Mather Jamie has let retail premises to a national online retailer specialising in bespoke school uniforms, which has opened its first store in Leicester following a three-year hunt for suitable premises.
Uniform Direct is now occupying a 2,991 sq ft retail space at 54 – 56 Humberstone Gate, following increasing demand for its school uniforms from local parents, and has created six jobs as a result.
The ground floor premises, which sits a few shops past John Cheatle’s Schoolwear Centre and adjacent to Sainsbury’s, was formerly occupied by furniture retailer Stride and is located alongside a number of other independent shops.
Alex Reid of Mather Jamie comments: “The premises provide a generous shop floor, while also benefitting from a prominent location within one of Leicester’s busy shopping areas and close to the main bus routes into the city.
“In recent months we have seen the market steadily gain momentum and we were pleased to have agreed a letting of the property for the client unit very quickly.”
Narinder Kaur, of Lincoln-based Uniform Direct, which has a portfolio of five stores nationally, comments: “We have spent over three years specifically looking for premises large enough to offer parents a service that they have been requesting for years.
“We are situated close to our competitors and our store has over three times the space inside.
“We are changing school uniforms and can now offer parents quality and affordability; the national average cost of a uniform is £200, a cost that we have slashed to £75, including PE kit.
“Finding a central location was important in terms of accessibility and we were really conscious of the need to be located in an area that is convenient for those using public transport, as well as cars.
“Space was another key factor and we required at least 1,500 sq ft of shop space to create the look and feel we were aiming for.
“As a school uniform supplier, we are unique in that our shop has been designed to echo the big high street fashion retailers, so it’s light, spacious and a fun environment to be in, while keeping the prices of our products affordable.
“We were already supplying our high quality products to a number of schools in Leicester through our online shop, but have now opened these premises as a direct response to requests we were receiving from parents and schools.
“Parents in particular were keen to be able to visit a physical shop in order to view our products and the schools we work with wanted to be able to guide parents to the premises, so we are delighted to be able to deliver this.
“We ask any parents and schools who want quality bespoke uniforms that are available all year round to get in touch with us to get registered”
