Beatschooluniforms
0203 362 2930
- Our Roots
- Our Mission
- Our Service
Beat School Uniforms was born from two parents’ need for uniform when their own children
were starting secondary school in 2007. With their first secondary new start being for
twins, and with the uniform being stocked by department stores rather than a dedicated
outlet, they found the whole experience overwhelming and decided they could do something
about it.
Knowing what they would want in an ideal world, Susie and Michael began to make this happen for themselves, for their friends and to others within their increasingly familiar school community. As such, the service they offered was parent-focussed whilst remaining inherently informal, candid and personalised to each individual.
Word-of-mouth soon spread about their refreshing approach and they found that other local parents reached out looking for the same things they had been. Schools began to contact them directly, challenging them to improve their service to meet a new perspective of expectations whilst maintaining their parent-centric approach.
What had started as a project contained by their living room had grown into something that was soon impossible for even their whole house to handle, prompting the couple to open their first shop in Watford.
It was important that the values underpinning their initial success were not lost through this expansion.
As such the Benjamins continue to this day to manage the shops and personally train staff to ensure their
service’s characteristic personal touches and transparent manner remains at the forefront
of the business.
This is how the BSU approach remains – a friendly and non-corporate alternative to buying uniform build on honesty, trust and understanding.
BSU now has 18 years of industry experience under its belt and has forged and maintained close
relationships with schools, suppliers and customers. We are proud of what we have achieved and are
confident that deeply caring about what we do will continue to set us apart.
Our mission is to make the uniform buying experience as easy, stress-free and enjoyable as possible
for both parents/carers and schools. We sell premium quality products designed to last, from trusted and reputable
suppliers, at fair and competitive prices.
We do so via multiple retail channels – shops, online and via phone.
We also hold pop-up shops for our schools that are slightly further afield to ensure ease of purchase is maximised
for every customer. Each of these channels offers a ‘one-stop’ shopping experience where customers can
not only buy any garments they need but also stationery, books, bags and sporting equipment. We make
everything you could need – compulsory, optional, branded and generic – available in one place so that, if desired, the whole school shop can be completed at one time in one place.
BSU now has 18 years of industry experience under its belt and has forged and maintained close
relationships with schools, suppliers and customers. We are proud of what we have achieved and are
confident that deeply caring about what we do will continue to set us apart.
Our parental perspective means that we understand the potential worries and difficulties parents and
children face when needing uniform. Combined with our years of industry experience, fostering great
supplier relationships throughout, we are in the best position to combat them. We have developed and
fine-tuned our service to make one which maximises the availability of uniform to minimise wait times
whilst maintaining a non-corporate approach; we believe it to be the very best approach within our
industry.
Maintaining consistent stock levels is vital so that we can always have what you need readily available. Through careful stock planning and comprehensive in-house capabilities, including our own embroidery and print departments, we can make sure that even if there is unprecedented demand for an item, it it can be made up incredibly quickly. This also goes for a any special order required to cater for allergies or size, meaning that no child is left out. In addition to making garments to order, having these departments means we are able to offer a speedy personalisation service, a great option for branding uniform with names/initials so as to avoid the dreaded lost property!
Our shops, open 6 days a week (and 7 in the summer!), are staffed by our friendly uniform experts. They will always be on hand and happy to advise you, without need for an appointment, not only on what is compulsory for your school but what is popular and where is best to start with sizing. They will give you as much or as little advice as desired, offering a tailored experience to best suit the individual in front of them. We encourage all of our team to adopt a human approach. There are plenty of corporate uniform outfitters and whilst we are professional, we aim to remain down-to-Earth in conversation and in selling. Our physical shops are colourful and fun, set-up with games and colouring stations to entertain any siblings in attendance (something Susie was adamant about needing having contended with her own four children!). They are stocked with not just uniform, but everything needed for school, offering the option of a one-stop shop to our customers.
In addition to our local shops open 6 days a week all-year round, orders can be easily placed online or via phone. For such orders we offer an efficient delivery service. We employ our own team of dedicated drivers for our local deliveries and use tracked courier services for any that fall outside of these areas. This ensures reliability, meaning you receive the parcel you’ve ordered. Deliveries are always sent out as quickly as they can be, without the customer having to pay a premium; this service is free for all orders of £30 and above. With this service, more than 90% of our customers receive their order within 48 hours of it being placed.
The BSU ‘USP’ is that we will bend over backwards to help. We want to ensure that every child and parent gets exactly what they need, including catering for allergies, sensory issues and specific size requirements. No one should be left out. We are proactive in reviewing our current practices, always looking for new ways to do things that could improve our service and your experience.
Our Shops
Harpenden
4 Station Road
Harpenden, AL5 4SE
Sunday: Closed
Hitchin
Hitchin, SG5 1LT
Sunday: Closed
Watford
116 The Parade, High
Street, Watford, WD17 1BD
Sunday: Closed