Direct Corporate Clothing (DCC) has posted a 22 per cent increase in turnover after a number of contract wins. Customer of the Birmingham-based providers of workwear, corporate wear and personal protective equipment (PPE) include Geo Amey and the facilities management contractor Mitie.
In the year to October 2016, DCC recorded turnover of £26.5m compared to £21.7m for the same period in 2014-15. Over the same period, staff numbers increased from 100 to 120. The company pointed to new contracts with companies including Balfour Beatty and Geo Amey alongside increased spend from existing customers.
DCC recently acquired Leeds-based The Business Wear Company. That saw industry veteran Nick Atkinson return to the DCC board to head the company’s corporate wear strategy. DCC recently hired Helen Woodall as Head of Purchasing to lead a team of a dozen that manages the company’s worldwide supply chain.
Nick Atkinson, corporate and communications director at DCC, said: “We are delighted that our focus on customer service and high quality garments has paid dividends with an excellent set of financial figures. We work in partnership with some of the country’s biggest operators to design and manufacture workwear, PPE and corporate wear that is reliable, practical and innovative. Our state-of-the-art warehouse and digital ordering system ensures that customers’ service and product expectations are exceeded and stock is always available at short notice as required by their workforce.”
Nick said the fall in value of sterling against the dollar had impacted on margins for many businesses in corporate clothing, that import from the Far East and buy in US dollars. He said the challenge was to work closely with customers to manage prices.
“Strong relationships between suppliers and customers enable compromises to be reached. Winning and holding business is not built on price alone but on delivering a service and quality product that matches what has been agreed,” he said.
Pictured at Direct Corporate Clothing: Nick Atkinson, corporate and communications director, and Sam Sohal, joint managing director.
Visit www.directcorporate.co.uk.
