beyondbrics

Clamour for British brands among emerging market consumers has been the making of luxury brands like Burberry and Mulberry. The long-established British fashion houses have seen their share prices rise 93 per cent and 500 per cent respectively in the past year as overseas revenues soar.

Now another group of British entrepreneurs is looking to cash in. Known as The Brand Cellar, the London and Hong Kong-based group is busy snapping up what is calls “much loved, but dormant” British brands.

After raising a few million from private backers last year, it already has eleven brands in its stable, seven of which are more than 100 years old. Glen Rossie whisky, luxury pen maker Conway Stewart and defunct UK high street butcher shop chain Dewhurst have all been gathered up by the company, which plans to licence the brands overseas, updated for a new and captive consumer audience.

“Why fight for a share of 8m whisky drinkers in the UK and struggle to get listings in UK supermarkets when in India, there are 300m whisky drinkers?” asks Jonathan Hick, global vice president.

Brand Cellar is hoping to licence exclusive Indian distribution rights for Glen Rossie, one of the world’s oldest whisky brands, with a partner who sees the brand’s potential. Doubtless, they will face stiff competition from the likes of Diageo, who are busy sizing up emerging markets in their own right.

But regardless of a brand’s history, some might question how more modern age demands – such as expensive advertising, marketing and social media presence – will be paid for. This is what has catapulted English brands like Mulberry to the fore in Asia – and the journey has taken nearly ten years and required tens of millions of pounds of investment.

However, history also shows us that it’s perfectly possible for vintage brands to enjoy a “second life” in Asia. The FT has previously reported how the classic Royal Enfield motorcycle brand has enjoyed a renaissance in India, long after its British factory gates swung shut in the 1970s. Appetite for retro British brands is sure to continue in the Bric economies – although there’s only so much tomorrow’s consumers can stomach.

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Luxury file, beyondbrics