PEP NEWS
NEWS ARCHIVES
QUALITY RULES FOR BACK TO SCHOOL
December 2009
In tough economic times, the challenge for consumers is to find quality and, for retailers, it is to deliver that quality at the best possible prices.
For the back to school period in January, the largest retailer of schoolwear in South Africa, PEP says that parents will look for bargains that have the best quality and value. With over 60% of the market, PEP caters for the most cash-strapped customers as well as for those who can afford higher quality. For PEP’s basic entry range of schoolwear, parents could kit out their girl or boy for first day at school for under R100 and this includes not only a white shirt; a black/navy skirt for a girl or grey shorts for a boy; socks and shoes but also a lunch box.
To avoid buying inferior quality items, PEP says there are some basic tips for parents to follow when searching for their bargains this year:
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Feel the fabric – is it heavy enough and does it feel strong yet comfortable?
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Check the zipper – is it going to be reliable again and again?
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Check the seam allowances – is there enough room to let them out as your child grows during the year?
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If there is a stain resistant claim, eg does it have the Teflon logo?
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Does the shirt have a spare button?
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Is the pocketing and waistband lining of good quality ... or will it tear after a few washes?
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Is it a brand you know you can trust?
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Can you replace the items if you need to at any time of the year (does the retailer stock the items year round)?
In addition to its basic entry range, the PEP Student Prince range – a trusted brand with over 40 years’ credentials – offers excellent quality garments with high durability. Eighty percent of the Student Prince range is produced locally, which helps protect jobs in a fragile and highly challenged local industry. And the Student Prince range is stocked all year round in PEP stores.
PEP also sells the Toughees Schoolwear, which is made to last. The Teflon® finish helps with stain removal and protects garments against everyday dirt, grime, ink and mud and generally makes the garments easier to care for. Teflon® is dermatologically tested and CFC free.
Changing lives through competence training
For its Student Prince Academies, PEP was recently commended as the leading project in the Mail & Guardian Investing in the Future Awards for “changing lives by thinking out of the box”, according to the judging panel. PEP runs six Student Prince Academies – four in Gauteng and two in the Western Cape. Two more will be opened early in 2010 in Kwa-Zulu Natal.
At the eight academies, around 1300 Grade 4 children receive, three times a week, after school core competence training in literacy, numeracy and life skills. While the children are being given this supplementary education, they are also off the street, given a meal and being kept in a safe environment. The Student Prince Academies initiative has been fully endorsed by the Department of Education. PEP MD, George Steyn says: “We want to invest in the building blocks of education and, although it’s a small investment in the overall scheme of things, at least we can help make a difference and improve learning levels.”
Tests show that learners enrolled in the Student Prince Academies programme have improved numeracy scores by an average of 20 and literacy scores by an average of 29 percentage points. The monitoring study also showed that children enrolled in the programme performed better than those not enrolled at the end of Grade 4 by as much as 45%.
Standard uniforms
Parents face the burden of school uniforms expenses every year. If, for any reason, their children move schools, this burden increases but the problem could be obviated if standard school uniform items were accepted at both schools.
The most common schoolwear items in South Africa are grey trousers and white shirts. PEP believes these should be adopted as the standard school uniform. PEP’s position on school uniforms is:
• standardise school uniforms based on the most common items used currently
• do not compromise quality
• use economies of scale to bring costs and therefore prices down
• schools can differentiate themselves by adding badges and/or different coloured jerseys and fleeces.
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