Brentford Chamber Visits Brompton

Our latest Chamber event on Tuesday, gave our members a privileged and fascinating tour of Brompton Bicycle’s factory and headquarters, one of Brentford’s, if not London’s,leading and thriving manufacturers.

We were shown around the factory floor in small groups and could see how the streamlined assembly lines worked, and how each individually designed component part was put together to form the iconic Brompton.

Managing Director Will Butler-Adams is a polished raconteur, who gave us an insightful talk of Brompton’s past, present and future, spanning 25 years when it was first created by Andrew Ritchie. The company exports to 44 countries and is expanding fast.

The growth of the company over the past few years is a great example of how a business can develop with the right leadership.  The company enjoys high staff retention by giving sound training skills, with most of the employees living within a mile of the business; it is a leading light as Brentfords local employer.

However we are in danger of losing such a valuable asset to the Brentford community, as the company is expanding rapidly, and has outgrown its space.

The company does not want to move from Brentford, but unfortunately unless 4 acres of land can be found and soon, the business will be forced to relocate. Whilst we understand there are negotations going on with the help of Mary Macleod MP, there seems to be no initiative from Hounslow Council to provide more light industrial and commercial sites.

We are hopeful that the regeneration department at LB of Hounslow realises the potential benefits and provide the solution for Brompton to prosper and continue their success in Brentford.