BBC News – Rough Guide: Margate ‘one of world’s top destinations’.
Margate in Kent, England is one of the top 10 destinations in the world, according to the new Rough Guide.
BBC News – Apples Tim Cook says Macs will be made in US.
Apple is to begin manufacturing one of its Mac lines exclusively in its home country. Does this show a degree of patriotism from Apple or is it perhaps a reaction to to customer demand or to economic forces? In any case it is interesting, as is the fact that some companies are still shifting production from the UK to parts of Europe as well as the far east whilst others are bringing production back to the UK. If patriotism is behind or at least partly behind Apple’s recent announcement where does that leave UK industry which is increasingly foreign owned? Swedish Match for example shifted all match production to Sweden and Kraft have moved Terry’s Chocolate Orange production and the making of some Cadbury’s chocolate to Poland. I wonder if many consumers in Britain actually think they are buying British when they shop and consciously or otherwise ignore the fairly recent shift by British based companies to make things abroad. I also think British consumers want to buy British made goods and support jobs here. Is that true? There is certainly a strong demand for British made goods the world over because the quality is perceived as very good, yet for preference the Japanese for example will always buy Japanese made, people in China Chinese made, people in the US goods made in the USA and so on. Are the British public unpatriotic, unknowing or uncaring over where the stuff they buy is made? There is perhaps a need to dispel the myth that Britain doesn’t make anything anymore and encourage consumers to buy British. The EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, recently reported that 40pc of companies currently manufacturing abroad are looking to bring production back home and suggested “we need to foster this interest in a resurgence of manufacturing in the UK: for the economy, for job creation and for national pride.”
https://twitter.com/BritishGoods
Just changed my Twitter name from made_in_gbr to BritishGoods (ukmade was already taken) – sounds better I think 😉
ukmade@BritishGoods
http://madeintheunitedkingdom.tumblr.com
Winston Churchill and his miniature poodle, Rufus.
Don’t forget to make sure your diary for next year is made in Britain.
Norman Walsh Footwear – sports shoes, trainers and sports casual shoes –
Possibly the last British owned sports footwear brand still manufacturing in the UK. Walsh do fabulous made in Britain trainers and I highly recommend them. Prices are reasonable too. Northern Sole! They sell Walsh Casual directly from their walshcasual website and they have a stand at the fabulous London Sunday UpMarket, at the Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane, selling Walsh Casual. I bought a pair of casual trainers there the other day (in December 2012). They are very comfortable. For Walsh Performance Footwear for fell running, orienteering and cross country see the links to retailers on their walshsports website. Walsh casual retailers are also listed on their website. Walsh Casual also have a facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/pages/Walsh-Casual/181015592031080?fref=ts and a twitter page – www.twitter.com/walshcasual.
If you want UK made trainers, sports shoes, pumps, sneakers or whatever you want to call them the choices is between New Balance who do a limited Made in UK range, Gola (Gola ceased UK production in 1981, but re-introduced a very limited made in England range in 2012; which are possibly made for them by Walsh) and Walsh whose sports shoes are all made in the UK. Companies like UK Gear and Reebok (J.W Foster and Sons became ‘Reebok’ in 1958) are keen to stress their so called Britishness, but in fact non of their trainers are made in the UK. Hi-Tec trainers used to have a factory in Northamptonshire, but that is now long gone and nowadays Hi-Tec trainers are all foreign made.
Walsh Lostock Orange/Yellow/Red trainers 25.11.12. Made in England.
Walsh V Ripple Brown. Made in England.
WALSH PB ELITE RACER. Made in England.
WALSH PB ELITE BOOT. Made in England.
Jacksons of Reading is a rabbit warren of a department store in Reading, Berkshire, England where you can get all those things you can’t find anywhere else and in a fabulous environment with lots of wood panelling, wood and drawers and counters. For example gifts, accessories, sewing stuff, knitting stuff (I found acrylic made in England from companies like Robins but sadly no British wool), linens and haberdashery, textiles, a good shoe department (specialising in wider fittings) and a large crafts section. They have a massive school and scout uniforms department, dancewear, bowls clothes, lingerie, nightwear, ladies fashions and a superb menswear department. Yesterday (8.12.12) the store was quite busy and I came across UK made HJ Hall socks at very reasonable prices and lovely James Aubrey men’s duffle coats. You’ll find brands like Peter England, Tootal, Somax and Double Two here too, but these days such brands manufacture abroad. Plus they have a great suits department and they sell things like British made braces. Look for the giant Jacksons Corner neon lights! Open Mon-Sat 09:00 – 17:30. The store unashamedly markets itself at the over 40s and prides itself on serving customers. This is most definitely not a self-service store. It is a beautiful building inside and out, with a fabulous pneumatic tubes system to handle cash. Founded in 1875 and still family run, this store is a must visit place when shopping in Reading.
The below photo is taken from iconicallyrare’s “Sartorial Notes on Elegance and Vulgarity”. Her article is an interesting American perspective on London’s Savile Row and well worth a read.
http://iconicallyrare.com/2012/09/16/sartorial-notes-on-elegance-and-vulgarity/#
Elegance
If Mr. Churchill should suddenly require a pocketknife or need to check the time, one gets the impression that he could discreetly access a handy pocket watch or a folding-knife heirloom within a moment’s notice.
ukmade - UK Made Products - BRITISH MADE 