Olympic sell-out! 91% of London 2012 souvenirs made abroad with two thirds coming from China

By LOUISE ECCLES

These 'Wenlock' stuffed toys are among the items on sale to mark the London 2012 Games

In patriotic red, white and blue, these souvenirs are meant to showcase the best of British workmanship to mark the London Olympic Games.
Unfortunately, a mere 9 per cent of the collection is actually made here.
Almost all of the Union Jack-emblazoned tea cups, tea towels, crystalware and fluffy toys on sale to commemorate the Games were produced by workers on the other side of the world.

Where merchandise is produced

Even famous names such as Wedgwood and Royal Doulton have used overseas factories to produce their mementoes of the Games.
Olympics organisers expect to rake in £1billion in revenue and £86million profit from 2012 souvenirs.
But despite their claim that the Games would benefit British business, thousands of jobs and millions of pounds worth of lucrative contracts have gone abroad.

Read the small print: The origin of the souvenir is revealed

An investigation by the Mail found that just 9 per cent of the 194 products available on the London 2012 website were made in Britain. The rest, according to the small print, come from a variety of foreign countries.
China made 62 per cent of the merchandise, Turkey 9 per cent and the Philippines 4 per cent.
Countries such as India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Pakistan, Poland, Slovakia and Germany made the rest, including T-shirts, bags, hats, toys and games.
Firms synonymous with Britain such as Royal Doulton, Wedgwood, Johnson Brothers and Dartington Crystal, were all asked to 'fly the flag' and create a range of Olympic-themed tableware.

source: dailymail