London 2012: Olympics Souvenirs Made Abroad
 

More than 90% of merchandise being sold on the official website for London 2012 is being made outside the UK,

Of the 446 items for sale on the site, 67% are made in China, 18% made in Turkey, while only 8% bear the hallmark "Made in the UK".
China not only manufactures the largest number of products, but the most popular ones - including the symbolic Olympic and Paralympic mascots, Wenlock and Mandeville.

Olympics organisers are expecting to raise £1bn from the sale of 2012 merchandise.
They are keen to stress that, while most of the souvenirs are made abroad, the majority of licensees are British.

"If you go through each of the licensees they're virtually all UK companies," said Paul Deighton, chief executive of the London Organising Committee


"There are one or two who source their manufacturing from overseas, but that's really only in the case when there's no manufacturing left for that kind of product in the UK."
One Birmingham-based company, however, feels its specialist product could have been made at home


http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-...Orla_Chennaoui

Re: London 2012: Olympics Souvenirs Made Abroad
 

No offence but who really gives a toss? We would not expect tatty souvenirs to be manufactured in the UK anyway.

Re: London 2012: Olympics Souvenirs Made Abroad
 

Manufacturing in the UK is sadly a thing of the past due to a price driven market. People wouldn't pay the retail price of product that was made in the UK. If we got rid of the minimum wage that could change....

Re: London 2012: Olympics Souvenirs Made Abroad
 

Even if local firms wanted to promote the games they would struggle to with these restrictions:


All of the official names, phrases, trade marks, logos and designs related to the 2012 Games and the Olympic and Paralympic Movements (collectively referred to as the 'Games' Marks') are protected by law in a variety of ways.

The following are some of the current items that make up the Games' Marks:
- The Olympic symbol
- The Paralympic symbol
- The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic emblems
- The London 2012 mascots
- The word 'London 2012'
- The words 'Olympic', 'Olympiad', 'Olympian' (and their plurals and words very similar to them – eg 'Olympix'
- The words 'Paralympic', 'Paralympiad', 'Paralympian' and their plurals and words very similar to them – eg 'Paralympix'
- The Olympic motto: 'Citius Altius Fortius' / 'Faster Higher Stronger'
- The Paralympic motto: 'Spirit in Motion'
- The Team GB logo
- The ParalympicsGB logo
- The British Olympic Association logo
- The British Paralympic Association logo
- london2012.com (and various derivatives)
- The London 2012 sports pictograms


I think you need to change the title of the thread to the London Games the year after next, because London 2012 and Olympics are not allowed!! :lol:

I have been informed that the words Team GB are fine though - I'm off to make some t-shirts!!

http://www.london2012.com/about-us/o...-questions.php

Re: London 2012: Olympics Souvenirs Made Abroad
 

Seeing as the Chinese will probably take 67% of the medals, seems fair to me.

Re: London 2012: Olympics Souvenirs Made Abroad
 

China makes 80% of everything these days, and has done for about a decade. Like everyone else said. Only Daily Mail readers get excited about rubbish articles like this.

Re: London 2012: Olympics Souvenirs Made Abroad
 

8% is relatively high

would have thought nearly all of it was imported