Uniform Group
Uniform Group designs, manufactures, and distributes custom uniforms for New Zealand schools, government departments, corporates, and sporting bodies, operating internationally sourced manufacturing, an Auckland warehouse, and an embedded THE U SHOP retail network across NZ schools since 1991.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1991
- HeadquartersAuckland, New Zealand
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Uniform Group does
Uniform Group (Auckland) Limited is a New Zealand-based uniform design, manufacturing, and distribution company founded in 1991 by directors Ross Gordon and Adele Gordon. The firm supplies custom and ready-made uniforms across five core categories — School Uniforms, Sports Uniforms, Corporate Uniforms, Workwear, and Hospitality Uniforms — to schools, government departments, corporates, and national sporting bodies. It also operates a specialized School Leavers product line for graduation apparel and offers in-house custom branding services (embroidery, screen print, sublimation, badges, woven labels). Long-standing principal-supplier relationships include the New Zealand Customs Service (since 1999), Auckland Council (since 1998), Department of Conservation (since 1994), and the New Zealand Olympic Committee (since 1992), alongside elite NZ schools such as Diocesan School for Girls and Dilworth School.
Operationally, Uniform Group runs a 9-step consultative B2B sales process from briefing through conceptual design, sampling, refinement, pre-production, final production check, manufacturing, warehouse processing, and supply/delivery, with an approximately 8-week turnaround on leavers orders. Manufacturing is executed through international factories under multi-stage quality control, with the firm handling warehousing, quality-control verification, and nationwide distribution from its Auckland headquarters. A proprietary Uniform Library recycling system has been deployed for Department of Conservation, and the firm operates dedicated e-commerce (shop.uniformgroup.co.nz) plus a physical retail network branded THE U SHOP co-located at schools across New Zealand, including Burnside, Hamilton, Invercargill, Wanaka, Waihi, and additional locations.
The business model is B2B sales-led with embedded retail. Revenue derives from one-time uniform sales (categorized as one-time license transactions in the data) plus professional-services revenue from branding and customization work. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with layby options (30% deposit, 8-week hold) and tiered NZ delivery fees (NZ$5.50 Auckland to NZ$12.50 South Island per package up to 10kg, with rural and Waiheke surcharges). The firm is privately held under the Gordon family, has 11–50 employees per the firmographic data, and reports no external funding, M&A activity, or institutional investor involvement.
Uniform Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Uniform Group
- Legal name
- Uniform Group (Auckland) Limited
- Website
- https://uniformgroup.co.nz
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1991
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Uniform Group designs, manufactures, and distributes custom uniforms for New Zealand schools, government departments, corporates, and sporting bodies, operating internationally sourced manufacturing, an Auckland warehouse, and an embedded THE U SHOP retail network across NZ schools since 1991.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Uniform Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Uniform Manufacturing
- NAICS
- Apparel Manufacturing (315), Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing (except Contractors) (31525), Linen and Uniform Supply (81233), Clothing and Clothing Accessories Retailers (4581), Clothing and Clothing Accessories Merchant Wholesalers (424350)
- SIC
- Apparel & Other Finishd Prods Of Fabrics & Similar Matl (2300), Men's & Boys' Furnishgs, Work Clothg, & Allied Garments (2320), Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600), Wholesale-Apparel, Piece Goods & Notions (5130)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Workwear, Uniform & Protective Apparel Manufacturers (CRAAAAAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Corporate Uniforms (Office, Hospitality, Retail Staff) (CRAAALAB), School Uniforms (Children) (CRAAAHAE), Uniform Laundry (Corporate/Facilities) (HSAJAEAE), Uniforms & Workwear Specialty Department Stores (CRAGAGAH)
Keywords
Where Uniform Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Auckland
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices6 records
Markets served
Uniform Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Uniform Sales: One-time sale of custom-designed uniforms including school uniforms, sports uniforms, corporate uniforms, and hospitality wear. Products include shirts, blazers, trousers, skirts, shorts, jackets, knitwear, accessories, and branded merchandise.
- Branding Services: Custom branding services including embroidery, screen print, sublimation, badges, woven labels, felt applique, thermal print, and artwork design. These services are added to uniform products for customization.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard NZ Delivery |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Uniform Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Uniform Group designs, sources, manufactures, quality-controls, warehouses and distributes custom uniforms in New Zealand. They supply complete uniform programs — including school uniforms, corporate uniforms, sports apparel, workwear and hospitality wear — along with branding services such as embroidery, screen printing and sublimation. They also operate branded retail outlets called "THE U SHOP" at schools across New Zealand for direct purchases.
Product overview
Uniform Group is a New Zealand-based uniform supplier offering custom and ready-made uniforms across five core product categories: Corporate Uniforms, Sports Uniforms, School Uniforms, Workwear, and Hospitality Uniforms. The company also serves the school leavers market with specialized graduation apparel. A key differentiator is their comprehensive branding services, offering embroidery, screen printing, sublimation, and other customization options. They operate physical retail stores under the THE U SHOP brand at multiple schools throughout New Zealand, combining wholesale manufacturing with retail operations. The company handles the full supply chain from design and manufacturing to quality control, warehousing, and distribution.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- THE U SHOP: Retail uniform shop brand operated by Uniform Group, serving various schools throughout New Zealand including Burnside High School, Hamilton Girls' High School, Waikato Diocesan School for Girls, Rototuna High Schools, Mount Aspiring College, James Hargest College, Southland Girls' High School, and many others.
Products and services
- School Uniforms Complete school uniform range including blazers, shirts, blouses, trousers, shorts, skirts, dresses, skorts, culottes, knitwear, fleece, polos, tees, jackets, socks, ties, scarves, belts, bags, headwear and umbrellas, supplied to primary and secondary schools across New Zealand.
- Corporate Uniforms
Quantifiable outcome
- 20,000 students wear new uniforms every January
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Uniform Group
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Uniform Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Uniform Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- New Zealand Customs ServicecorePrincipal supplier since 1999, providing quality manufactured uniform items at competitive prices. They played a pivotal role in the introduction of the Service's new uniform issue, including developing replacement uniform range consistent with new visual identity.
- Auckland CouncilcoreSupplying uniform needs of Auckland Regional Council since 1998, including dozens of different uniform items for permanent staff and management of uniform library for temporary cadet programme. Their expertise and advice accommodates diverse needs from Park Rangers to Harbourmaster.
- Department of ConservationcorePartnership since 1994 for developing Department of Conservation's corporate image through uniform design and management for both office and field staff. Uniform Group set up and manages the Uniform Library (recycling system) for cost-effective supply of uniforms to staff, including dry cleaning, handling, repairing, and assessing reuse of uniform items.
- New Zealand Olympic CommitteeflagshipLongstanding partnership since 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Uniform Group was responsible for research, investigation and initiating a 'Commercial Partner' for the NZ Olympic Committee covering Youth Olympics Singapore 2010, Commonwealth Games Delhi 2010, and London Olympics 2012. They managed fast-track development for fabric, styles, colours, branding, delivery processes to meet delivery dates. The partnership demonstrates their ability to handle major sporting events with strict timelines and high-volume production (12,000+ items packed over 2 days).
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Uniform Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Cintas Corporation: Largest North American uniform services and supplies company operating across corporate uniforms, first aid and linen services. Comparable end-to-end uniform programme model with managed supply, but at vastly greater scale and with publicly traded capital base.
- Simon Jersey: UK-based corporate uniform supplier with international reach, serving corporate, hospitality and government customers. Comparable end-to-end design, manufacture and supply model though operating at a larger and more international scale.
- Adidas Team: Global sportswear major supplying team kits, sports uniforms and bespoke apparel to schools, clubs and national bodies. Comparable in sports and school uniform programmes and partnership-style work with institutions like NZ Olympic Committees.
- Bisley Workwear: Major ANZ workwear manufacturer and brand supplying industrial and corporate workwear. Comparable product categories (work shirts, trousers, jackets, knitwear) and ANZ customer base.
- KingGee: Established Australia/NZ workwear brand and manufacturer serving trades, industrial and corporate customers. Comparable workwear and uniform product range and ANZ market focus, though broader and brand-led rather than bespoke uniform programmes.
Emerging players
- AS Colour: NZ-based apparel manufacturer and wholesaler producing blank apparel for branding and uniform applications. Comparable manufacturing and sourcing model and NZ origin, though AS Colour focuses on blank wholesale rather than end-to-end uniform programme management.
- Canterbury of New Zealand: Iconic NZ sports apparel brand with teamwear and sports uniform programmes. Comparable in NZ sports and school teamwear, though operating primarily through licensed distribution rather than direct school-managed shops.
Direct peers
- Barkers: Heritage NZ apparel brand with corporate, school and hospitality uniform capability. Comparable in offering tailored/branded apparel programmes to NZ institutions and corporate customers.
- Image Group: NZ-based corporate uniform and image apparel provider serving businesses, government and hospitality across New Zealand. Highly comparable customer segments (corporate, hospitality, government) and end-to-end uniform programme offering.
- Just Schoolwear: NZ school uniform specialist supplying primary and secondary schools with branded uniform programmes. Closely comparable school uniform focus, customer segment and product range to Uniform Group's core school business.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Uniform Group social profiles
Digital presenceUniform Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Uniform Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Uniform Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Uniform Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Uniform Group
What does Uniform Group do?
Uniform Group designs, sources, manufactures, quality-controls, warehouses and distributes custom uniforms in New Zealand. They supply complete uniform programs — including school uniforms, corporate uniforms, sports apparel, workwear and hospitality wear — along with branding services such as embroidery, screen printing and sublimation. They also operate branded retail outlets called "THE U SHOP" at schools across New Zealand for direct purchases.
Is Uniform Group a public or private company?
Uniform Group is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Uniform Group founded?
Uniform Group was founded in 1991. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Uniform Group based?
Uniform Group is headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does Uniform Group make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Uniform Sales are the primary driver. The others are branding Services.
Who are Uniform Group's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Cintas Corporation, Simon Jersey, Adidas Team, Bisley Workwear and KingGee. Emerging players are AS Colour and Canterbury of New Zealand. Direct peers are Barkers, Image Group and Just Schoolwear.
Does Uniform Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for Uniform Group.
What industry is Uniform Group in?
Uniform Group's product category is Uniform Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAAAAAH, Workwear, Uniform & Protective Apparel Manufacturers, with a secondary code of CRAAALAB, Corporate Uniforms (Office, Hospitality, Retail Staff). Its NAICS code is 315 and its SIC code is 2300.