DESPITE school uniforms now being sold by a growing number of supermarkets, demand at independent stores remains high, according to one East Lancashire retailer.

The giants, including the likes of Morrisons, Asda and Tesco, have been making inroads into the lucrative market with knock-down prices and multi-buy offers.

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But specialist suppliers still have a role to play according to Grahame Gregory, the store manager at the Blackburn branch of Whittakers Schoolwear, which has six stores including others in Burnley and Accrington and was formed in 1925.

He said: “What’s happening is a lot of the supermarkets have got uniforms in, even Aldi, and they are offering trousers, say, for £2 and four or five polo shirts for £5.

“They are not badged and some of the schools won’t enforce the badges.

“If the parent is hard up they will allow them to wear plain things but they won’t get, for example, the same colour red and the kids can get bullied for not having the same uniforms.

“And then when parents maybe need to replace an item they go back to the supermarket and the aisle is full of Hallowe’en stuff or something else.”

Joanne Holmes was in Whittakers’ Blackburn store buying a smart new outfit for her five-year-old son Isaac.

She said: “I come here for the logo but it’s also better quality than the supermarkets - even though it’s branded it’s a reasonable price.”

Isaac added: “It makes me feel smart.”

Ian McLoughlin was shopping for daughters Hannah, 14, Ellie, 10, and Lyndie, seven.

Dad said: “The quality is better but the supermarkets do a deal, you find. I have been coming here since my eldest daughter Jessica, who is doing digital photography in Cumbria at university, was in primary school.”

Grahame added that there were occasional headaches catering for schools.

He said: “I have worked here for 12 years and one senior schools has changed the uniform six times, from blazers to V-necks to sweatshirts and back.

“The competition is not necessarily the supermarkets but it’s sometimes the school itself.

“One school went dry-clean only - is that practical?”