Our history

Celebrating more than 60 years of Lakeland

In the school holidays over 50 years ago, three brothers in need of pocket money started helping their dad, Alan Rayner, count polythene bags into packs of 100... Those lads - Martin, Sam and Julian Rayner - didn't have the faintest idea where it would lead them, but by sticking to their father's philosophy of 'always look after the customer and the business will look after itself', Lakeland has blossomed into what it is today - one of the UK's leading homeware companies.

Read on to see how Lakeland has grown over the last six decades to become the brand you know and love today.

1960s - Innovators from the start

Alan Rayner packed and prepared chickens to sell at Kendal market in plastic bags. Once they started to sell better than other smallholders' chickens, word began to spread about Alan's bags. As demand took off, Lakeland was born in 1964.

1970s - The big freeze

Alan retired in '74, leaving Martin, Sam and Julian (who was still at school!) to take over the family business. Home freezing was the 'in thing' and Lakeland was leading the way.

1980s - Mail order pioneers

From mailing 6-page leaflets, we went to full colour catalogues... a big step that got our range under more of our customers' noses.

1990s - Boxing clever

We were running out of space to pack parcels in Windermere so we invested in a new distribution centre in Kendal - the base for replenishing the shelves in our mail order despatch department, and in our growing number of stores nationwide.

2010s - Bigger and better

This decade saw a natural shift towards internet shopping, with more people choosing to order via our website. And in 2019 we launched our myLakeland membership club. Since then, the club has grown at a rate that we couldn't have predicted (but are thrilled with!).

2020s - Big birthdays and a bright future

2024 saw us celebrate a huge milestone - our 60th anniversary! 60 years of Lakeland means six decades of innovative, life-changing products and clever kitchenware that continue to make your life that little bit easier.

The future and beyond...

Still based out of our HQ in the heart of the Lake District, our mission is simple: to provide innovative, high-quality homeware and world-class customer service you can always count on.