What is your favourite British brand?

Unfortunately the brands that most of us would think were British are actually owned by foreign shareholders. As for promoting British brands overseas, perhaps we should try promoting them in Britian first as most of what we buy is foreign.

The real question should be: are there any British brands left!

well probably cadburys but thats not really british anymore is it?

What is your favourite British brand?

I don't really do 'brands' i'm more of a 'if I like it, I'll buy it' sort of person.

Plus I'm really not sure what's British owned anymore, Branston? B & H, Carling? I enjoy them all, but are any of them British?

Favorite British brand?

Are you joking?, we don't own anything anymore.

Games Workshop - a unique British company with a global vision.

What about British Airways? Definitely British owned unlike the Singapore owned Virgin Atlantic!

I dont have a favourite British Brand as I find they have one of the following features:

+ Too expensive compared to competition
+ Poor quality
+ Low standards of customer service
+ Overpaid under performing directors who focus on their pay & benefits
+ UK company focus is charging the most while delivering least

Perhaps the sole exception to the above is John Lewis. As for the rest there is not one major UK organisation I get pleasure from dealing with.

Almost without exception every leading company is staffed by people who do not understand or care about their customer and lack the ability to think for themselves. Most are staffed with politically correct apparachicks who fear stepping out of line for fear of offending someone or risking their careers.

This problem of course comes from the top. As the pay rises awarded to the leading FTSE 100 companies showed a 55% increase in pay hardly suggests "we are all in it together". Rather a management approach of "sod you I'm going to cream it while I can". Note that shareholders the real owners of these businesses did not benefit from a 55% increase in their value.

As for M&S seldom has so much been paid to so feww for so little improvement in the business. Their clothing quality has declined dramatically recently while the premium for their food is much less supported by the quality. Now it is just the expensive Tescos with similar low standards of quality service and shareholder returns.

Joke: Cadburys, Jaguar, Aston Martin...

Actual: John Lewis Partnership, Waitrose.

Not an engaging debate, I suspect, even if posters sneak controversy into the equation...

Back when it could be truly said to be British, it was EMI, "the largest recording organisation in the world." It brought The Beatles to American ears, something for which we are eternally grateful, especially given the revelations of the re-mastered recordings.

(It is deliciously ironic that the BBC's spell-check does not recognize "organisation.")

Rolls Royce cars. Er... no, hang on they're German now.
HP Sauce then. Ooops, no. Made in Holland now. Still has the picture of the Houses of Parliament on it though.
How about Dyson? Well, he started here, and he still flogs his hoovers to us Brits, (obviously he doesn't mind our money) but the jobs have long since gone to Eastern Europe.
Clarks shoes? Again, British in name and origin, but the factories are all abroad, somewhere the owners can pay the workers peanuts and grab a bit more profit whilst trading on the British name.
Cadbury? Ditto.
M&S? Well if you can find me any clothing that's actually made in Britain, I'll eat it.
Tesco? Well, if we're selling British made goods to the Chinese, instead of Chinese-made goods with a British-sounding name then fine. But I suspect we're not.

Basically, companies love the money that the British people spend on them, but when it comes to showing a bit of loyalty back to their customers in terms of jobs, then they're not so keen. If it is actually benefitting Britain then fine, but if it's just selling more imported Chinese stuff than I hope they go bust.

Stranglers, or early Madness.

My favourite would be Berghaus, the outdoor clothing firm - despite their German name (used, ironically enough, because it gave them credibility in the market at a time when German and Austrian companies were leaders in the field), they were set up in the UK in the 1960s and are a beacon of quality and practicality. I am obviously not alone in thinking this. Just have a look when you next go into your local town, now the cold weather is here - you'll be surprised how many people are wearing Berghaus jackets and fleeces.

It would be difficult to beat M&S for the quality and durability of its clothing. I lived in Ukraine for several years and it was staggering how many Ukrainians were aware of the brand and thought so highly of it. On my visits back to UK I was always presented with lists (by Ukrainian friends) of items that I needed to purchase from M&S and bring back to Kiev with me. It was mainly school uniforms for their children. I always returned with a suitcase full of M&S "stuff".
Now living back in UK, any visitors we receive from Ukraine always have M&S on their list of things to do while in UK!!
Overseas expansion into Eastern Europe would be a hugely successful development if their reputation in that part of the world is anything to go by.

The only 'brand' that gets anywhere in my household (all women but me) is Radley Handbags.

If I had to choose between Russell and Jo, it would probably be Jo.

Marshall Amplifiers! Not that I buy them very often...

I cannot think of any brand that can still be called British, as they seem to have been either taken over by foreign companies, or their owners although they are "British" have moved their financial status to off shore accounts so that they don't pay taxes.

Tri-ang!!!

Razzle.

I guess it must be Chinese knickers from M&S.

Mass market brands are largely meaningless in their 'Britishness', however in niche markets the story is different. Take cycling, with which I have some familiarity. Rapha and Shutt Velo Rapide, and Carradice are British. The later two even make their products in the UK. Brooks are another UK made brand but are now owned by an Italian company. Brompton is British through and through. Many more brands exist who are British owned and run but for economic reasons manufacture goods overseas...

What is it that makes a brand British? Because however you answer that question you will find success stories to meet your Britishness criteria.

I’ve just cut&pasted a comment I recently made on the HYS topic re making Benefit recipients do ‘community work’ for their money…… all interrelated and guess the ‘semi-upmarket’ retail shop I was in. M&S branding it all as British - what a joke.



• #11 Richard wrote:

What's the point. There are not enough jobs to go round. How many times does this need to be explained to people. If they don't like paying for people on the dole, then buy UK made goods and create jobs - no one else can do it, not government, not employers, not political dogma, not the magic job fairy. It's down to YOU, not 'them'

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Could not agree more.

I recently went into a semi-upmarket clothes retailer and after looking at the clothes and where they were made (China) went to their information desk to ask if they had ANY merchandise that was not sourced in China. The answer was no. I was then told this is what the ‘younger generation’ wanted i.e. cheap, disposable clothing and basically to go and shop somewhere else if I didn’t like it. I walked out of the shop thinking, yes and this is why the ‘younger generation’ don’t have jobs...........

'How can British brands be promoted?'

By selling them to aspirational overseas owners prepared to invest in their future, apparently.

Oh, also -

BBC TV
BBC Radio
The World Service
BBC Drama
BBC Home Video
BBC Enterprises
BBC.....

[Can we have more new drama like the excellent "First Men in the Moon" - perfect for austerity Britain - couple of not well know actors, small amount of CGI and about 3 sets ! ]

I love No Logo. It's the best brand out there.

I don't care, as long as I pay as little as possible and get the best quality available for money. I am yet to discover a Brand which offers good quality and value for money, British or not.

British Airways.

I only fly with them or Alitalia.

Ginsters.

I am not brand loyal, i just buy what i think are the best products, or at least best suited to me. I don't give a rat's where it comes from, as long as there is not oppression, slave trade or sweatshops etc. involve and the prices are fair.
For food, i tend to favour local produce wherever i am, just because i think it is healthier and tastier.

How do you define British brands? Do you mean brands that are owned, in the majority, by British companies or brands that are seen as British but actually owned by foreigners?

For example, is HP Sauce a British brand even though it is made in the Netheralnds?

I am not too sure there are many British Brands left - most are now 'owned' by foreign companies! Although in terms of retail I am always quite surprise how many British companies have retail outlets in other countries! I have seen Tesco's in Prague, M&S in Athens, Next in Cyprus - Debenhams in Dubai and lots of C&A all over Germany - but now none in UK? Odd. Woollies used to trade in Germany too...

In terms of 'brands' I really do not know - Twinning's is popular all over the world, as is Burberry - but struggle to 'think' of any other! And not sure how many of these are still British brands - I saw Jaguar being promoted in China - but then they are Indian now! RR and Bentley does well in China/Asia! But the Chinese middle classes are really quite 'brand aware' they love luxury - but seem to prefer USA and European (German/Italian/French) stuff! And there are many new Chinese luxury brand that are well recognised by Chinese consumers - its a tough market to crack....but we can do well selling luxury brands in Asia IF we can maintain quality and service! Otherwise, they will just buy the fakes instead ;-)

Most UK food is yuk! Iceland frozen stuff is rubbish, Cadbury's chocolate isn't even real chocolate, much of the beer is like waste water. The only brands I buy regularly are Marmite and Weetabix Original with an odd bottle of Laphroig.

Humour - it is the best in the world.

Well at least it can't be sold off. However, the government are having a good go at getting rid of it.

Try naming anything that is British brand.I cannot think of anything.oh yeah there is one thing that is uniquely British.We follow like dumb sheep and do not stick up for ourselves.Maybe we can create an industry somehow out of complete lethargy.

Players Navy Cut, Woodbine, Saint Bruno Flake, Green King IPA, any Scotch Whisky.

British brand? John Smedley's. Superb pullovers made in Derbyshire by a devoted and skilled workforce.

Reaction Engines LTD

Marks & Spencers of course
favourite brand

Tilda Basmati!

Scotch Whisky. It is British by International law and exclusively made in Scotland, so who cares who own the distilleries?

Just looking around as I sit in front of my computer, this question has depressed me.

Keyboard/Mouse - Logitech
Computer/Monitor/Printer - HP
Telephone - Siemens
Mobile - Apple
Car - Saab

Not a single British brand! Do we have any world class brands left?

Thankfully my shoes are Barker, my suit Jaeger and my shirt and tie Crombie! So come on someone burst my bubble and tell me these are really owned by the yanks too.....

Iron Maiden...........

Oh, sorry.

Carlsberg Special Brew followed by that depression drug which allows you to stay home from work and claim from the government! aww is that offensive to the hard working 45% of brits!

11# Couldn't have said it better myself.
Greed and more greed comes to mind.
Absolutely spot on:):)

Right now M&S is tops as a department store.

Morrisons a close second for food.

Sadly, Sainsbury's and the rest are dropping quality standards, it's actually difficult to buy quality staples in all the rest, thus a number of wasted journeys.

Ever tried buying any everyday item that's made in Britain? You'll struggle to find one. An entrepreneur starts up with a new product and what happens, before long they either move production abroad or sell the company, usually to a foreign buyer in pursuit of a fast buck. There's a distinct lack of loyalty from people on high, greed, making a fast buck takes precedence over loyalty.

16# Well on such a gloomy day that brought a smile to my dial!!

Russell Brand

No British brands? Have all of the BBC's readers gone mad or have they just migrated here seasonally from the Daily Mail's website.
Vodafone as a brand caters to nearly half a billion people.
Rockstar North, makers of the phenomenally successful Grand Theft Auto series.
BBC is a brand worth being proud of.
and as for British Brands being of inferior quality, does anyone eat any pickle that's not Branston?

What do you mean new member? How long does one have to be a member before one is no longer classified as new!!! I have been a member for months!

Certainly not M & S for me.
Highly priced for poor quality items in all departments.
My motto shop elsewhere.

We're pretty good at Hi-Fi: Naim, Arcam, Spendor to name a few.
Not bad at brewing: Timothy Taylors, Kelham Island, Hop Back plus many others.

Are there any?

Although I am now finding myself doubting whether they are totally British, eg their ingredients, I would say Mr Kipling cakes is a winner for me

Marmite by far should top the list. I never understood why British products were never widely available in U.S, supermarkets. A play on the old adage, "Send it and they will eat it" would surely apply here. Send us your marmalade, cheese, spotted dick and licorice all sorts. Americans will eat anything.

Guy Fawkes.

Rolls Royce is one brand that makes Britain so proud about! Great name and company!

"What is your favourite British brand"?

British water, electricity, food, land, media and government. Oops, forgot they don't .... silly me.

40. At 1:45pm on 09 Nov 2010, D wrote:
Tilda Basmati!

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Sorry that's Indian brand!

Henderson's Yorkshire Relish

THE BBC !

Patak's

Um... Probably The Who or Radiohead. What? Oh.... BRAND. Ok then Colemans or Forbidden Planet but as they've only got a few stores I'm not sure that they count as a brand.

Some I can think of:

BBC
Jaguar/Land rover/Rolls Royce/Ashton Martin
London Taxi
Burger King (this must be a joke!)
Jimmy Choo
Amstrad
Scotch Whiskey

Roll Royce?
Astin Martin
F1
Imergration dept?

Well........I used to think Cadbury......but errr..... no not any more. I would have a £5 on line bet all Cadbury production will be abroad in 5 years from now. Mmmm I used to think Dyson, great vacuum cleaner innovation, nope made in Indonesia I think? Travel with the worlds favorite airline......well perhaps not, on strike (again)
Get the idea, exactly what great British brands are we talking about, any left?

Highland Park. Excellent whisky, none better. Dedicated, proud, hard-working staff in the distillery keep up standards, expertise and traditions. Made in the distillery on the hill overlooking Scapa Flow on outskirts of Kirkwall in Orkney. Barley from Orkney and Scottish Borders, local peat, soft water and fresh cool salty air.Owned by the Scottish Edrington Group. What more could you want than a dram of this peaty amber delight?

My favourite British brand would be any brand that's produced in Britain, run by a British company and sold, first and foremost, to the British people.

Why can't we just buy in stuff we can't produce here? If every country did that, would it not mean that they would be able to create more employment for their own country as well? We'd still have import and export, but we would be relying more on our own workforce. We would be manufacturing again!

How many years' worth of coal is it that we have under our feet? And how many tonnes do we import every year?

There are far too many pies with fat-cat fingers in them for anything like this to ever happen, and I think it's a crying shame.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

Another strange question all our great British brands have been flogged off or shut , another wonderful government scheme to get everyone on the dole , there are no jobs so who cares !! how did the seond world war start have a read , unemployment drove it ; beware .

Well I'm an ex pat Brit living in the USA and on the whole I avoid "British" goods and stores, which tend to stock the cliched and expensive stuff much as you would find at an airport duty free shop. But one thing the US just can't offer...... decent tea. I don't know why but their idea of tea and our idea of tea are on different planets. So I go out of my way to buy imported (and expensive!) British tea and I guess Typhoo and Tetleys come close to the top of my list of favourite Britsh brands. Oh yes, and Yorkshire Gold!

My favourite brands are Kelloggs, Fords and Cadbury who all use the same typeface in their distinctive logos. They may now all be American owned but their products have stood the test of time for value and reliability.

g

Ginetta.

Although I suspect they have foreign money in there somewhere...

Sainsbury's own label brand, great quality at sensible and good value prices.

In the light of the support expressed by the Chairmen of some of Britain's leading High Street retailers for the vicious and vindictive programme of public spending cuts being proposed by this Conservative government, I'm boycotting most of them, particularly M&S. I had already refused to shop at Boots for the flagrant anti-men tone of its TV advertising. And the quality of Tesco's food is shockingly bad.

For me it's the Co-op.

Foreign owned British brands, to name a few.

ROLLS-ROYCE MOTOR CARS
OXO
MANCHESTER UNITED
THE MINI
WEETABIX
JAGUAR
HARRY RAMSDEN'S
KITKAT/SMARTIES/AERO/ROLO
THAMES WATER
BASS ALE
TYPHOO TEA
THE BODY SHOP
HAMLEYS
P&O
HP SAUCE
HARRODS
LAND ROVER
CORUS(British Steel)
CADBURY
MARS
TERRYS OF YORK
ROWNTREE MACKINTOSH
BEEFEATER GIN
BAA
Associated British Ports
PD Ports
Aston Martin
Bentley
mg Rover
NPower
Powergen
O2 PLC
Marconi Corporation
BOC Group
Pilkington
Doncasters Group
The Times

....too many to mention really.

Worth mentioning that M&S stuff is all made overseas as well now.

M&S is really just a Trojan horse for foreign goods.

58. At 2:15pm on 09 Nov 2010, Pandora wrote:

Rolls Royce is one brand that makes Britain so proud about! Great name and company!
_________________________

Aren't they owned by Volkswagen now?

11. At 12:40pm on 09 Nov 2010, LippyLippo wrote:
Rolls Royce cars. Er... no, hang on they're German now.
HP Sauce then. Ooops, no. Made in Holland now. Still has the picture of the Houses of Parliament on it though.
How about Dyson? Well, he started here, and he still flogs his hoovers to us Brits, (obviously he doesn't mind our money) but the jobs have long since gone to Eastern Europe.
Clarks shoes? Again, British in name and origin, but the factories are all abroad, somewhere the owners can pay the workers peanuts and grab a bit more profit whilst trading on the British name.
Cadbury? Ditto.
M&S? Well if you can find me any clothing that's actually made in Britain, I'll eat it.
Tesco? Well, if we're selling British made goods to the Chinese, instead of Chinese-made goods with a British-sounding name then fine. But I suspect we're not.

Basically, companies love the money that the British people spend on them, but when it comes to showing a bit of loyalty back to their customers in terms of jobs, then they're not so keen. If it is actually benefitting Britain then fine, but if it's just selling more imported Chinese stuff than I hope they go bust.

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Like I have been saying for ages. The Brits priced themselves out of the international wage market but demanded cheap stuff so the manufacturers had no choice. It was a question of stay here and go bust cos no-one could afford our home made stuff (except if you are a banker - why do we always get at the bankers) or move abroad where wage costs are low and the goods are more attractive to the short-sighted Brits. Cheaper to manufacture and move halfway round the world than manufacture here. Don't blame the companies, blame yourselves. I'd gladly pay a bit extra and have less, but it seems I will be in a minority. The market rules OK.

I've got a holed, worn, but still smelly Barbour jacket of 14 years vintage, which will go on for a good few years yet.
You don't see many on the streets in my bit of London, but I'm an exiled (west of England) country boy so it's allowed.

Msg 68. At 2:31pm on 09 Nov 2010, DementedBonxie wrote:

"What more could you want than a dram of this peaty amber delight?"

Mine's a Rum & Coke if it's your round!!!!

London Pride, brewed by Fullers. The best beer money can buy......in my humble opinion anyway.

It used to be M&S, but because they don't sell much made locally I rarely shop there now. These days I think I am lucky if I can find anything made locally, especially in the brands I used to buy. Burgon and Ball make some lovely garden tools, which, I believe, are made locally.

58. At 2:15pm on 09 Nov 2010, Pandora wrote:

Rolls Royce is one brand that makes Britain so proud about! Great name and company!
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Did you mean Rolls Royce cars or aero-engines?
The first was sold off to BMW.
The second was last heard having a bit of trouble with a Qantas Airbus in Singapore - a temporary blip though, it is still a top co.

Mass production leads to lowering of quality whatever anybody says.M+S customers can vote for lower prices because free market capitalism allows it but don't tell me that lower prices lead to quality. The problem with Britain is that rampant uncontrolled greed driven profit obsessed capitalism has dragged standards so far down that it's difficult to see a time when the country will recover from the practice of paying low wages to foreign children producing goods too hurriedly and too often.

My favorite brand is Globetrotter Suitcases began by an Englishman in Leipzig and after a few years there he returned to London in 1897(?).
A classic item that always impresses with its simplicity and reliablility.
I am also an admirer of Sheffield cutlery for example Turners Canteens.

80% of manufacturing companies in the UK are Foreign owned.
90% of all utility companies are foreign owned.
All Camerot can achieve is to sell more Chinese made goods to the Chinese with a British logo stamped on it. Are the Chinese willing to pay the 500% mark up for something they actually manufacture themselves just to have a wee Union flag stuck on it?
As to brand names I stick with Royal Enfield. A proud English company that were bought over by asset strippers in the 60's and sold off piece by piece until all that is left is a outpost in India. A template to what happened to the rest of British industry.

Are brands British simply because they are built (assembled) in Britain (possibly with imported components), or do they need to be a British-owned company, based in Britain with a British workforce?

It kind of narrows it down a bit, doesn't it?

Iron Maiden, they are both a brand and a band.

64. At 2:21pm on 09 Nov 2010, RubbishGirl wrote:
Um... Probably The Who or Radiohead. What? Oh.... BRAND. Ok then Colemans or Forbidden Planet but as they've only got a few stores I'm not sure that they count as a brand


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I had an e-mail from FP the other day - you can now buy a statuette of their iconic space rocket logo - that must make them a brand.

The Beeb!
And it doesn't need any promoting abroad, as it's already the envy of the world. All the HYS moaners would soon miss it if they had a TV diet of Fox News or Italian gameshows :)

Ascari - naturally. Although it took gilders to set up and the horses are supplied courtesy of a well known perfect driving machine. But it is British owned and they are approved by JC of the BBC no less.

At 1:16pm on 09 Nov 2010, Kuradi Vitukari wrote:
Ginsters.

They are Cornish - not British.

Penderyn *hic*

68. At 2:31pm on 09 Nov 2010, DementedBonxie wrote:
Highland Park. Excellent whisky, none better. Dedicated, proud, hard-working staff in the distillery keep up standards, expertise and traditions. Made in the distillery on the hill overlooking Scapa Flow on outskirts of Kirkwall in Orkney. Barley from Orkney and Scottish Borders, local peat, soft water and fresh cool salty air.Owned by the Scottish Edrington Group. What more could you want than a dram of this peaty amber delight?

Hmmmmmm... I second that one. Have to get myself a bottle when I head back home to North East of Scotland for Christmas. It's not so easy to come by where I am

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

British through & through,

Jobcentre Plus

If they had a share issue,they'd be
worth a fortune in a year or two.

Brits are too hard on themselves. You guys lost your self esteem. What happened to O'Brittania, Brittania rules the world! The world loves everything British. Even bangers and mash. So pip pip, stiff upper lip. You'll get through this one. Just send us your weird foodstuff and we'll keep the British economy going one bite at a time.