Top brands that put the Great into Britain

We wrote last year about the sad decline of Hunter wellies. The offshore production of the boots, and subsequent tumble in quality, resulted in traditional customer bases fleeing the rising flood of shoddy production and seeking refuge on the higher, drier ground across the Channel with Le Chameau and Aigle. It’s increasingly common these days to step out on to the shooting field and see French wellies, Italian guns and German optics. So what happened? 

If Hunter, a stalwart of British outdoor clothing, has gone under — the firm went into administration in June 2023 — what does it take as a British manufacturer in the fieldsports sphere to achieve sustained success? There is no doubt that British-made gear is among the finest on the planet, but how do our leading brands go about creating world-beating products in the UK? 

There are people doing a stellar job across these fair isles, from gunmakers and cartridge manufacturers to tailors and leather goods experts, so I set out to ask why offshore production should be avoided. 

Performance 

I first approached Fine Shooting Accessories (FSA) which, for the past 20 years, has offered a range of products that aim to utilise the best of British craftsmanship. 

From the outset, FSA has demanded the utmost performance while keeping true to traditional British styling. This has led to the re-establishment of Loadmaster, a quick-loading device suited to all kinds of rural pursuits. 

FSA director Ashley Shaw says the customer base has grown beyond Britain’s shores, with orders coming in from as far afield as New Zealand and Tasmania. But he stresses that FSA is committed to maintaining close links with artisan British manufacturing industries. And the firm is constantly looking to develop additional products that show off the talent retained in the UK. 

The design and testing of FSA products is also extremely important. “We have partnered with Morton Sporting Fieldsports Agency to help us field-test our designs to ensure their robustness and usability,” says Ash. “This time in the field, coupled with the material knowledge and skills possessed by the master craftsman with whom we engage, creates the products that we believe you can rely on.” 

Elaine Stewart, co-founder and marketing director of Northampton-based Longthorne Gunmakers, says its success came down to the creation of brand awareness, building trust, credibility and establishing the name in the marketplace. Longthorne continues to create innovative guns in England, and Elaine says this is where it should be to “avoid supply-chain issues and ensure consistent quality”. 

She says it goes against Longthorne’s ethos to import foreign parts, assemble them into a British gun then give it a British name. She also believes the number of British customers buying British is on the increase and, given the chance, even more would follow suit. However, it is hard to maintain profit margins and competitive prices when production is based here. 

Though she stresses there are no plans to change the company’s British-based arrangement, Elaine adds that their approach to innovation is continual. “Whenever there is an opportunity to improve something, we assess its feasibility and, if practical, integrate it into our product line,” she confirms. 

Frank Hopkins, director and co-founder of Lintran, the Lincolnshire-based manufacturer of dog transit boxes, has built his business with his wife Isobel since 1988. They now operate out of a purpose-built factory north of Lincoln. He has found it is the quality of Lintran products that has appealed to customers above all else. He recalls some who have gone elsewhere for cheaper solutions and returned when they were not fulfilling their needs. 

Frank readily acknowledges the difficulties of production in Britain, noting he could have the product made for a fraction of the price in China. Due to the relatively small size of Lintran, though, he feels he would be unlikely to be able to make it out to China more than once or twice a year. This would render quality monitoring and process-oversight almost impossible, which is why he keeps production here. 

Skill base 

Croots has been producing canvas and leather goods — including an impressive range of cartridge bags and gun slips — since the 1970s and every piece is still made in-house. Their director, Allistair Croot, says the biggest challenge facing British manufacturers is retaining the skill base. “We are very lucky that our craftsman and women have been with us for many years but we must keep looking for the next member of staff who could learn these skills,” he says, pointing out that there is no college course for making leather goods, so any training has to come from within the company. 

Typical of British brands, the added value often comes from the service that supports the product. “We try to be very personal to each customer and appreciate every purchase,” says Allistair. “Most of our quality control is done by every individual member of staff. The pride levels will not let substandard products move through the workshops, which ultimately lifts the quality higher than we ask for.” 

David Bontoft, managing director of Hull Cartridge, believes the “made in the UK” tag is still seen as a mark of quality — but it must not be forgotten that how you price your products is crucial. He also talks of the importance of agility in the marketplace and of how Hull is working hard to evolve to meet ever-changing demand. The criteria for development is always based around what the customer actually demands. While he talks, you get a real sense that British manufacturing is about evolution and ambition as much as it’s about tradition and continuity. 

The business itself is a hands-on family-owned company — now run by third- and fourth-generation shooters — which prides itself on manufacturing “the finest ammunition”, with the range evolving to respond to the changing needs of discerning Shots. Ballistics are in the brand’s DNA and David reminds me that Hull has been involved in producing plenty of firsts in cartridge design. These include specialist High Pheasant fibre specifications, light 21g loads for simulated game days and the latest hydro-wad innovations. 

There has been expansion to keep up with the increasing number of shooters coming to the market and David says Hull’s reputation continues to extend into new territories on a global scale. Even with the impressive trajectory, the business has kept its production in its hometown, the eponymous Hull. “We like to think of Hull and our customers as a big family; together we’re upholding great British manufacturing and our sport — not only for this generation but for many more to come,” he adds. 

Products entirely manufactured in Britain are always going to struggle to compete in terms of price alone in a global market. But makers must have faith that their customers will recognise their quality, respect their processes and select them on both counts over cheaper alternatives. It was also interesting, while talking to shoppers recently at the GWCT Scottish Game Fair, to hear long-in-the-tooth keepers saying they like the idea of buying things that haven’t travelled across the world because it’s greener. 

Not only do British products help the environment, but they can also help with a business’s logistics. Tuffies offers a huge range of dog-friendly products, with endless combinations of sizes, colours and soft-cover options. “If we imported all these combinations we would need a massive stock capacity, which carries its own risks,” says Luise Janniche, Tuffies’ director. “More importantly, we are famous for our bespoke options — special sizes to fit odd spaces — which can only be offered if we make the dog beds in-house.” 

She adds that fieldsports people are often the most likely to think about buying British-made — or Scottish-made in the case of Tuffies. She also says that the business is committed to top-quality fabrics and has more than 70% of its fabrics made exclusively for the brand. 

“We have learned not to compromise on quality. If you want to live up to loyal customers’ expectations, you have to stay loyal to them in terms of the quality you offer. That’s what we did to succeed.” 

Maintaining appeal 

The sad saga of Hunter wellies may be a cautionary tale for other outdoor British manufacturers. Sure, you can chase bigger markets but those customers are often very fickle. Traditional fieldsports brands have moved to attract custom wider than their historic audiences but it’s tricky, when you’re there, to maintain appeal. Quality endures whereas fashion is a strange thing — one year something’s hugely popular and then it’s not. 

Smaller manufacturers need to keep sight of who they are as brands and not rely too heavily on cutting costs at the expense of quality, or pursuing American shoppers. Small British companies making heritage products should use their size as a strength and not seek to grow. They have the advantage of 

that its core market lost interest, but it also failed to capture broader audiences. Small producers in Britain should seek to prioritise longevity in traditional markets, staying focused on quality with an ever-open ear to their customers’ needs.