A Century of Family Tool Trading
Draper Tools was started in 1919 when founder Bert Draper sold government surplus and tools at markets around the Kingston Upon Thames area. The business grew into a quality engineers' merchant and tool wholesaler, selling its own brand alongside famous names of the day such as Britool, King Dick and Elliott Lucas. When Bert passed away in 1963, his son Norman took over, purchased the company's premises in Chandler's Ford, Hampshire, and pushed the business forward dramatically. The company remains family-run today — three generations, from Bert to Norman to his son John.
The Import Model, Straight From the Source
Draper's own company history is explicit about its model: Norman "developed the 'Draper' brand as we know it today, by importing quality tools from all around the World." He also established exclusive family-to-family relationships with European manufacturers such as Elora and Knipex — partnerships that still exist today. This is the classic OEM/wholesale import playbook: the brand owns selection, quality standards and distribution; manufacturing comes from specialist suppliers, many of them overseas. It is how a market-stall business became one of the UK's most recognised tool brands, supplying trade, professional and DIY customers across a vast catalogue.
What Draper Proves About OEM/ODM
Draper's century of growth demonstrates a model that any importer can follow: • Start small, think brand — a market stall became a national brand by curating a range under one trusted name. • Import first, own factories never — sourcing from specialists keeps capital free for range and distribution. • Long-term supplier partnerships — the exclusive relationships with Elora and Knipex outlasted decades. • Family continuity — patient brand building over generations. For a distributor in any country, Draper shows that you do not need a factory to build a tool brand — you need a clear range, trusted quality and consistent supply.
The Takeaway for Your Market
Draper proved the import-and-brand model in the UK over 100 years. The same approach works today in emerging and established markets alike: choose a category, define your quality level, and build a brand on reliable sourcing. AETHEL works with 500+ partner factories across power tools, hand tools and garden tools — send us your requirements and we will reply within 12 hours with product options and a project plan.