About British Tags
British Tags is a modern, dynamic and creative company that has been around since 1947 . We offer a bespoke service and work closely with you to enhance and reinforce your brand. We create, manufacture, and supply enterprising and innovative…
Labelling, Tags and Trims
Beautiful Packaging
Innovative Promotional Items
We are Global and Local
Originally based in Tottenham Court Rd and then Old Street in London, expansion in 2005 led us to relocate to Guildford in Surrey for larger premises with warehouse facilities. We have a network of national and international offices to ensure that the global supply of your branded labelling, packaging, and promotional items runs efficiently and on time. Our global presence enables us to maintain a consistent brand image for you wherever in the world your products are made.
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FREE Storage and Stock Control
If required, we can hold your supplies – FREE OF CHARGE – for up to 12 months (subject to status). This enables you to order in bulk to take advantage of large-run cheaper unit prices, without having to pay upfront or use up your own valuable storage space. This can really help with your cash flow. We keep a close eye on stock so that you don’t have to.
We send you computerised reports as you require them, and work closely with you to ensure repeats are ordered on time so that you never have to panic about running out of stock. You can call off supplies as you require, and we guarantee to deliver within the UK 48 hours later and you will then be invoiced for what you have received (this offer is dependent upon credit referencing).
What to Expect
Contacting us by any means is a great start. We have big and small customers across the country and we can easily come to you to discuss your individual requirements. We have a highly experienced UK-wide sales team.
Almost all quotes are provided within 24 hours. By way of guidance, our minimum quantities are typically 1,000 pieces depending on the item and pricing comes right down per unit on quantities of 5,000 and above.
Branded labels are always bespoke to your needs. Every item is unique, so we are unable to provide a standard price list. However, the quote, design, and fulfillment process is second to none. Please get in touch. You will be very pleased you found us.
Design and Sampling
Your first contact is with one of our knowledgeable sales teams who will guide you through the many design and manufacturing options that are available on all our products. Remember, everything we do is bespoke so tell us what you want to achieve, and we will work with you to deliver it.
We offer a free-of-charge, full creative design service with colour layouts and 3D visuals, which are often with you within 24 hours. Sampling is quick too; for example, our free-of-charge woven label sampling takes around a week and a half. Once you have approved your sample we will place your bulk order.
Production times vary depending on the product. Please take a look at our product pages for more detailed information.
Environmentally Friendly
We are very conscious of the need to protect our environment, and to that end, we offer eco-ranges on many products including biodegradable fabric carrier bags, recycled boards, paper bags, and ecological yarns on woven labels. This is all part of our past present and future environmental policy. For more information please click here.
Environmental Question: What impact will my product have on the environment? (click/tap me)
High-Quality Production and QA
For printed products, your designs are turned into plates or stereos. For weaving, they become ‘iprons’ (computer-generated stitch patterns). Your product is then monitored, both physically by our production specialists, and by machine, on the presses and looms. In finishing, whether folding, stringing, laminating, embossing or die cutting, our focus is on producing the highest quality product for our clients. Smart digital printing is also used to help lower costs and reduce lead times.
We have a strong commitment to rigorous quality assurance. Whether you order branded woven labels, swing tickets, printed custom boxes, carrier bags, or unique promotional items, we apply the same level of quality assurance. If for any reason, we make a mistake, we will remake your branded items urgently at no extra cost.
Logistics
Our aim is to deliver from our offices to anywhere in the world within 48 hours and to any UK address in 24 hours, wherever possible. We offer global courier, airfreight, and sea freight services and we can assist in tracking any shipment for you. We can also work with your own nominated freight carrier if you prefer.
Established 1947
British Tags has been supplying bespoke swing tickets or “hangtags” since 1947 when the company was founded by Joseph Fairston, our MD’s Grandfather. Joseph, affectionately known as “Jack”, had worked in the garment industry for most of his life managing mainly coat manufacturing companies. Wrightsons Printers was a family business on his wife’s side, based in Ruislip and producing a wide range of printed products.
Image: Joseph (Jack) Fairston, with our current MD (Miles Fairston), his grandson, on his knee.
The Garment Industry
The garment industry used printed swing tickets, which at that time were informational only, giving details of the product, such as sizing and price. However, Joseph was a visionary and he could see the value of customising swing tickets with a company’s logo and branding so that a clothing item became more associated with the designer/retailer. And thus British Tags Ltd was born. The new company’s first offices were in Tottenham Court Road, while Wrightsons Printers were their major supplier, printing the bespoke swing tickets and tags. In the 1960s… Read More
Image: Martin Fairston – Jack’s son and Miles’ father.
British Tags Today
Martin Fairston’s son, Miles, followed his father into the business in 1993 after graduating from St Andrew’s University and took on the MD mantle from his father. Shortly afterwards, a Leeds-based print plant, WBT Manufacturing Ltd was set up. However, with manufacturing in the UK beginning to show a decline, Miles saw that it was going to be important to have manufacturing bases in Hong Kong and China and he made it a priority to set up offices in the Far East. Miles saw that there were opportunities to offer branded packaging to the company’s swing ticket and woven label customers and he grew the company’s product base … Read More
Image: Miles Fairston, British Tags Managing Director and third generation family member to hold that role.
A Bright Future
The future is indeed bright. We have the opportunity to change and tackle the urgent issue of climate change full on. Customers are searching out even more innovative sustainable products and buyers are increasingly striving to reduce the carbon footprint of the products they source. British Tags’ eco-friendly offering is growing month by month. We have a wide range of eco/sustainable products. Please visit our Environment/Sustainability and Ethics page here, and check out some examples of eco products here.
“That is where our R & D budget is now mainly spent – working with our suppliers to find environmentally-friendly options for eventually ALL our products,” says MD Miles. “I sometimes wonder what my grandfather and father would make of the company today. I hope they would be delighted to see that we are still producing swing tickets albeit with many enhanced and artistic processes added to the production. But ‘plastic’ bags made out of potato starch and lanyards made out of bamboo might cause them to scratch their heads! I like to think they would be pleased that we are still an innovative and customer-focused business; that their ethos lives on”.