Group launches with multi-million investment programme

Direct Corporate Clothing and Incorporatewear are now trading names of Workwear Uniform Group.

They will continue to operate as their own brands and service their respective clients, but with significant investment in physical infrastructure and new systems, will work even closer together to offer best-in-industry, top-to-toe solutions.

The new WWUGL brand portfolio also includes Workwear Uniform Group BV, which services the Oldbury-based group’s European customer base, global sourcing specialists GiSa and Sri Lanka-based K&D Manufacturing which provides in-house production support.

Sam Sohal, WWUGL chief executive said: “Each group brand excels in a distinct phase of the workwear lifecycle. Bringing them together means we can offer that excellence across our customer base – delivering fully managed, cradle-to-grave contract solutions.

“We believe this consolidation and sizable investment will deliver sustainable growth, the best in market service for our customers and commercial and financial security for the group and its family of companies.”

With £100 million annual turnover and an international reach, WWUGL is now a UK market leader in the sourcing, design, manufacture and distribution of technical workwear, PPE and bespoke corporate uniforms to large, multi-sited organisations.

A substantial, internally financed investment programme is now being delivered which includes a multi-million-pound, state-of-the-art, fully automated warehousing and distribution product handling system which will transform the speed and quality of customer service.

Group company processes are being amalgamated under a single ERP system and a further sizable investment is being made in online digital platforms.

Rebecca Jones is managing director of Direct Corporate Clothing, experts in large-scale co-ordinated rollouts of high-volume orders for major organisations in key industries including construction, facilities management, rail, logistics and retail.

She said: “The new group enables us to service and provide solutions to customers across the entire workwear lifecycle, from designing and sourcing products to their manufacture, distribution and even end-of-product-life processing.

“We’re uniquely positioned with the flexible, responsive in-house capabilities and supply chain control we now have. We have our own manufacturing facility – 80 per cent of our garments are made by us – and we are the first in the marketplace to have a fully automated warehouse.”

WWUGL brand is investing heavily in its management team and employees. To foster greater collaboration and the sharing of experience and expertise, its 150-plus UK workforce are relocating to newly refurbished headquarters offices in Oldbury.

Rebecca added: “We are committed to a progressive sustainability agenda and I’m genuinely excited about the range of innovative and market leading initiatives that we will be delivering.

“For example, we estimate there will be a 46 per cent reduction in our Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions as a result of our head office refurbishment and new automated warehouse.”