School uniform suppliers call for ‘non-elaborate designs with standard colours’

A final report on the supply of school uniforms published by the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority (MCCAA) has concluded that parents should be encouraged to become "more active consumers", suppliers should be more readily open "to carry on their business in a competitive market", while schools should be "more aware of the responsibility that they carry when setting their school uniforms".

The report was conducted after the Houses' social affairs committee was investigating the difficulties faces by parents when looking to buy their children's school uniforms.

The main problem arose as parents couldn't have the option to choose from different suppliers, due to very specific designs ordered by the schools which would be produced by a limited number of retailers - often identified by the schools.

A report by the Competition Division noted that uniforms were often sources from one retailer identified by the schools which led to the uniforms cost more than they would have been had they been available in ordinary shops.

The MCCAA report said that suppliers are urging schools to inform them beforehand whether they will be supplying a particular uniform. The suppliers said that, knowing beforehand, they would have enough time to make the necessary arrangements to produce and import the required raw material or products.

Suppliers insisted that the current designs of school uniform items are too "complicated", and it might not be profitable in the long term to enter the market.

"Schools should apply caution when using certain terms, for example 'official', to indicate the designated supplier of a particular uniform, since this might result in one particular supplier having an unfair advantage over competitors," the Social Affairs Committee (SAC) said.

The Competition Office, on the other hand, said that there has to be a change in mentality: "Parents should be encouraged to become more active consumers, suppliers should be more readily open to carry on their business in a competitive market, while schools should be more aware of the responsibility that they carry when setting their school uniform policies."

The SAC insisted that change should be a gradual one until the market stabilises itself: "At this stage, expressions of interest are still important as schools require a guarantee that there will be at least a particular supplier who will sell its school uniform."

But in the report, suppliers have questioned the feasibility of a tendering process and claimed that this will only restrict the market.

"These suppliers showed a preference for an open market where one supplier can produce the uniform items of any school irrespective of whether or not it had entered into an agreement to supply that uniform," the report said.

On the other hand, suppliers noted while supplying school uniforms belonging to different schools might have its advantages, there might be the risk that costs will go up due to lower quantities being stocked.

"According to a number of suppliers, the tendering and expression of interest processes will probably fail in the near future, since it is unlikely that suppliers would be willing to abide by onerous terms and conditions imposed in contracts, such as performance guarantees, when there is the possibility that other suppliers may supply the same uniform items simultaneously without having the need to similarly bind themselves by a contract."

Some suppliers also said that - in view of the small size of the Maltese market - if colours and the designs are similar for a number of schools, they would be in a better position to outsource their production from abroad and import in larger quantities at a cheaper cost.

The report said some suppliers claimed that some church and independent schools ask for "financial remuneration" from the designated supplier of the school uniform, which would then be reflected in the prices of the products.

The SAC reiterated that parents should have more choice on price, quality and retailers. Schools, SAC said, should have the assurance that their school uniform will be supplied by at least one supplier and that a larger number of suppliers should be able to enter and compete in the market.

"Such factors will all contribute to having a more open, transparent and competitive school uniforms market," the SAC insisted.