BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
A British Local Histories-produced DVD is soon to be available detailing the history of British folding bike manufacturer Brompton.
Featuring interviews with inventor Andrew Ritchie, footage of the bikes being made in the West London factory, action from a past Brompton World Championship and much more, the DVD will please anyone with a fondness for the iconic Brompton, or for UK manufacturing success stories.
Emerson Roberts, sales and marketing director, commented: “We are not, by nature, a backward-looking company, so the idea of a retrospective documentary took some getting used to. But we knew we had a wonderful story to tell and that there was great interest in it among the wider public. There was also a sense, as we mark 35 years since Andrew built the first prototypes, that the company had achieved a certain maturity and recognition. In the last year alone, Andrew has been honoured for his lifetime’s achievement with the Prince Philip Designer’s Prize and an MBE. The company then received Queen’s Awards for Enterprise in both the Innovation and International Trade categories in the Birthday Honours. It seemed apposite to take a look back, to celebrate what had been achieved and to use that to build on over the next 35 years.
“Getting the right partners was crucial and David Rust and his team have done a wonderful job. We left them to develop the brief and drive the project on their own terms; the result is an honest, compelling documentary that brings new insights to even the longest-standing members of staff. There is much in here that will delight and surprise consumers, and by including subtitles in eight foreign languages we hope it will appeal to the company’s many admirers around the world.”
