As David Burgess embarks on his retirement, he shares some memories and parting thoughts from his 54-year career in schoolwear, the first 14 of which were at Banner Textiles followed by 40 years at David Luke, where he was a founding director.

 

Good people are so important

“They have that secret ingredient that stands them apart in an ever demanding and evolving market. So many young, vibrant, talented people are growing to become such an important part of the schoolwear market, both in supply and retail.
The Schoolwear Association has been a great example of how those good people, both retailers and suppliers, got together in 2006 and formed a trade association that benefits the whole market more than ever. And new people continue to take on the baton in challenging times in support of our market.
In 54 years, I have met so many good people. Without exception, they have helped me to learn, progress in my career, and become a more effective and better person. I have understood the value of trust and of giving rather than taking, possibly the one most important thing in life! When everyone makes progress, business just gets stronger and stronger.
Of course, business is not some kind of eutopia, it’s a tough environment. I have had to deal with some very difficult people and some very difficult situations but always tried to look for positive solutions. Sometimes you learn even more about business and life in those tough times.”

Competition is healthy

“Schoolwear is still a very price-competitive environment, and I have seen many competitive factors emerging over these last 25 years or so. The tested and tried model of suppliers supplying retailers, which then worked with schools and sold the uniform to the parents, was the norm for so many years.
Massive changes started when the supermarkets started selling clothes in general, and then clothes for school to pull parents into their stores in the summer months. Some new and some old suppliers started dealing directly with schools, embroiderers started selling direct, and then retailers fought back with their own embroidery machines. Multi-channel became the new start-up model. Quite a few businesses looked at cutting out at least one of the established levels of the supply chain. Some of the models worked, for a while, but ultimately failed due to the logistics of handling growth and the ever-growing peak trading period.
Money started to come into the market in the 90s, firstly to facilitate growth in already large businesses, and more recently as part of consolidation in both retail and suppliers. Everyone has the right to create and evolve their own business, it’s healthy, and it can mean fierce competition. It makes successful businesses work harder to keep bringing new ideas to the market. Low prices have never been the best value, in any environment. Our market should be working hard to keep lifting quality and innovation in new fabric and product design. I am proud to be a part of that vision.”

 

 

Collaboration is essential

“I have been grateful to all those people whom I have worked with to help improve many aspects of the schoolwear market. Collaboration is such an important part of business. The Schoolwear Show is a great example, where five suppliers have worked together for the last 25 years to create an event where retailers can see all the main suppliers in one place. The concept still is that we all need a well-organised and growing market in which to trade.
The National Children’s Wear Association (NCWA) worked to help persuade H M Customs & Excise, now HMRC, to revise the sizing on children’s garments and remove the two or three biggest selling sizes of upper body school uniform from having to charge VAT. The Schoolwear Association started in 2006 as an offshoot of
The Schoolwear Show and has become a great source of action for the good of our market, benefitting everyone. And Children’s Wear Buyer (CWB) has been at the centre of communications and still has a key role to play in giving a platform for new ideas.
Others, which have mainly been to do with David Luke, are the Scouts and the Guides, Eco Schools, Keep Britain Tidy, Keep Scotland Beautiful, The Fairtrade Foundation, The Ethical Trading Initiative, and now The Circular Textile Foundation. All these partners and a few more have been part of my business life. I would highly recommend you join the ones most appropriate to your business, and at the very least find out what these organisations do and which you might be able to help. In turn, all that giving is so often rewarded with opportunities and benefits you would never have imagined possible and not sought in the first place.”

Happy and sad times

“Over David Luke’s 40 years, we’ve shared celebrations with our customers and some respected competitors. Firstly 15 years, then 20 and 25, but when 30 years came and we had a great party at Gorton Monastery, Kathryn said we had to stop celebrating every five years, “it’s like tombola parties.” So, it’s now every 10 years, and 2022 marked 40 years. Hopefully, there’ll be a really big one for 50 years. Adrian Luke and I intend to be there!
Adrian and I have so enjoyed working in this special market; the people, the competition, the challenges, and the constant change bringing new opportunities. It’s been fantastic. There is so much more to come for the next generation, led by Kathryn Shuttleworth and the team we have built over the last 20 years. They are all committed to bravely leading, as we did with Eco Uniform and now into circularity, which has to be how school uniform will continue to evolve.
The loss of Richard Moody to MND was such a sad time. It came right at the start of the Covid pandemic in 2020, and nobody had the chance to mourn a truly warm and generous man. Richard had been an agent for David Luke. Then, in 2005, he took over from Adrian as sales director; he grew to be such a well-respected and thoroughly fair man, who always looked for the best outcomes for all the retailers he worked with over the years. We miss his laughter and his generosity of spirit, his charm, and his kindness. Richard was a lovely person and a friend to so many.”

 

Two of my proudest moments involved Her Majesty the Queen, but there are others!

“As chairman of the NCWA, I was lucky enough to be presented to the Queen and later that evening be part of a discussion with Her Majesty. What a wonderful lady she was. God bless her! In 2020, David Luke was presented with The Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development, which recognised our work on Eco Uniform and leading the market in such an important area.
We’ve had a number of youngsters join David Luke as 16-year-olds and now, 20 to 25 years later, they hold senior positions in the business. We have seen their own families grow and it is wonderful to see how they have flourished and taken the responsibilities of business in their stride.
My daughter Kathryn Shuttleworth became managing director of David Luke in 2015. Brilliant move. And for the last 48 years, I have had the unwavering support of my wife Pam, she has been wonderful.
These 54 years have been a rollercoaster and I’ve enjoyed every minute of the ride. I’d like to thank everyone I know and have known in our great schoolwear market. I hope I’ve made a positive difference. But now, the future is exciting, it always is.”