, vice president of sales and a 25-year industry veteran, will spearhead Chef Works’ effort.

SanMar Releases New District Threads Catalog

Seattle, WA, May 16, 2007 — SanMar Corp., a leading supplier of wholesale imprintable apparel, is releasing the 2007 District Threads catalog. Their 28-page catalog showcases the entire line, in addition to this year’s new and forthcoming styles, for a total of 47 unique apparel options.

The District Threads brand appeals to teens and young adults with fashion-forward shirts, fleece, outerwear and accessories. The 2007 catalog features sixteen new products. Twelve of these styles are available immediately and four, including headwear and a ladies track jacket, will release in August 2007.

“Today’s youth has tremendous buying power and they’re looking for clothes that will reflect their views, aspirations and ideas,” says Jeremy Lott, SanMar’s VP of sales and marketing. “T-shirts and other custom casuals help them express their passion for sports, arts, politics and more.”

In accordance with SanMar’s efforts to adopt and implement sustainable printing practices, the materials used to create the catalog meet the Forest Stewardship Council’s strict certification standards.

The 2007 District Threads™ catalog is available now for custom-imprint orders and started shipping to customers in late May.

For more information, or to order the new catalog, call SanMar customer service at 800-426-6399 or visit www.sanmar.com

NAUMD Elects 2007-08 Board and Officers

New York, NY, May 15, 2007 – The National Association of Uniform Manufacturers & Distributors (NAUMD) today announced the election of its Board of Directors and Officers for 2006-07.

In voting by the NAUMD board, the continuing Executive Committee included: Ron Pate, Unison Marketing Group, elected to a one-year term as Chairman; along with one year terms for Roger Heldman, Blumenthal Uniform Company, Vice Chairman; Steve Zalkin, Alamar Uniforms of Kansas City, Treasurer; and Steve Robinson, Liberty Uniform Manufacturing Co. as Member at Large. Richard J. Lerman, NAUMD’s President, was elected Secretary and Michael Broome, Samuel Broome Uniform Accessories continues on both the Executive Committee and Board of Directors as Immediate Past Chairman.

Returning & newly elected board members include John Best, Best Uniforms; Stewart Brooks, Rocky Shoes & Boots; Joseph Chiusolo, Turn Out Fire & Safety; Brian Garry, Cintas; William D. Graves, Graves Uniforms; Cary Gregory Galls/Aramark; John Gunzler, Edwards Garment Company; Fred Heldman, Fechheimer Brothers Company; Sol Jacobs, I. Spiewak & Sons; Chris Sneden, 3M Company; Jim Tewmey , VF Imagewear; W. Jerry Vereen, Riverside Manufacturing Company and Russell Wilson, Pro Feet Inc.

Ron Pate, the 2007-08 NAUMD chairman, co-founded R&R Uniforms in 1972, and held senior level sales positions for Horace Small Apparel and VF Corporations’s workwear group. With Bob Gates, his business partner of 35 years, he currently co-owns Unison Marketing Group, a marketing resource for uniform manufacturers and dealers.

A long-serving NAUMD volunteer, his most recent roles included senior vice president and co-chair of the association’s U.S. Postal Committee which works with the U.S. Postal Service, the National Association of Letter Carriers, the American Postal Workers Union and all other parties in representing the uniform industry in providing the highest quality and value uniforms and accessories to over 300,000 USPS employees.

The NAUMD has been serving as the voice of America’s uniform industry since 1933 and is a not-for-profit trade association representing the interests of over 500 member companies who are engaged in the design, development, material supply, manufacture and the distribution of uniforms, career apparel, and associated accessories to businesses worldwide.

The association provides programs, services and products directly focused on the effectiveness and profitability of all its members. It also produces the uniform industry’s best and only annual convention & exposition and many other programs and services designed solely for those who are engaged in the manufacture, distribution or products and services to support the uniform industry.

For further information contact the association at 212.869.0670 or visit www.naumd.com

New Faces at Penn Emblem Company

Philadelphia, PA, May 18, 2007 - The Penn Emblem Company is proud to welcome two new members of the marketing department to their headquarters location in Philadelphia, PA.

Sarah Rems began as a part-time marketing intern in September of 2006 after graduating with a BA in Communications from East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania. In April, she accepted a full time position as a marketing communications associate.

John Langan started at Penn in 1979 in the screen printing prep department. After leaving and returning to the company at various times throughout the years, he returned in December of 2005, selling the Naturalink printing system. In May, John accepted his new position as marketing communications manager.

Sarah and John will both be responsible for the marketing needs of all company locations, including ads and articles, market research, customer collateral and internal marketing materials.

For more information regarding Penn Emblem, visit www.pennemblem.com

Uniforms in the News:

Fashion Designer Outfits New York Hotel Staff Members

New York, May 22, 2007 (Hotel & Motel Management Week) - Hotel Mela, New York's new 228-room boutique hotel, is debuting their chic staff uniforms custom-designed by designer Anne Bowen.

New York City is the home to many celebrities, fashion and entertainment icons, and the fashion world is continuing to merge with different industries, including hospitality. This week, Hotel Mela is gearing up to make its mark in high-fashion with one-of-a-kind custom-designed uniforms that combine the sexy chic theme of the hotel with the sleek, ultra-hip feel of city life.

Anne Bowen, who has designed red carpet creations for such high profile celebrities as Catherine Zeta-Jones, Beyonce Knowles, Elizabeth Hurley, and Kim Cattrall, has been chosen to design the original uniforms for the midtown hotel. Having designed couture pieces for more than ten years, Bowen has brought her signature style to Hotel Mela by innovatively fusing typical menswear fabrics with feminine touches to add a sophisticated and ultra-hip look to the staff's attire, reminiscent of early James Bond movies.

Bowen's "007" inspiration is evident in the staff’s jackets, pants, skirts and custom handcrafted leather accessories created to hold their high tech devices. Additionally, Ms. Bowen's designs provide comfort and practicality with additional pockets for employees such as bellman and doorman who require compartments for convenience and efficiency, and mohair and alpaca wool coats for warmth throughout New York's winter months. Utilizing high-quality fabrics, including light weight wool, Egyptian cotton and silk, the uniforms are not only ideal for all seasons, but are comfortable for everyday wear. The pinstriped uniforms, accented in midnight blue, ice blue and crimson create a sophisticated, modern look and consistent image among staff members.

"We are very excited to have Anne Bowen designs as part of the sleek, stylish feel that is Hotel Mela. She has brought her unique insight into fashion and merged it with functionality to create an innovative look that personifies the culture and appeal of the hotel," said Hotel Mela General Manager David Lopez.

"Designing the uniforms for Hotel Mela has been a wonderful experience for me. To see your designs come to life and fit so perfectly with the image of the hotel is very rewarding," said Anne Bowen.

Combining the rich culture and history of New York with the high style and fine art of Italian living, Hotel Mela emphasizes a unique approach to hospitality with their exclusive "At Home Sophistication" design concept, offering guest's unparalleled comfort during their stay. With a revolutionary approach to concept and design, the hotel's overall philosophy is to deliver service based upon the guests' desires which far exceed their expectations. Desires Hotels has created "Your Desires," a signature program that supports this concept and is offered at designated hotels within the Desires Boutique Division. Hotel Mela's "Your Desires" program will center on the diverse and culturally rich New York marketplace, bringing to hotel guests the very best the city has to offer along with comfort and personal requests.

The name Mela when translated means "Apple" in Italian, and honors the significant role that Italian culture has played in New York City's history. New York's influence is apparent throughout the public spaces that feature a collection of hand-selected artwork of landmark buildings and historic districts.

Tecton Hospitality and Desires Hotels, the boutique division, provide a wide range of management services to both institutional and individual owners of hotels in the United States and Caribbean. The Miami-based company also operates franchise hotels, including full-service properties and resorts under the Sheraton, Marriott, Hampton Inn, Choice and Holiday Inn brands.

Five Crowns Modernizes Waitress Uniforms

Newport Beach, May 4, 2007 (Orange County Register) – The dames at ye olde inn have a new look, and some of the lay folk at Corona del Mar's historic Five Crowns restaurant are none too pleased.

The replica English manor, a vine-covered landmark on East Coast Highway, this week debuted server costumes that general manager Chris Szechenyi called "more classic, as opposed to thematic."

The original ensemble, popularly said to reflect the couture of a "lusty wench," consisted of 13 garments, including a short skirt, white stockings, a puffy chambermaid's hat and a blouse with a plunging neckline. The new outfit has just five pieces, none of them very revealing.

For some devotees of Five Crowns' Yorkshire pudding and creamed spinach, the revamped style is hard to digest. Fifteen people signed a letter objecting to the changes, restaurant spokeswoman Susan Ballou said.

The traditional outfits "are such a part of the restaurant and should always be a part of the experience when you visit Five Crowns," the letter reads, adding that the changes are "heartbreaking."

The inn was built in the 1930s and has operated as Five Crowns since 1965. Over the years, other alterations have crept into the restaurant. Its menu has expanded, its kitchen has been renovated, and a bar once dominated by half-yards of Bass Ale now also serves up a steady stream of pink-hued Cosmopolitans.

But the serving attire has always hewed a traditional, if sultry, line. Patrons surveyed Wednesday night mostly sided with the original garb. "The old (outfits) mean we're at Five Crowns. The new – we could be anywhere," said Jean Mather, who's been dining at the restaurant for three decades.

"It's probably generational," patron Miriam Gersten said. "I just love the old one, but the new is what most people are going to like."

Officials at Five Crowns, which is owned by the Lawry's chain, are betting that's the case. They spent six months designing the new outfit in response to customer requests for an updated look.

In any event, officials take the critiques with a smile, saying concern reflects the fidelity of longtime customers. "It's charming that people have taken such an interest," Szechenyi said.

Wearing the Blues

Cookeville, TN May 5, 2007 (Herald-Citizen) - If you've been to Cookeville Regional Medical Center lately, you might have noticed that the nurses have a new look.

Since the beginning of April, royal blue scrubs are now the norm, with solid white or a mixture of blue and white also being accepted, and that's not on accident.

A dress code committee including nurses actually began studying a hospital-wide dress code for nurses last year.

"(Before) It kind of was anything, everything goes," said Linda Crawford, chief clinical officer at CRMC, who actually started her health care career as a nurse. "From my position, there were really sloppy uniforms, and everybody wears scrubs. Patients don't know who the nurses are.

"This is to recognize nurses, to give us an image," Crawford said.

But once a week, Crawford said that each floor of nurses is allowed to pick a special color specific to their department to wear for that one day.

"I know Four East wears red on Fridays," Crawford said.

Nursing uniforms are much different today than they were 30 years ago, and no two nurses at CRMC have witnessed more changes in the way nurses look than LPN Elaine Phillips and RN Kathy Dyer.

The two have worked at CRMC longer than any other nurse currently working there.

Dyer started her career at the Cookeville hospital in 1975. She remembers wearing white uniforms with white hats.

Phillips, who started working at the hospital in 1974, said that many wore dresses, and they also had to wear white stockings.

She said she believes dresses had just about disappeared from nursing uniforms by the 1980s.

"I don't know why," she said. "We don't do more now than we did. Back then, you just had to be careful how you moved."

Although dresses are out, Crawford said there's still a belief that nurses should wear white.

"In research around the country about uniform perception, white always wins out," she said. "It's the old culture of what we used to look like."

Crawford said she remembers that when she was going to nursing school, the type of cap nurses wore was specific to where they graduated from.

"It was a sign of being an RN to have that cap on your head," she said. "But the reality is, when you bend over, it gets knocked off or caught in the curtains."

Although nursing uniforms now are much more casual and comfortable than they used to be, Crawford said CRMC still has other standards for keeping nurses looking professional and accessible to patients.

For example, long hair has to be pulled back, and no visible body piercings are allowed with the exception of earrings, but no more than two per ear.

Nurses have always been responsible for providing their own uniforms at the Cookeville hospital. The new uniforms now cost between $30 and $40.

Industry Legislation:

Hayes Pushes Bill to Require U.S.-made Uniforms

Washington, May 14, 2007 (Winston-Salem Journal, as reported by Mary M. Shaffrey) -

During World War II, Congress passed legislation requiring that the uniforms worn by military personnel were 100 percent American made - meaning that the materials came from the United States and the product was made in its entirety in the United States.

Rep. Robin Hayes, R-8th, said he wants to see the same rule - known as the Berry Amendment - applied to the uniforms worn by the U.S. Border Patrol and Transportation Security Administration agents. Hayes, a five-term incumbent from Concord, said that the issue comes down to national security and ensuring that what few remaining textile jobs are in the United States - and North Carolina - remain.

A study released in 2006 by the Center on Globalization, Governance and Competitiveness at Duke University said that North Carolina lost more than 155,000 jobs in the textile and apparel industries between 1995 and 2005. The study said that North Carolina has been the state hardest hit by job losses and plant closings in the textile and apparel industries.

Last week, Hayes tried to have the Berry Amendment incorporated into the nearly $40 billion Department of Homeland Security Authorization.

But the House Rules Committee, which sets the agenda for floor debate, voted along party lines to reject his proposal. The full House did the same thing. All Republicans voted to send it back to the Rules Committee so that Hayes’ amendment could be added. All Democrats - except for Rep. Brad Miller, D-13th - voted to consider the bill without Hayes’ provision.

Ryan Hedgepeth, the legislative director for Miller, said that Miller voted with the Republicans because he supported the idea of having all the materials and production of uniforms used by agencies under the Department of Homeland Security to be American.

“He would have preferred to have seen the Hayes language included,” Hedgepeth said.

The bill was ultimately amended to say that the materials must be produced in the United States, but it says nothing about where the materials used must come from. That bill passed the House 296-126. Miller and all the Democrats in the congressional delegation voted for it, while all the Republican members voted against.

P.J. Bonner, the president of the National Border Patrol Council, said he has been concerned for years that uniforms made outside the United States could wind up in the wrong hands. He said that it was “demoralizing” to wear uniforms that had “Made in Mexico” tags.

He said he is glad that the rules were changed, but he thinks that the legislation passed is still not good enough.

“From the standpoint of safety, yes, this is a good thing,” he said. “From a standpoint of the bigger picture and doing what’s good for America, no, this is not good enough.”

Other groups that lobbied for Hayes’ amendment agreed.

“We’ve got a good foot in the door, but we’d like to see it strengthened,” said Cass Johnson, the president of the National Council of Textile Organizations.

The bill will now go to the Senate for consideration. Hayes said he has not given up, and he hopes that the Senate will incorporate his proposal to require that the uniforms be made in their entirety, including materials, in the United States.

“We are going to make sure we educate some folks,” he said.

Experts say that however the issue turns out, Hayes is smart to associate himself with the legislation.

Last year, Hayes barely defeated an underfinanced Democratic challenger, Larry Kissell, by less than 350 votes. A key issue in that campaign was his vote for the Central American Free Trade Agreement in 2005. Hayes had pledged to vote against it, but he switched his vote under pressure from Republican House leaders.

“It’s wise of him to have these types of issues in the minds of voters instead of controversial votes,” said John Dinan, a professor of political science at Wake Forest University. “In the voter’s minds, if that’s what he has been doing lately, it will help.