Contact us at: Atlantic Street, Broadheath. Altrincham. Cheshire WA14 5EQ tel: 0161 941 2237
Did you know?
Trading Service is wholly owned by Girlguiding UK.
We are based in Altrincham where our operation includes a state of the art warehouse which supplies the 800+ volunteer led depots, the Girlguiding UK shops and orders from our website and via our catalogue by phone/fax. Our warehouse was refurbished in 2005 which has led to improved delivery lead times and service for our customers.
We are multi-channel retailer
(just think of us as Argos for the guiding community!) You can shop: • in person at one of our 800+ depots or shops, • Online 24/7, or
ALL our profits go back to supporting local and national guiding!
In 2006 this was
Inside:
Girl-led guiding — Designing the Senior Section Hoodie p2 The missing £1million p3 Depots p3
£2m!
(nearly 1/3 of the total Girlguiding UK income!)
• Ring us or fax us with your
order
Protecting our The panel below shows just a environment p3 few examples of where the How to buy from Trading money spent on uniform, Service p4 gifts and publications goes...
Where our profits go...
This badge made £3.5k profit which paid for a Go For It testing weekend
We source and sell...
...the full range of wear for every section and essential resources for leaders, advisers, commissioners and trainers. However, did you know we also have a growing range of items that add to the fun of guiding? We stock great gifts from £1 to over £50 and a specially selected range of great value camping equipment and accessories.
These Brownie trousers (size 30”) made £65k profit which paid for new unit start-up grants
Come and visit us!
Come and see our operation for yourself! All visitors are welcome during our opening hours 9am—4:30pm Monday-Friday.
This Polo shirt (Size 10) made £8k which paid for the printing of 2 Reality Checks inserts in Guiding magazine
Girl-led guiding—designing the Senior Section hoodie
After winning the chance to design the new Senior Section hoodie, the four winners,
Zoë Aitkins, Chloe Turner, Laura “Bob” Clark and Sara Perry (pictured left) were invited by Girlguiding UK Trading Service on a once in a lifetime trip to India to see their design roll off the production line. From a base in Mumbai (formerly called Bombay) on the west coast of India, our intrepid party, who, as well as the winners included Martin Goodwin it is ready to be stitched! We were privileged to see the hoodie in production, from the cutting of the cloth into the panel shapes, to the sewing together of the garment – the girls’ design coming together before their eyes. The best bit of the factory visit for the girls? Seeing their names on the label and the swing ticket! As an ethical retailer, the well-being, training of workers and policy on child labour of our factories is critical to us doing business with them. Sangam, the World Guide Centre in Pune where we were able to chill out and make friends with other international visitors. The Senior Section Hoodie is just the first Trading Service initiative where the design has been led by our members. Watch out for more opportunities! It is the policy of Girlguiding UK to sell products that fully comply with all UK & European Directives /Regulations and standards for quality and safety. All products are checked that they are fit for purpose.
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I started to understand the clothing industry and the impact that contracts like the one Girlguiding UK has on a country that relies on clothing for much of its income. The Indian flag has a spinning wheel at its centre and we saw that spinning and clothing is at the centre of these communities. - Zoë
It was illuminating to experience the high number of processes the cloth goes through before
There was a whistle-stop sightseeing in a day in Mumbai, shopping for sarees and our fix of guiding – having the opportunity to stay at
- Sara
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(Head of Trading Service) and Sam Mason (Trading Service Marketing Manager, flew to Coimbatore, the heart of India’s textile industry in South West India to visit the factory who produce our Senior Section wear. The factory we use in India is unusual as they cover all parts of the garment process; from spinning raw cotton into thread, producing and dyeing the cloth as well as cutting and sewing the cloth to make our exclusive wear.
Whilst at the factory, the girls conducted the factory audit and confirmed that all staff were over 16, received appropriate training, had catering facilities (better than ours!) and worked in a clean, safe workplace. No visit to India would be complete without some of the staples: Lots of curry was consumed and hairraising car and rickshaw rides were a quick way to shorten our life expectancies!
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On seeing the hoodie being made, realisation was setting in that we had designed a hoodie for Girlguiding UK and it was being made. People were actually going to buy and wear something with our names on it!
We are missing £1 million!
Guiding is missing out on £1m each year to shops on the high street who sell our uniform.
Some school uniform and sports shops buy uniform from our licensee, David Luke. Although we receive a royalty from David Luke, this is not as much as if the uniform had been bought directly from us! (This uniform can be identified as it has “David Luke” instead of “Girlguiding UK” in the neck label. order from the Guiding Essentials catalogue, which features our full range of uniform, publications and gifts by phone/fax. To order copies of the Parents catalogue which features just section wear and gifts) phone Trading on 0161 941 2237. A full catalogue for leaders which also includes adult wear and resources can also be ordered on the same telephone number.
How can I help to bring this money back to be used for guiding?
Encourage parents to shop at their local depot, as depot profits directly benefit guiding in your local area. If there isn’t one near, then customers can buy via our secure website, or
There are over 800 volunteer led depots in the UK where leaders, parents and girls can see the uniform and try it on. Depots are a great source of advice for parents about what they need to buy for their daughter
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Support your local depot!
Interested in setting up a depot?
If you haven’t got a depot locally, perhaps you (with some friends) would like to set one up! Trading Service is on hand to support you, provide advice in finding a suitable location for your depot and take you through the process of setting one up. To find out more about setting up a depot, order the free leaflet, “Setting up and running a depot” code 6932 from Trading.
Protecting our environment
Managing scarce resources
Reducing our environmental impact has become a hot topic over the last few years. Girlguiding UK Trading Service is doing its bit to act responsibly. Just one initiative undertaken by our factory in India who make the Senior Section wear is that it recycles the water it uses in the dyeing process, extracting the dye and making it safe. A process called reverse osmosis uses biological and chemical processes to remove the dye colour and any harmful bacteria from the water.
Our recycled range
We already sell the popular recycled bag made from plastic bottles, and from Autumn 2007, we will be adding an attractive recycled fleece suitable for all sections (see right). We are working hard to introduce new products and increase the percentage of our range manufactured from recycled materials.
From green...
to clean in 3 steps
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What do Trading Service sell?
Everything you need in the way of clothing, resources and equipment for your unit, plus a great range of gifts to suit every occasion and budget! We also stock popular brands such as Me To You, Vango, Dartington crystal and Kit Heath jewellery. For the full range, check out our online shop or the Guiding Essentials catalogue. (free from Trading, ring 0161 941 2237 for your copy) Shopping couldn't be easier, with three easy and convenient ways to shop—see below!
Girlguiding UK Trading Service is the operating name of the Guide Association Trading Service Ltd. Registered office: 17-19, Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 0PT. Registered in England. Company registration number: 4301686. Vat number: GB 788445472