Sainsbury is to ditch its garish orange fleeces and royal blue shirts as it redesigns its staff uniform for the first time in seven years.

The supermarket will roll out new attire to its 150,000 staff next summer after kicking off initial listening groups four months ago following a barrage of letters to its 'Tell Justin' feedback initiative. Results from an all-staff questionnaire are being reviewed, but some staff on the 15-strong steering group have already unequivocally said the fleece had to go. "It doesn't flatter many people," said Jill Grundell, a worker from its Dewsbury store.

Other complaints include criticism of the material used by the retailer in its shirts and the style of

the trousers.

Designs will be up for consideration from September, with trials of the new uniform to begin early next year.

Project manager John Green said: "Justin [King] and the board agreed that now is the right time to redesign the colleague uniform but they said there must be no additional cost to the business and should be in line with our new branding. It will be a delicate act to balance colleagues' wishes against

cost but it's important to do this right - we may not get the chance for another seven years."

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