There are a lot of reasons given for schools requiring students to wear uniforms, but regardless of those reasons, it is clear that business is on the upswing and retailers are looking to grab their share.
According to CNBC, French Toast is looking to boost its school uniform sales by seven percent this year. Michael Arking, president of French Toast.com, said sales for the entire category should be up somewhere between three and five percent.
Back-to-school season is critical for uniform companies as roughly 80 percent of the industry's $1 billion in annual sales comes in the months leading up to the first day of school.
Studies showing that uniforms remove distractions and contribute to fewer discipline issues in schools have led many districts to adopt the educational fashions.
Adam Weil, the director of School Uniforms for Lands' End, told CNBC, "They'd rather have students concentrating on what they are learning rather than what they are wearing."
Lands' End is looking to attract a larger number of consumers by offering schools cash back incentives for purchases made for their students. The company has also added added uniform departments to 209 of its Lands' End Shops located inside Sears stores.
Discussion Questions: Is the greater adoption of school uniforms a positive or negative trend for retailer apparel sales overall? What can retailers do to grab a greater share of the uniform business?