Shared Values

Billings & Edmonds shares common principles and standards with its Schools and their communities. As a company we pride ourselves on adding value to our Schools and the wider society through our actions and business practices.

Our core values shape the culture of our Company and are shared by our staff. We believe in excellent customer service and going above and beyond what our customers expect. Our commitment to sourcing excellent quality clothing at a fair price from trusted suppliers has endured for over 100 years.

By embracing these principles and upholding these standards since 1896, we have developed long and successful partnerships with many Schools and maintained our position as the UK’s leading Schoolwear Retailer.

As individuals we are decent, honest and fair in all our actions, respectful and open towards ourselves and others.

Each member of staff has access to the owners of the business so they can raise any concern as and when they may arise or annually provide feedback so the business can improve and grow.

As a team we are dependable, with a shared sense of responsibility, diligently working towards our goals with genuine enthusiasm and dedication. Staff have no individual sales targets as customer satisfaction is our key indicator.

As an employer we create an inclusive and rewarding environment in which individual contributions and teamwork flourish.

Billings & Edmonds is a Living Wage Employer and has supported staff undertaking further studies or “temporary career breaks”.

As an independent retailer we develop strong relations with local stakeholders to create a positive impact on communities local to our stores.

We regularly support Parent Teacher or Friends Associations and donate old or obsolete stock to many UK and overseas non-profit organisations. Over the past 15 years, we have donated in excess of £50,000 of uniform to be worn by children all over the world.

“Over the past five years we've supported almost 3.5 million children to access the quality education they deserve. We're grateful to supporters like Billings & Edmonds whose generosity makes our work possible,” says a VSO representative.

For the last twelve years, we have made regular donations to the Voluntary Services Overseas. VSO is the world's leading development organisation that uses the power of volunteering to bring positive change to the lives of the world's poorest and most marginalised.

Working in over 20 countries across Africa and Asia, VSO creates impact not by sending aid, but by working through volunteers and partners to empower people to claim their rights to education, health, and livelihoods.

In education, VSO prioritises support for children most at risk of missing out – including girls, those with disabilities, refugees, and those living in disaster or conflict-affected areas.

We started supporting the Starlight Children’s Foundation in 2020 and will continue with our fundraising for this charity.

Starlight Children’s Foundation is the national children’s charity that exists to preserve childhood throughout serious illness. This is done through hospital play & distraction services, wish granting and Starlight Escapes.

Access to play during serious illness is especially important as a contributor to successful treatment and healthy development. It enables children to grow and develop; and to experience childhood as it should be. That is why we are proud to support Starlight for the next three years.