British businesses see expanding opportunities in China's consumer market

BEIJING , Aug. 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A report from People's Daily: When British engineer Andrew Ritchie developed the first Brompton folding bicycle in 1975, he probably never imagined that China would one day become the brand's largest market worldwide, accounting for around 30 percent of its global sales in fiscal year 2025–2026. "China's steadily upgrading consumer demand and increasingly mature market have created broader opportunities for British businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to export distinctive products at scale," said Sebastian Wood, chair of the China-Britain Business Council (CBBC). By 2026, Brompton had established 23 directly operated stores and more than 60 authorized dealers in 37 Chinese cities, building a comprehensive offline retail network covering major first- and second-tier cities. According to Wood, the growth of the bicycle brand is a vivid example of the complementary and mutually beneficial economic and trade relationship between China and the UK, while also illustrating the enormous potential of China's vast consumer market. In 2025, bilateral trade in goods between China and the UK reached $103.7 billion. As China u