Best of British: Great british luxury brands sales are rising fast

The best British luxury brands are selling extremely well, particularly abroad, especially the luxury car brands such as Bentley Motors and Rolls Royce.
* UK luxury goods market to reach 6.5 billion pounds sterling in 2011-study
* Market to grow by more than 50 percent by 2015
* Sales attributed to tourism up 40 percent in 2010
* Americans lead influx of visitors, followed by Chinese
Britain's luxury goods market is set to grow 10 percent this year, and by more than 50 percent by 2015, helped by a surge in tourist spending, according to research published on Monday.
Ledbury Research, in collaboration with luxury industry body Walpole, forecast spending on luxury goods in Britain would rise to 6.5 billion pounds ($10.6 billion) this year, and reach 9.4 billion by 2015.
Sales attributed to tourists leapt 40 percent in 2010, accounting for 26 percent of the total, and were set to continue growing strongly, led by American visitors and closely followed by the Chinese.
"Evidence shows that 'luxury shame' has fallen away," Ledbury and Walpole said, referring to a reluctance to spend on luxury items during the depths of the recent recession.
The Times of London also noted that the Best of British is back in vogue with the super rich.
"Tourism appears to be the magic ingredient. One pound in four spent on luxury goods in Britain comes from sales to overseas shoppers, up from slightly less than one in five last year. Of the 170 brands surveyed, 70 per cent said that more of their customers came from abroad than before, with 13 per cent saying that tourists accounted for more than half their sales. Despite the widespread focus on China and its insatiable appetite for designer brands, the Americans led the charge back into the capital last year, buoyed by renewed confidence and a favourable exchange rate. They were followed by shoppers from the Middle East, with the Russians third."
Another leading British brand success story is Bentley Motors who bounced back to pre-recession levels of demand during 2011, with strong growth in all major markets. Globally, sales were up 37% to 7003 for the calendar year with sales accelerating as the year progressed. December sales were 1059 (up 69% on the same month in 2010), the best month since Bentley’s pre-recession record of 2007 and the second best month ever.
Global sales up 37% with 7003 deliveries to customers
December sales (1059 cars) - best single month since recession and second highest ever
America still Bentley’s number one market with sales up by over a third to 2021
China confirms number two status with sales virtually doubling to a record 1839
All major markets increased with Europe up by over a half due mainly to high demand in Germany, up by nearly 90%

The US continues to be Bentley’s number one market with 2021 cars sold in 2011, an increase of 32%. For the first time ever, however, China took second spot with sales for the region virtually doubling to 1839 and surpassing the previous year’s record before the end of July. This achievement is even more remarkable considering Bentley has been present in Mainland China for less than ten years.
Other regions have also performed very well. Continental European sales rebounded to 1187 (an increase of 53%) led by strong demand in Germany where sales have increased by a remarkable 88%.  The UK proved to be extremely challenging over the past months, but still saw an increase of over five per cent with 1031 cars sold.  Indeed, all major markets are up including the Middle East despite the political instability that has beset certain markets.
Bentley Motors is the third largest R&D investor in the UK's automotive sector and the 18th largest nationally. The company employs almost 4,000 people in Crewe which is home to all its operations including design, R&D, engineering and production. The combination of fine craftsmanship, using skills that have been handed down through generations, alongside engineering expertise and cutting-edge technology is unique to UK luxury vehicle manufacturers such as Bentley. It is also an example of high-value British manufacturing at its best. Bentley exports over £500m worth of goods every year to established markets like the US, as well as emerging markets such as China and South America.
As Yves de Contades director of luxury magazine International Life explains "luxury brands must embrace the latest social marketing and communication technologies but networking, brand affiliation, trust and direct personal contact with your market are the key pillars of luxury brand development".
Philanthropy is a growing trend too as luxury brands embrace corporate and social responsibility and make re investing in people and the community part of their marketing strategy.
The luxury industry is growing in the UK and Britain is recognised for its classic and  world leading contemporary design, it's use of the finest materials and craftsmen and extraordinary creativity combined with the latest innovations and technology.
British craftsmanship has a long a illustrious history and has a great tradition for quality and as it now recognises the value of promoting to a global market and has seen tangible results abroad, the forecast for the next few years is very good.