“The country at that time (of setting up Bluebird, 1979) was entering a recession and I had a strong desire that all our products should be made in Britain.”[1]
“Other key moments were actually moving from Kembrey [street, Swindon] to the next site, also in Swindon but on the other side of Swindon, a much bigger site, the old Plessey factory. When Plessey had stopped making record decks in the UK and moved to Brazil, suddenly there was a huge great factory and that was where we went.”[2]
“… in ’89 I was instrumental in finding the new manufacturing facility because, once again, we’d outgrown out space in Swindon and we took on a factory in Merthyr Tydfil, the old Hoover factory…, which had been built and actually it equally had a moment of glory because it had made Sinclair’s C5 scooter just before we moved in as well. So, that was, great, I mean that really did put the company on the map.”[3]
“In the
early days we were proud to put a Union Jack on every Bluebird package with the
inscription “All our toys are made in Great Britain”. But after a few years it
became clear that we would have to start making toys in China to remain
competitive.”[4]
[1] Torquil Norman, p57 “Light the Fires, Kick the Tyres: One man’s vision for Britain’s future and how we can make it work” published by Infinite Ideas, 2010: UK
[2] British Toy Making Project: Gareth Morris, Finance Director and Company Secretary Bluebird Toys, interview transcript, p5-6 interview conducted by Ieuan Hopkins and Sarah Wood, September 2010, edited by Gareth Morris and Sarah Wood, August 2013
[3] Ibid p6
[4] Torquil Norman, p59 “Light the Fires, Kick the Tyres: One man’s vision for Britain’s future and how we can make it work” published by Infinite Ideas, 2010: UK