LET'S BUY BRITISH.CO
We've Been Championing
British Goods and Services Since 2014
What we're all about
At Let's Buy British, we're passionate about supporting and promoting the best of British manufacturing. From the traditional to the contemporary, you can find everything British-made under one roof.
What started as a small discussion about 'the good old days of manufacturing in the UK' around the dinner table back in 2014 has led to Let's Buy British flourishing into its own.
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We believe that buying British not only supports our local economy and communities but also ensures quality, sustainability and ethical standards are upheld. And that's why we get super excited every time we find another amazing British-made brand!
British-Made Businesses
200+
Buy British Community
13K+
Cups of
Tea
17,000
Meet the team
Founded by family members Mark, Sue, and Hannah Cooper, the collective is a labour of love. Each comes with their own expertise and experience in key sectors, giving the team a great perspective of the realities of making in Great Britain.
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Mark
Mark comes from an army background, which as a result gave him the opportunity to travel around Europe and experience different cultures, giving him a broad perspective on life. However, his route to here hasn't been the easiest.
Leaving school with the equivalent of one GCSE in Geography, Mark has worked a range of jobs, from decorating to retail, before moving on to work in drainage. After being taken under the wing of a local, Mark learnt all the skills of the trade, which allowed him to help his mentor create Dalrod, a Peterborough-based drainage company, which is still going today.
From there, he moved to working with the council, undertaking drain surveys, clearing blockages, and even training the fire force on rescue and recovery in tight and potentially toxic spaces. However, Mark wanted more out of his career.
He turned his hand to selling photocopiers, kitchens, and finance, which helped him develop his sales and marketing skills, and land a role with a new manufacturer of small domestic dry wipe boards.
He quickly found his feet, becoming a lead in the company for research, development and procurement, allowing the business to expand its range, and its customer base, which has given him great insight and invaluable skills in the manufacturing industry.
Sue
Sue has had a rollercoaster of a journey up to this point. As someone who has always had a creative flair, she achieved a degree in Ceramics and quickly set up her own pottery business (Where Sue and Mark first met).
Starting from scratch, she sold her creations from her own unit and craft fayres, creating a buzz about her goods through word of mouth whilst teaching on the side at her local city college.
She then went on to work a part-time role alongside her business, manufacturing tables and tablecloths.
However, with rising costs and wanting to take the next step in life, Sue moved on to a full-time position with a company (Where Mark was already working) that made notice boards and flip chart pads, which has given her knowledge and expertise in other fields of crafting and manufacturing.
After having twins, Sue and Mark, unfortunately, lost their jobs and found themselves working in fashion retail and office supplies to make ends meet. Together, they took a leap of faith in setting up their own transportation business Hansam Couriers.
Starting off with a motorbike, one mobile phone, a computer and endless hours, the business went from strength to strength. Working with small and large corporate companies, Sue and Mark witnessed their leap of faith blossoming into something bigger than they ever imagined and became the number 1 same-day courier in the country, delivering across the UK and overseas.
With a growing family, business and team, things were better than ever, and so Sue and Mark decided to expand their services into confidential document shredding - an untapped market their clientele was in need of. Winning client after client, they'd built an empire before, so why couldn't they with this? Unfortunately, who was to know what was lurking around the corner? The 2008 financial crash hit, taking half of their business and their dreams of expansion with it.
After navigating the new climate tactically and recouping some losses, they decided to take a side step back to a more creative route. Just before the end of 2009, Sue and Mark formed a small gift shop, Ray of Sunshine Gifts, in their local village.
At the time, there wasn't much in the city in terms of gifting, and certainly nowhere to showcase local craft. So the team set off with the aim to provide a range of goods for every occasion and passion, from retro to magical.
With the shop growing in popularity, and becoming a central hub for many who lived locally, Sue and Mark decided to move the business online in the hopes of reaching a wider audience.
With how their story goes so far though, you'd be right in thinking 'But what's coming?', and it happened to be their most life-changing turn in the road yet. After a routine check in 2012, Sue was diagnosed with cancer, forcing her to slow down. The hope was to move the shop fully online, however, this became too demanding alongside chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery, inevitably leading to the shop being closed.
After spending close to 20 years building a family and empire from scratch, Sue and Mark decided together to slow things down on the courier side also, allowing them to do things they always wanted. Keeping things slowly ticking by in the background, Sue was able to take time out to recover properly.
Hannah
Like Sue, creativity has always been at the core of who Hannah is. It all began with a deep passion for art and drama, which eventually evolved into a fascination with the world of photography and film throughout her school years.
This fascination led her to go to university to study Drama and Film, where she received a 2:1 BA Honours and a greater understanding and experience of the two industries, including how they're used in many aspects of life.
After completing her studies, she found herself seeking a creative outlet whilst working in the retail and hospitality industries, and that's when she stumbled into the captivating realm of social media. Little did she know that it would become her true calling.
For over five years now, Hannah has been fully immersed in the dynamic field of social media, working with an impressive portfolio of over 70 different brands spanning multiple industries and across three continents, both in-house and externally.
This journey has not only allowed her to harness and express her creative passions but has also given her the incredible opportunity to connect with diverse audiences and shape compelling narratives for the brands she's had the privilege to collaborate with.
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Let's Buy British is the cherry on the cake for Hannah, as it combines so much of what she loves into one.
It all started once Sue began to feel more herself in her recovery phase. She wanted to put her energies back into something that she loved, that would allow her creativity to flourish. Alongside Mark and Hannah, they fell down a British craftmanship rabbit hole after a discussion around the dinner table about 'nothing being made in the UK anymore'.
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Each of them was surprised to find an army of heritage makers and manufacturers up and down the country. Still, no one was talking about them, and mainstream shops were actively opting for imported goods over those crafted locally.
So with that fire, in 2014, the team formed Let's Buy British and has been running with that passion to showcase every crafter across the nation ever since.
If you're passionate about supporting British brands as we do, then please join us for the journey. We enjoy watching our ever-growing community become even stronger, and can't wait to see the new heights we reach when we all work together.
Let's Bring back that love for the Made in Britain stamp!
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Let's Buy British is a fast-growing community of manufacturers.
Discover our army of artisans, from jewellers and textile designers to carpenters and engineers, all under one roof.
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All producers have been checked for provenance and authenticity to ensure the items you purchase are truly British-made.
Discover our makers
Join the revolution
If you manufacture products and services in Britain, then join us. Whether you are a startup, SME or established corporate, everyone is welcome.
Our mission is to help British businesses promote their craft for the future, and in the process, make the British public fall back in love with products made on their doorstep.
