In August, UniformMarket presented a two-part series that looked at the current uniform marketplace. Based on an executive summary prepared by Frost & Sullivan, a global market research firm, the report identified potential industry growth segments as well as restraints, and outlined a series of competitive factors faced by today's North American manufacturers and distributors. At the conclusion of part one and part two, we asked readers for their input. Was the report accurate, or did it overreach?

While a number of readers emailed us, the overall response was inconclusive. Perhaps this was due to timing, as summer is a season when we traditionally turn away from deep analysis of any kind.  

Or, without anonymity, readers may have feared their competitors would know what they were thinking, thereby giving them an edge. Lastly, because the report touched upon so many areas, readers simply may not have known how - or what – to respond.

But this is a topic which begs for robust, thoughtful, discussion, given the current economy. The industry is changing, and it is only through information that one can prepare for that change. The Frost & Sullivan report addressed the role the economic crisis plays in the uniform marketplace, and rightly so. At the end of August, the number of people receiving jobless benefits totaled 6.23 million, with many of the losses occurring in bread-and-butter uniform market segments – service and manufacturing. When federal emergency programs are included, the total number of jobless benefit recipients was 9.14 million people in the week that ended August 15.

Also in August, Obama economic adviser Christina Romer said that unemployment could reach 10 percent this year and some private economists are forecasting it will hit 10.3 percent next summer before starting to improve.

These sobering statistics underline an essential point: If the economy, of which the uniform marketplace is a part, is to rebound, where will tomorrow's jobs and uniform wearers come from? And, equally important, will the attitudes of buyers – the decision makers who purchase uniform programs -- be forever changed due to the economic downturn? 

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