047 – Martin Lowe, Roy Lowe & Sons – Why Innovation & Quality Matter

Martin Lowe describes himself as 'The Bald Headed Sock Seller' - but he's much more than that.His family business - Roy Lowe & Sons, which he runs with his brother Tim - produces socks for some of the most well known names on the high street.In its heyday Roy Lowe & Sons produced up to 640,000 pairs of socks a week from their factory in Nottingham.By introducing new technology and innovation, and launching their own brands alongside the contract work, they've stayed ahead of the competition and are growing their UK sock manufacturing business.Some of the topics discussed:- The challenges of making socks in the UK versus overseas.- The differences between marketing and selling socks as a contract manufacturer compared to selling your own brand.- What makes a quality pair of socks and why it matters.- Why making things that last longer is so important."The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten"Show notes: makeitbritish.co.uk/047Roy Lowe & SonsSock Mine - technical socksRoy's Boys - character & quirky socksStay in TouchBritish Brand Accelerator - Find out how you can work with me to build your British-made brandMake it British websiteJoin Make it British - become a member of our community and promote your business in our directory or UK-made brands and manufacturersMake it British on InstagramMake it British on YouTube - subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch many of the podcast episodes as videos.