Celebrating 60 years of the Lakeland homeware brand

Lakeland is one of those rare shops that transcends generations and genders.

Those who generally do not like shopping can find gadgets galore to pore over whilst, from the laundry department to the baking section, there are other treasures for all.

At this time of year parents and grandparents may be accompanied by the next generation, a new cohort of students preparing to depart for university armed with anything from a food mixer to a CRIMPiT (a must-have gadget for sealing wraps into a half-moon fajita sandwich) to a silicone pod for keeping lemons fresh. Going younger still it is the place to inspire little ones to make, inspired by cake tins and cutters in myriad shapes and colours, rainbow sprinkles and mini gadgets.

Lakeland catalogue 1977

At Lakeland there is something for everyone. It is difficult to think of another homeware brand with such broad appeal and 2024 marks 60 years of this stalwart of the British high street – and a name that is synonymous with Cumbria.

It has, coincidentally, 60 stores across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, spread among small market towns, historic cities and enormous out of town shopping centres, all equipping kitchens with the latest, most functional and aesthetically pleasing products.

Alan Rayner

It all began in Windermere, of course ,where entrepreneurial animal feed merchant Alan Rayner bought and prepared chickens from his farmer customers to sell at Kendal Market n plastic bags.

Alan’s chickens sold better than the other smallholders. Customers started asking if they could buy more polythene bags too, and Lakeland Plastics was born. Starting from his garage at home in 1964, Alan grew his range of plastic items – bags, covers for haystacks, sheeting, sticky labels and, famously, Lammacs, plastic coats for newborn lambs.

The business is still owned by Alan’s sons, Sam, Martin and Julian, who started in the 1960s helping their dad to count bags into packs of 100 for some pocket money.

The print room at catalogue time Alan retired in 1974 and the brothers took over the business even though Julian was still at school. Home freezing was all the rage and the availability of Lakeland Plastics bags – and later containers – proved to be a perfect synergy.

Another significant moment would come much later when the company dropped Plastics from its name due to its range expanding far beyond its original product lines. Now known as Lakeland, it proved to be a timely decision given the controversial status of plastic today.

Catalogue shopping was a growing trend – remember Grattans and Littlewoods? – and Lakeland went from producing a single-page, black and white leaflet advertising its wares to a six-page leaflet then to fully colour publications.

Lakeland Plastics was a pioneer of mail order, the Everything for Home Freezing catalogue developing into Everything for Home Cooking which included gadgets, equipment and utensils including items for the microwave oven, which grew in popularity at the end of the 1970s.

Lakeland Plastics at an overseas showThe business had already moved out of its original base to Alexandra Road then moved again to a bigger location, the disused station master’s house at Windermere railway station. The growing business was still rudimentary however: orders were taken in the front room, customer records were stored in the bath and the Rayner brothers wheeled parcels to the post office on a trolley.

Eventually the site was developed with offices, a warehouse and “a little store to be proud of”. Lakeland soon had a profile as a leading homeware supplier with a reputation for customer service to match.

By the 1990s it had outgrown its packing and distribution space and a state-of-the-art direct despatch centre opened at Lake District Business Park, in Kendal. The Windermere site remained as company headquarters together with the flagship store which doubled in size and The Café at Lakeland.

Malcolm King Around 400 employees work across both sites with a further 1,100 in its nationwide network of shops. Among them is Malcolm King, retail employee of the year in 2023, who has been with the company for 50 years.

Malcolm says: “I started at Lakeland on June 21, 1973. My first role was cutting and sticking the sheets of plastic to create bespoke boat covers for the boats on Windermere and the surrounding areas.

“A few years later, I joined our teams working on agricultural shows across Britain, operating from a pop-up shop in a curtain sided trailer. This work took me from the Black Isle, in the north of Britain, to the Royal Devon Show in the south and as far west as the Pembrokeshire Show in Wales.

“Over the years I’ve been asked to put my knowledge and experience to work helping our stores across Britain once the business migrated from agriculture to homewares. I’ve helped at Brent Cross, Norwich, Chichester, Cambridge and Cardiff to name a few.”

The despatch and distribution centre in Kendal Throughout the 2010s, Lakeland was producing 18 catalogues a year packed with cleaning products, electricals and kitchen gadgets. It picked up some celebrity fans along the way including Dame Mary Berry and Dame Prue Leith, with whom it has partnered in cooking and baking ranges.

The company fully embraced the shift towards online shopping by the end of the 2010s but has always supported it with a full time contact centre manned by knowledgeable and helpful staff. “We still get a lot of customers ringing up to place orders and our team are the best of the best,” says Bethany Stebbens, digital marketing executive. “Whenever we have new product launches, the people on the phones know those products inside out because we may get customers calling and asking for advice.

“We get a really lovely reception from customers because our team is so helpful. It has earned us a Trustpilot score of 4.8 from over 100,000 reviews.”

Last year's autumn catalogue Customers were rewarded for their loyalty in 2019 when the myLakeland members’ club was launched with discounts, partner offers, exclusive competitions and invitations to events with a few pence going into the company’s charity pot for good causes in the UK on each purchase. The community now numbers a staggering 2.5 million members and more than £550,000 has been donated to charity in its first five years.

This year has seen the myLakeland app launched.

Lakeland’s range of products, established online capabilities and customer contact centre support meant the business was in a strong position when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020; indeed, it could not keep up with demand for bread makers.

Sam, Martin and Julian Rayner Later that year the Rayner brothers retired from the operating board in a planned succession, although they remain joint chairmen. It saw Catherine Nunn move into the role of deputy chair and former commercial director Steve Knights take over as chief executive. The board also comprises Stephen Hill (chief financial and operating officer), Scott Jefferson (chief commercial officer) and Neil Piggot (chief customer officer).

The company is not big on hierarchy, however, apparently preferring a collegiate approach. CEO Steve and the senior leadership team work among their staff and are often be found hot desking wherever there is a spare seat in rooms that are named after Lake District villages. “I enjoy it, it works well,” says Steve.

The flexible working arrangements offered, including working from home, allows the company to employ the best specialists in their field.

One of the keys to Lakeland’s success is the trust it has built with its customers. Everything is tested in-house and nothing goes on the shelves that the company does not fully endorse.

An early agricultural show Functionality is key. “We have products that you may not have realised you needed in your life but once you have them you wouldn’t want to be without them,” says Bethany. “A lot of our products solve problems where people hadn’t even thought there might be a solution.”

Its buyers go to trade shows around the world to seek out the latest inventions and creations before putting them through a rigorous selection and testing process to ensure they meet Lakeland’s standards, and every item comes with a three-year guarantee.

The company also develops its own products from scratch typically working with partners to produce something that meets a need or helps to overcome a challenge. For example, it has worked with the charity Helping Hands to design a tin opener and a garlic press for people with arthritic hands.

An early 'Freezeeasy' pack Bethany explains: “Once someone presents a problem that people struggle with we will look at how we can make it work. We work with suppliers if they have an idea for something that could really make a difference.

“We have a reputation for innovation, and people, including customers, can come to us with their ideas. They might not have the funding or the know-how, but if we think it’s a good idea then we may be able to bring it to life.”

The new Lakeland Gas Pizza Oven One of the latest launches is Lakeland’s first ever pizza oven which was five years in development and is already a Which? best buy. “We have done well with other pizza ovens, but we wanted our own at a good price point,” says Bethany. “We always want to being the most interesting products to market but also to be affordable. It’s compact, the legs fold away and it’s scratch proof and durable, all at a very competitive, affordable price – and it makes amazing pizza.”

Another homegrown range is Summer Meadow picnicware, its pattern designed in-house by Elaine Hawes, which launched last year. This summer has seen the introduction of a white textured range and another collection in a mountain-scape pattern that is made from recycled bottles.

Online customers can choose from home delivery or click and collect, which works well for shoppers visiting the Lakes on holiday. The Windermere store welcomes coachloads of shoppers on weekends who can buy less conventional souvenirs of Lakeland.

The in-store demonstration kitchen provides opportunities for customers to try out products and see them put through their paces by staff and guest chefs. On occasions it teams up with local makers to demonstrate products with recipes using ingredients such as Grasmere Gingerbread and the Hawkshead Relish range.

The company also responds to customer feedback for discontinued items to return. Bethany adds: “If something is in demand, we will bring it back even if it’s online only. Our priority is to make sure our customers are happy.”

THE LAKELAND PRODUCTS WE CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT

Dry:Soon Heated Airer Dry:Soon Heated Airer – launched in 2007, Lakeland was the first to come up with the concept and the product has been a staple of the range ever since. It is now available in various sizes and despite others appearing on the market, Lakeland’s testers say theirs remains superior.

Lakeland Slimline Air Fryer 8L – Lakeland was ahead of the game with its first air fryer, Tefal Actifry, which was so popular when it was first introduced that its supplier was unable to supply to anyone else making it a Lakeland exclusive for over a year. Now it has its own range in various sizes, including the Dual Basket, but the Slimline is perfect for small kitchens and students.

Lakeland Gas Pizza Oven – this gas-powered oven reaches up to 500°C in just 15 minutes to cook your homemade 12” pizzas. It comes with a host of utensils and accoutrements for all self-respecting pizza makers.

Sticky Stuff Remover – every home should have a bottle of the wonder liquid that can remove any leftover sticky label or gunk.

SodaStream Art Sparkling Water Maker – a legacy product from the 1970s, Lakeland has been the place to buy your sparkling drinks maker and pick up your flavourings. It has come into own more recently as a way to cut down on single-use plastic bottles.

Hob Heaven Daily Cleaning Spray for Ceramic and Induction Hobs – specially formulated for a streak-free shine and with lemon fresh fragrance it’s little wonder this is such a popular purchase.

Lakeland Zip-Seal Storage Bags 24 pack– where it all began, Lakeland’s heavy gauge, reusable and guaranteed food bags are as popular as ever. Write-on strips help with labelling too.

Oxo Good Grips – from an ice cream scoop to a lemon zester, pizza wheel to vegetable peeler, the brand’s quality products consistently achieve five star ratings.

AND THE ONES YOU NEVER KNEW EXISTED

Kikkerland Leaf Cleaning Tongs – not for lettuce but your house plants, the microfibre pads gently remove dust from leaves.

ShowerShroom Stealth Drain Hair Catcher – suitable for most sinks, showers and bathtubs, it catches “all kinds of hair” for clog-free drains, eugh!

Dreamfarm Icepo Ice Cream Scoop Dreamfarm Icepo Ice Cream Scoop – this is the gadget you need if you want to recreate those ice cream sandwiches from childhood, delivering a perfect, half-cup roundel of ice cream to pop between cookies.

Limey XS Horizontal Tap Head Cleaner – life may be too short, but if you are thinking of cleaning your tap heads, invest in this limescale remover.

Joseph Joseph Orderly™ Narrow Clothes Rail Spacers – clip these over the top of your hanging rail to separate your clothes to keep them neat and reduce creases, as long as you’ve got a big wardrobe. They come in Wide too, for which you’ll need an even bigger wardrobe.

Kikkerland Bottle Scrubbies – ideal if you’re concerned about getting reusable plastic bottles squeaky and hygienically clean. Pop the ceramic balls into the bottle, add soap and water and shake.

Kikkerland Sock Monkey Kikkerland Sock Monkey – any worries about socks getting split up from their partner are history with these little characters who hold a sock under each arm ready for the washer and tumble dryer, emerging with their pair intact.