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John Lewis Marks & Spencer Amazon

British brands beat foreign rivals to be named nations favourites

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By John Glenday, Reporter

November 7, 2013 | 2 min read

Homegrown brands such as John Lewis, QVC, First Direct, Virgin Atlantic, Marks & Spencer, Lush and Ocado have topped a poll of Britain’s favourites in a new survey – taking nine of the top ten spots between them.

The British success came at the expense of international giants such as Amazon, which dropped to fourth spot amidst controversy over its tax avoidance strategies, and the likes of Apple and Google which dropped out of the top 10 altogether.

John Lewis was named the overall winner for the year with respondents praising the firm’s brand integrity and ownership structure which sees all staff own a stake in the firm.

One surprise entry was the holiday park firm Butlins which rose from a lowly 165th spot to claim 14th position amidst a brand refresh which aims to reposition the leisure firm as an upmarket rival to Center Parcs.

David Conway, analyst at Nunwood who carried out the study of consumer sentiment said: “The idea that in difficult times there is a flight to trust is something that is seen more widely in our study. There is a sense of people sticking with British in times of difficulty.

“The brands that have done particularly well have focused on delivering a really good experience and have a strong British heritage. Unquestionably, there is a bit of an aura around John Lewis. The fact that it is owned by its employees has given it a halo effect.

“Customers have a feeling that the staff try that bit harder and make an extra effort, so they view it as a brand that they can trust.”

Britain’s Top Brands 2013

1. John lewis

2. QVC

3. First Direct

4. Amazon

5. Virgin Atlantic

6. M&S Food

7. Lush

8. Ocado

9. M&S non-food

10. Waitrose

John Lewis Marks & Spencer Amazon

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