Brompton Bicycle: the folding design made in London
Andrew Ritchie’s compact bicycle grew from prototypes in a London flat into a major British manufacturer, with a design refined over decades.
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Jo Malone London
A London-founded fragrance brand whose range spans colognes, candles and bath products.
Read the entryGieves & Hawkes: the tailoring house at No. 1 Savile Row
Formed from two older houses, Gieves & Hawkes brings military and bespoke tailoring traditions together at a celebrated London address.
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Waitrose & Partners: a British grocery business
From a West London shop to a national supermarket brand, Waitrose has built its identity around food retail, the John Lewis Partnership and community initiatives.
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Foster’s Group: an Australian brewer in the British beer market
Founded in Melbourne, the company became known in Britain through Foster’s lager, advertising and a long-running commercial presence.
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Thomas Cook: the preacher who organised travel for ordinary people
From a 1841 railway excursion for temperance campaigners to tours across continents, Thomas Cook helped make organised travel accessible to a wider public.
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New Look
Founded in Taunton in 1969, New Look built a British retail identity around fashion at accessible prices.
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JCB: Staffordshire roots and a global machinery business
Founded in 1945, the family-linked manufacturer grew from a Uttoxeter garage into a major maker of construction and agricultural equipment.
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Cadbury: Birmingham roots and a changing British institution
Founded by John Cadbury in 1824, the confectionery business grew from a Birmingham shop into a global brand, shaped by family innovation, Bournville and a complex corporate history.
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Beefeater Gin
A London dry gin shaped by a Victorian distillery, a distinctive botanical recipe and a name associated with the Tower of London.
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Dr. Martens: the boot that travelled from workwear to subculture
A post-war German design, developed for the British market, became a familiar feature of music, fashion and youth subcultures.
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Savile Row: the craft of bespoke tailoring
How a Mayfair street became associated with individual commissions, established tailoring houses and changing styles.
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P&O Cruises: a British passenger-shipping tradition
Founded as a cruise line in 1977, P&O Cruises carries forward a passenger-travel history that reaches back to 1837.
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GlaxoSmithKline: a British pharmaceutical lineage
The company formed in 2000 from businesses with roots in London and New Zealand, bringing a long industrial history into a global pharmaceutical group.
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Rimmel: a London cosmetics name with a long history
Founded in London in 1834, Rimmel grew from a perfumery into an internationally marketed make-up brand, with affordability and its London identity at the centre of its appeal.
Read the entryJohn Lewis & Partners: a department store and its partnership
From an Oxford Street drapery shop to a national retailer, John Lewis’s history is closely tied to the employee-owned John Lewis Partnership.
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Fortnum & Mason: from Piccadilly grocer to London institution
Founded in 1707, the retailer built its name on provisions and specialist foods; its hampers and tea remain part of a much wider story.
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PG Tips: the story of a familiar British tea brand
From its 1930 launch as Pre-Gest-Tea to pyramid-shaped bags and the “Monkey” adverts, PG Tips built a recognisable identity around everyday black tea.
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Ted Baker: the rise, reach and reset of a British fashion brand
Founded in Glasgow in 1988, Ted Baker grew from a specialist shirt shop into an international label before financial distress closed its UK and Irish shops.
Read the entryClarks: how a Somerset shoemaker built a global brand
From sheepskin rugs and the Brown Petersburg slipper to the Desert Boot and Wallabee, Clarks grew from a family business in Street into an international footwear name.
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The Body Shop
Founded in Brighton by Anita Roddick, the cosmetics company made ethical sourcing and opposition to animal testing part of its public identity.
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Virgin Atlantic
How a British airline built its identity around service, cabin design and long-haul travel.
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Mini
How a compact British car combined ingenious packaging, rally success and a lasting place in popular culture.
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Lush: the British cosmetics retailer built around fresh products and campaigning
Founded in Poole, Lush grew from a cosmetics shop into an international retailer whose product choices and public campaigns made its ethics part of its identity.
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Boots: the Nottingham pharmacy that became a high-street fixture
Founded in 1849, Boots grew from a family herbal-medicine shop into a major British pharmacy and health-and-beauty retailer.
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Bentley: racing origins, British manufacture and a changing marque
Founded in London in 1919, Bentley became known for endurance racing and luxury cars. Its history runs from Cricklewood to a continuing manufacturing presence in Crewe.
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Marks & Spencer: from Leeds market stall to British retailer
Founded in 1884, M&S built its reputation through its own-label goods, food retailing and a changing high-street presence.
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Harrods
The Knightsbridge department store whose history and identity are bound up with London retail.
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Aston Martin: British engineering, racing and reinvention
Founded in London in 1913, Aston Martin built a global reputation through sports cars, competition and a series of financial rescues.
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Dyson: the British beginnings of a global engineering company
Founded in Wiltshire in 1991, Dyson grew from James Dyson’s cyclone vacuum into an international appliance business, while retaining engineering and education links with the UK.
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Barbour: From South Shields oilcloth to British countrywear
Founded in 1894 to serve a maritime community, the family-led South Shields company built its reputation on practical weatherproof clothing and a jacket that crossed from country life into fashion.
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Land Rover: the British story behind a global marque
From a Rover utility vehicle designed in post-war Britain, Land Rover grew into a range spanning the Series models, Range Rover, Discovery and Defender.
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Jaguar: sidecars, racing and the electric turn
Founded as a sidecar maker, Jaguar built a name through distinctive cars, Le Mans victories and a continuing interest in performance.
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Twinings: a London tea room with a global reach
Founded on the Strand in 1706, Twinings grew from a London tea business into an internationally marketed drinks brand, while retaining its historic premises.
Read the entryBurberry: from Basingstoke outerwear to a global fashion identity
Founded by Thomas Burberry in 1856, the British company became known for gabardine, the trench coat and its distinctive check.
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Rolls-Royce: the cars, the craft and the name
From the Silver Ghost to today’s car business, the Rolls-Royce story joins British motoring identity to a changing corporate history.
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Christopher Pissarides and the economics of finding work
The Nobel-winning economist developed influential theories of job search and matching during a career centred on the London School of Economics.
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Sir Angus Deaton
Born in Edinburgh, the economist won the 2015 Nobel Prize for research on consumption, poverty and welfare.
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Bertha von Suttner: novelist and campaigner for peace
The Austrian writer who made the case against war in print, organised across borders and brought her campaign to a London peace congress.
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Malala Yousafzai: education as a right, not a privilege
From her BBC Urdu blog in Swat to her studies in Birmingham and Oxford, Malala Yousafzai has made girls’ access to education the focus of a global campaign.
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