Background
Back in the late 90's Which magazine commissioned a book to
list many of the small specialist producers of everything from food to cushions
around the UK. Compiled by Christopher Roundell, this was effectively a compendium
called "The Which Guide to Country Shopping".
In 2000 Christopher and Barry Wright, (a marketer for over 25
years) met over a few fishing tales in the courtyard outside his rather
eclectic studio flat in The Old Women's Prison Complex in Fulham. With the Web, an up and coming dream allowing these producers to reach a wider audience,
Distinctly British was born.
Our watchword has always been quality with most of our
producers being 2 - 5 people strong, trading for many years as family-run
companies who really care about what they sell. In the early days, some did not
even have their own computer let alone
their own Web Site! In 2002 we launched distinctlybritish.com.
How things have changed in the intervening years. The
computer and mobile have become an integral part of everyday life (even we now
have a "mobile-enabled site").
DistinctlyBritish.com is now managed and operated by Timeline Gifts of Folkestone UK.
How it Works
Our mission is to promote some of the best producers in
their fields in Britain and their products. They are not the biggest producers
by any means, but they all care about their products and their customers. All
orders placed on distinctlybritish.com are sent to the producer for fulfilment
direct to the customer. Most are supplied out of stock - some are made to
order.
Most of our products can be bought alternatively through eBay and Amazon for those that prefer these popular forms of e-commerce service.
We have, over the years, sold thousands of Food & Gift
Hampers, especially at Christmas. With the increasingly sophisticated courier
delivery and the large size of these, we have decided not to sell these direct
but to give our customers links to the websites of the Hamper Companies we recommend.
There are currently about 2,000 products in our store.
