Brompton Bikes are the arm candy London cyclists go gaga over. We took a trip to the bike factory in Brentford to find out why and how they’re made in London.
We’ll forgive you for not knowing this, but the UK is in fact the world’s seventh largest manufacturer. And it’s not just the Midlands and the North creating highly-desirable exports. Right here in London, businesses are capitalising on a highly-skilled workforce. Brompton Bikes is one of them.
Seventy per cent of Brompton’s bicycles are sold overseas, in 38 markets, from Singapore to Canada. And each one is handmade in London.
“We love to see how the bikes turn heads and start a conversation, and we feel proud that we contribute to London’s manufacturing industry,” says Will Carley Smith, head of design, Brompton Bikes.
Speaking about why the company didn’t consider moving production offshare, Smith says, “The biggest reason why we never contemplated shifting base is that it wouldn’t do justice to our product.
“Saving a few quid on labour costs and taxes was never a big enough reason to move elsewhere, our customers love the fact that we’re based in London. That’s what matters,” adds Smith.
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