While other teamwear manufacturers have been swallowed up by the multinationals, one company conceived in East Anglia remains as passionate as it was from day one, with its destiny firmly in its own hands.
Founded in 1996, Samurai Sportswear started life as a specialist rugby teamwear and equipment supplier
Independently owned to this day, the company has steadily evolved to become a major player in the design and manufacture of custom made multi-sport high performance teamwear.
Terry Sands, managing director and founder of Samurai International Sportswear, is proud of the company’s achievements.
He says: “We started life as the proverbial middle man selling other brands’ products – how things have changed. Having been constantly let down by suppliers with false promises and poor delivery, Samurai decided to go it alone to achieve much improved product and delivery control.”
Adds Terry: “Success often depends on high levels of personal customer support, flexibility and supply chain control.”
With its own Chinese garment factory set up in 2006, Samurai can provide customer specific designs in a huge range of colours using functional performance fabrics.
Says Terry: “To continue to deliver the high level of service the industry has come to expect, we have maintained a sensible level of investment in our business.
“And even in these tough times this investment in technology, people and infrastructure continues.
“In the past 15 years Samurai has undergone quite a transformation.
“We have not developed spots, started to grunt in response to every query, or dyed our hair bright pink.
“But we have evolved from having to rely on other brands and the lack of control to reliability and consistency that goes with a brand that you can trust and everyone is talking about.”
Over the past three years Samurai has achieved in excess of a 96 per cent on-time delivery success rate to customers.
