Survey Good News for Uniform Companies

Most Southern California apparel makers that target school-age consumers won’t be jumping up and down, but Arlington, Va.-based International Mass Retail Assn. has good news for companies such as Vicki Marsha Uniforms in Huntington Beach.

School uniforms are decidedly in, according to the trade association--at least among many parents who prefer uniformity to youthful fashion. That’s not news to companies such as Vicki Marsha, which has been making school uniforms since 1947, but it’s making some major retail chains sit up and take notice.

According to the association, 52% of consumers surveyed favor a government proposal that would require uniforms to be worn at public schools. Slightly more than 40% of respondents were opposed to the idea and 6% had no opinion.

Not surprisingly, a hefty majority of those favoring uniforms were 55 or older. Uniforms were uniformly rejected by more than half of the respondents in the 18-to-34-year-old range.

Large chains aren’t ignoring the new consumer trend. The association reports that Wal-Mart, Kmart and Ames Department Stores are now offering school uniforms for sale.

The association’s 800 members operate more than 61,000 stores nationwide that logged nearly $350 billion in 1994 sales.

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Greg Johnson covers retail businesses and restaurants for The Times. He can be reached at (714) 966-5950 and at greg.johnson@latimes.com