What’s Dairy Milk got to do with it?

All the public discussion and even public upset and distress in the media recently about another one of our beloved British companies (Cadburys) falling into foreign ownership (Kraft) has made me think about whether it really matters whether a company is in British hands or not. We are all now aware that the cars we drive are no longer under British ownership, and Cadburys is the latest in a long line of iconic companies that are being taken over by a foreign conglomerate. Apart from the impact on the local workforce who are justifiably concerned about their future job prospects, there is also the question of the products themselves and will they change (let them dare change the name of Dairy Milk).

William Gee has noticed a similar trend over the last few years in our business. Of course we know that many of our customers make their products abroad (East Europe, North Africa and the Far East). It’s much cheaper to produce abroad than in the UK where we have minimum wage laws, health and safety regulations and lots of red tape that adds costs to any production. The result is that UK factories inevitably close down as they cannot compete for supply orders with countries that have less stringent conditions. However recently we are witnessing an additional problem. Some of our major suppliers of threads, zips, and interlinings, are no longer supplying goods from UK warehouses and offices which are now closed. These products and many more come from various places around the world. I have stopped believing the letters we receive from these companies insisting that changes will be made in a seamless manner and we will not notice any changes to the service we receive. This is absolute rubbish. For years we were accustomed to receive next day early morning deliveries for goods we ordered for our customers we now have to wait several days and sometimes up to 2-3 weeks. There is deterioration in communication channels and service and most importantly, our customers suffer. We certainly try to keep our stock levels ahead of what is required, but trying to accommodate “fast fashion” providers gets more and more challenging.

We have noticed recently an increase in the number of small independent companies that are designing and making clothes, shoes, bags and various products. Perhaps we are returning to an age of “cottage industry” where designers, studios and factories can succeed in bucking this trend and that more product will be made at home.

Now after that little rant where did I put my Dairy Milk bar?