Although the H&J Smith department store is leaving Invercargill later this year, school uniforms will remain available at a new location.
Yesterday H&J Smith and Uniform Group announced plans to establish a new school uniform store following a formal agreement for the transfer of the H&J Smith school uniform business.
H&J Smith chief executive John Green said providing continuity of access to quality school uniforms was a priority of H&J Smith as it work through the proposal to call time on our department store business.
"In 2020, we successfully partnered with Uniform Group following the closure of our Dunedin store. In a very short timeframe, we established a new store under Uniform Group’s retail brand, The U Shop, and plan to use this approach again here.
"H&J Smith has worked closely with Uniform Group to improve continuity of supply and pricing since 2020. This includes building on their extensive resources and experience to develop new uniform options for several of our major schools," he said.
The new store is scheduled to open in early September in the former Stewarts Pharmacy premises at 162 Dee St.
Uniform Group managing director Ross Gordon said the premises were chosen for its convenient location, accessible parking and excellent foot traffic.
An extensive range of school uniforms, hosiery and school footwear would be stocked.
Uniform Group is a privately owned New Zealand company with 32 years’ experience in manufacturing and providing complete and co-ordinated school uniform ranges to more than 30 secondary schools throughout New Zealand
"We are happy to add Invercargill to our series of stores and offer a continuity of these vital services as well as face-to-face customer integration. We will be talking with H&J Smith employees regarding potential employment in the new store and will start the recruitment process towards the end of July," he said.
