History
Background
Founded in 2001 by Luke Conod and his parents, the company is working to meet the challenging requirements of today’s retail environment through wholesale, mail order, internet and of course its retail outlet. Based in beautiful Herefordshire, customers from around the UK are offered the most popular brands of clothing at unrivalled prices and unparalleled service standards.
Milestones
2024
- Top 200 Ethical Companies in the world: SchoolUniformShop.co.uk has been named in The Good Shopping Guide’s 2024 list of the WORLD’S top 200 ethical companies https://thegoodshoppingguide.com/top-200-ethical-businesses/
- Ethical Accreditation – School Uniform Shop: We were delighted to be awarded Ethical Accreditation for the sixth year running by the Ethical Company Organisation.
- Central England Prestige Awards Schoolwear Retailer of the Year 2024 – School Uniform Shop: We were pleased to be recognised by Central England Prestige Awards. We were really proud that our team have been recognised in this way.
- Website Updates – Buy Jeans and School Uniform Shop: We updated the Buy Jeans and School Uniform Shop websites with fresh modern styles that are optimised for mobile devices as well as computers.
2023
- Ethical Accreditation – School Uniform Shop: We were delighted to be awarded Ethical Accreditation for the fifth year running by the Ethical Company Organisation. It is a credit to the work we have being doing over the past 17 years in the industry.
- Footwear added to School Uniform Shop: We added a range of high quality, excellent value children’s footwear products to School Uniform Shop from Term Footwear and Grass & Air.
- Green Website Hosting: We moved our website and email hosting to GURU who are the UK’s original and best green hosting provider. We are aware of the environmental impact of data centres, so are pleased to do our bit to help reduce this.
- School Uniform Shop Retail Stores Join Monkhouse: We are delighted to announce that The School Uniform Shop retail stores in Hereford and Ross on Wye have joined Monkhouse Schoolwear. You can read the full press release here.
2022
- Ethical Accreditation – School Uniform Shop: We were delighted to be awarded Ethical Accreditation for the fourth year running by the Ethical Company Organisation. It is a credit to the work we have being doing over the past 16 years in the industry.
- Central England Prestige Awards Schoolwear Retailer of the Year – School Uniform Shop: We were pleased to be recognised by Central England Prestige Awards. We were really proud that our team have been recognised in this way.
- North England Prestige Awards Schoolwear Retailer of the Year – School Uniform Shop: We were pleased to be recognised by North England Prestige Awards. We were really proud that our team have been recognised in this way.
2021
- Ethical Accreditation – School Uniform Shop: We were delighted to be awarded Ethical Accreditation for the third year running by the Ethical Company Organisation. It is a credit to the work we have being doing over the past 15 years in the industry.
- Relocation – FIT Store: We relocated our FIT fashion store to a large ground floor unit in Labels Shopping, Ross on Wye. This gives us more space to stock and display a wider range of products, as well as offering convenient free on-site parking for our customers.
- In-store Ordering – School Uniform Shop: We installed two customer ordering kiosks in our School Uniform Shop retail store in Hereford, to allow customers to order our full range of products for free delivery to their homes. Staff are available to help and advise if required.
- Website Updates – Buy Jeans and School Uniform Shop: We updated the Buy Jeans and School Uniform Shop websites with fresh modern styles that are optimised for mobile devices as well as computers.
2020
- Ethical Accreditation – School Uniform Shop: We were delighted to be awarded Ethical Accreditation for the second year running by the Ethical Company Organisation.
- Books for Cambodia: We are delighted to have been able to fund the first 880 books for the libraries in Koh Ker School, Romchek School and Khnar Village School.
- Green Energy: We have moved to Green Energy and are proud to be to be supplied by Ecotricity.co.uk
2019
- Refurbishment – FIT Store Hereford: With the introduction of many fantastic new brands to our FIT store it was time to redesign and refurbish the store to accommodate the new arrivals.
- Ethical Accreditation – School Uniform Shop: We were delighted to be the first school uniform retailer awarded Ethical Accreditation by the Ethical Company Organisation.
- Schoolwear Retailer of the Year – School Uniform Shop: We were pleased to be recognised by SME News as the Midlands Schoolwear Retailer of the Year. We were really proud that our team have been recognised in this way.
- Khnar Village Learning Centre: We are proud to be working with the PLF in Cambodia and The City of Hereford Rotary Club to fund the building of a learning centre for the village of Khnar in Cambodia.
- Customer Appointments: We have launched customer appointment booking with our experts at both the School Uniform Shop and FIT.
- Books for Cambodia: We are working with of our customers, the PLF and City of Hereford Rotary Club to buy books for Koh Ker School, Romchek School and Khnar Village School.
2018
- Next Day Delivery – Buy Jeans: We are proud to be one of the only independent clothing retailers to offer Free Next Day Delivery on our most popular products.
- Loyalty Programme – Buy Jeans: Whether you are a long-standing customer or have just found us on-line or Social Media, we value your custom and we will reward you every time you shop with us. Every purchase you make will accumulate points that are converted instantly into cash, which in turn could mean you get your next pair of jeans absolutely FREE!
- Next Day Delivery – School Uniform Shop: We are delighted to be working in partnership with David Luke to offer next day delivery on all their ethical and sustainable School Uniform. This is FREE on David Luke products totalling £35 or more (otherwise just £2.95).
- Loyalty Programme – School Uniform Shop: Whether you are a long-standing customer or have just found us on-line or Social Media, we value your custom and we will reward you every time you shop with us. Every purchase you make will accumulate points that are converted instantly into cash, which in turn could mean you get your next school uniform absolutely FREE!
- Refurbishment – FIT Store: With the addition of Gym King, 11 Degrees, Dickies, Element and Hype the store deserved a refresh so we shut up show for a few days and got the paint brushes out, added some lovely new fixtures, and a lovely new sign above the door.
- Expanded Tailoring options – Buy Jeans: Due to the popularity of our exclusive tailored jeans we expanded the Tailoring options across a much wider range of jeans and fits.
- Refurbishment – School Uniform Shop Hereford: Whilst the team we having a well earned break over Christmas we took the opportunity to freshen up the store and add in new Ethical Uniform from David Luke, the brilliant Hype bags and accessories and some great new products from shin pads to water bottles.
2017
- Premium Tailoring: Launched our Premium Tailoring. Mira and her team at Sew Unique in Hereford will carefully adjust your jeans to perfect, exacting standards and they will arrive with you at the length you desire. The premium tailoring team achieve this by cutting the original hem off just above the seam. They then remove the desired length from the jeans and invisibly re-attach the hem from the inside, just above the seam for an original finish.
- Social Media and Marketing Improvements: Re-launched our Buy Jeans and School Uniform Shop Social Media pages and started investing in Facebook and Instagram marketing improvements.
- Internal Ordering Systems: Launched ordering systems in both FIT and School Uniform Shop. Both systems link directly to our dispatch centre where orders can be placed for stock the shops don’t have fluidly and seamlessly. This makes life much easier during ‘Back to School’ for the School Uniform Shop and for ordering sizes that are out of stock at FIT.
- New Brand – School Shop: Introduced David Luke as a new brand at School Uniform Shop. Family business, David Luke have been trading for over 30 years. Their motto is “Durability in Mind. Ethics at Heart.” We firmly believe in David Luke as a brand that will fit in well with our ethics, values and customers. Since they began their Eco-uniform, David Luke have saved a total of 8.84 million 2 litre bottles from landfill. We think that is incredible and are proud to be a supporter and supplier!
- New Brands – FIT: Introduced Cheap Monday, Gym King and 11 Degrees as new brands in FIT.
2016
- Tailoring: Want your jeans to arrive at your door the perfect length? No problem. Now when customers order from Buy Jeans they can choose the specific leg length on a wide range of products. Our on-site bespoke tailoring service headed up by Mrs C will adjust the jeans perfectly to exacting standards and they will arrive at the length you want.
- Amazon: We worked closely with Levi Strauss and Amazon and were delighted to be the first Retailer in Europe to be fully authorised by Levi Strauss to tailor jeans to the perfect length for customer.
- Bespoke School Uniform: To further improve customer service and make purchasing school uniform even easier, all our Bespoke School Uniform is now available to purchase on-line at School Uniform Shop for delivery direct to the customer.
2015
- Launched our own FIT Clothing Brand. Unlike a lot of brands, we wanted to do it right by sourcing ethically produced items. we work with AIM Apparel who are an American charity based in Cambodia. Their aim is to provide education and vocation for young women who have been subjected to sex trafficking. The rescued women are provided training in garment manufacturing, healthcare and language education, all while being compensated well above the national average. We also work with students at Hereford College of Arts who created all the unique designs for us.
- Updated our Denim Nation, FIT and School Uniform Shop Hereford sites with a fresh new look and style that is responsive so that they also work well on tablets and mobile phones.
- Updated our Buy Jeans & School Uniform Shop websites with a fresh new look and style that is responsive so that they also work well on tablets and mobile phones.
- Developed and launched new in-store schoolwear ordering system at School Uniform Shop Hereford and our schoolwear concession in Labels Shopping to allow customers to order any school uniform that is not in stock for delivery to the store or directly to their homes.
2014
- Launched our third Face of FIT competition to find the perfect fit for our 2014 autumn/winter season.
- Moved our FIT store in Hereford to its new home FIT in Widemarsh Street, Hereford. FIT is THE destination in Herefordshire for the latest designer labels. FIT has an eclectic mix of high fashion, designer pieces and A-list inspired outfits from G Star, Diesel, Superdry, Jack & Jones, Luke 1977 and Levi’s to name but a few.
- Moved our School Uniform Shop in Hereford to a bigger, brighter store, conveniently located in the heart of the city. Our store is now all on one floor and is fully accessible. All our schoolwear is ethically produced. We now also have customer toilets, a baby changing room, children’s play area and faster service with the addition of a second service point.
2013
- Opened new Rockford Jeans concessions at all Boundary Mill Stores.
- Further extended our offices at the warehouse to incorporate our Head Office which now enables the Head Office and On line teams to be under one roof to further improve our service to all our customers.
2012
- Launched our second Face of FIT competition to find the perfect fit for our 2012 autumn/winter season.
- Launched our new FIT Fashion website using high quality photographs of our Face of FIT 2011 winners modelling all products.
- Enhanced the photograph quality on our Buy Jeans using the same Face of FIT photos. Our 2012 Buy Jeans catalogues also feature the Face of FIT models.
- Opened new Wrangler and Lee concessions at Boundary Mill Stores in Rotherham.
- Opened new Jack and Jones concession at Boundary Mill Stores in Colne.
- Transferred our Buy Jeans customer services department and call centre to our despatch centre and warehouse in Herefordshire to further improve service to our online customers.
2011
- Opened new Wrangler and Lee concessions at Boundary Mill Stores in Grantham and Walsall.
- Opened new Lee Jeans concessions at Boundary Mill Colne and Shiremor.
- Opened a new Wrangler and Lee Jeans outlet at Belleek Outlet Shopping in Northern Ireland.
- Launched the annual Face of FIT competition. For the two lucky winners who are the perfect fit, there was a fabulous prize package – not only are they the face of FIT’s online and in-store marketing for autumn and winter 2011, they will also star in a professional photoshoot.
- Launched our first ever Buy Jeans catalogue which we sent to over 70,000 of our customers in April, September and November in the final addition using our Face of Fit Models for the front and back covers.
2010
- Relaunched our Buy Jeans, School Uniform Shop and FIT Online websites with a new fresh modern appearance including easier to use menus and search features as well as better imagery.
- Added Banner and Beau Brummell branded school uniform to the School Uniform Shop website to increase the brands and product range available to our customers.
- Launched our School Uniform Shop to raise £10,000 challenge to build a School in Nepal.
- Opened a Stationery Shop in our School Uniform Shop High Street store in Hereford and also on line at www.schooluniformshop.co.uk.
- Opened the only official Hereford United Football Club Shop at our FIT Store in Hereford. The “Bulls Shop @ FIT” is the only high street store where customers are able to purchase the full range of Hereford United kit and merchandise.
- Opened new Wrangler concessions at Boundary Mill Stores in Colne and Shiremoor. Boundary Mill Stores is the largest quality mill store of its kind in the UK. Founded in 1983, their philosophy is to offer customers quality branded goods at discount prices up to 75% off rrp.
- We have expanded further our Warehouse facility in Hereford to be able to hold increased levels of stock for both the new Boundary concessions a well as the new School Uniform Brands.
2009
- Launched FIT Online website offering branded fashion from designer labels. The FIT Online Fashion Store is your one stop shop for all of your designer label. For FIT Girls we a diverse range of clothing, such as Superdry, G-Star Tops, G-Star Bottoms, Gio Goi, Miss Sixty, Killah, Bench, Levi’s, Traffic People, Chilli Pepper, Lee, Pepe & Wrangler. For FIT Guys we also have an impressive range, such as Firetrap, Energie, Levi’s, Bench, Peter Werth, Duck and Cover, DrunknMunky, Lee, Scotch & Soda, Ben Sherman & Wrangler.
- Opened FIT, a branded Fashion Store in Hereford. FIT has an eclectic mix of high fashion, designer pieces and A-list inspired outfits. Aimed primarily at 16-34 year olds, FIT aims to deliver the latest high street trends with a range suiting all budgets.
- Opened our new purpose built Head Office and Call Centre in the Heart of the City of Hereford.
- Opened new Jeanswear outlets in The Mill @ Batley and Derrys Department Store in Plymouth.
- Refitted and expanded our customer service and pick, pack and despatch centre in Herefordshire to create a dedicated facility for School Uniform Shop order fulfilment.
- Enlarged our School Uniform Shop in the Heart of the City of Hereford to enable us to stock uniform for the ever increasing number of schools wishing to take advantage of our service.
2008
- Our School Uniform Shop in Hereford moved to a new purpose built shop offering two air conditioned floors of School Uniform and Sportswear for children aged 2 to 18 across the three counties.
- Relaunched our Buy Jeans, School Uniform Shop and Denim Nation websites with a new fresh modern appearance including easier to use menus and search features as well as better imagery.
- Opened new School Uniform Shops at Tweed Mill in St Asaph, Robbs Department Store in Hexam and Lewis’s Department Store in Liverpool.
- Opened new jeans outlets at Alexandra Mills in West Yorkshire, Robbs Department Store in Hexam and Lewis’s Department Store in Liverpool.
- Expanded our customer service and distribution centre in Herefordshire to manage the increasing volume of online sales.
2007
- Opened new outlets within Joplins Department Store Sunderland, Lewis’s Department Store Liverpool and Rob’s Department Store Hexam.
- Opened our new customer service and distribution centre in Herefordshire.
- Launched a Bespoke School Uniform service, supplying school uniform tailored to schools’ individual requirements.
- Enhanced our internal recycling procedures. We now recycle 98% of cardboard and 94% of paper, and are continuing to improve this. All confidential paperwork is securely destroyed by an environmentally friendly local company, Enviroshred. 100% of clothing and other products that cannot be sold or returned to our suppliers are donated to small independent charities. All printer toner cartridges are recycled and refilled by Cartridge World.
2006
- Relaunched the Buy Jeans website with considerably enhanced back-end facilities to allow us to further improve our customer service and efficiency.
- Launched new School Uniform Shop website offering quality schoolwear products from Trutex (using the same new back-end systems as Buy Jeans).
- Opened new factory outlets in Dover and Leicestershire.
- Combined the King Size website products onto the Buy Jeans website.
2005
- Launched this Denim Nation website to provide company background information to interested parties.
- Refurbished the Hereford store including new shop front.
- Expanded our customer service centre in Hereford to allow us to better manage increasing online sales.
- Opened a new School Uniform Shop in Ross on Wye.
2004
- Total refurbishment of the School Uniform Shop to accommodate the increase in sales of school wear.
2003
- Launched the King Size website offering jeans and selected outerwear for the larger man (shopping can be a frustrating experience when you don’t fit into the “normal” size zones).
- Developed new offices and service centre to better manage the increasing volume of online sales.
2002
- Acquired four retail shops within factory outlets in Chester, Ross-On-Wye, Leeds and Nottingham, supplying Levi’s®, Wrangler, Lee, Diesel and our own budget range of Jeans.
- Rebranded Jeans Station in Hereford to Jeans Nation and The Schoolwear Centre in Hereford to School Uniform Shop.
2001
- Purchased and refitted Jeans Station and The Schoolwear Centre in Hereford.
- Launched the Buy Jeans website, offering a range of quality brand jeans and related products at competitive prices.