Draper Tools Ltd is a British

distributor A distributor is an enclosed rotating switch used in spark-ignition internal combustion engines that have mechanically timed ignition. The distributor's main function is to route high voltage current from the ignition coil to the spark plug ...

of tools for professional and

consumer A consumer is a person or a group who intends to order, or uses purchased goods, products, or services primarily for personal, social, family, household and similar needs, who is not directly related to entrepreneurial or business activities. ...

use, based at a 50,000m² (535,000 sq. ft.) site in

Chandler's Ford Chandler's Ford (originally The Ford and historically Chandlersford) is a largely residential area and civil parish in the Borough of Eastleigh in Hampshire, England. It has a population of 21,436 in the 2011 UK Census. Chandler's Ford lies on ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

History

Draper Tools started in 1919, when Bert Draper ran a business of trading government surplus and tools in

Kingston upon Thames Kingston upon Thames (hyphenated until 1965, colloquially known as Kingston) is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, England. It is situated on the River Thames and southwest of Charing Cross. It is notable ...

. The company was called ''B. Draper & Son Limited'', and operated as a wholesaler for brands such as King Dick, as well as its own ''B.D.S.'' brand. The company moved to the Chandler's Ford site in 1963, under the management of Bert's son, Norman Draper. The company formed international partnerships with manufacturers such as

Elora Werkzeugfabrik GmbH Elora may refer to: * Elora, Ontario, a community in Ontario, Canada * Elora, Tennessee, an unincorporated community in Lincoln County, Tennessee, United States * Elora the Faun, a character in the ''Spyro the Dragon'' series video games * Elora Dan ...

and

Knipex Knipex (, mirroring German ) is a German manufacturer of pliers, pliers wrenches, and other tools, distributed for global sales. Its tools are principally for professional use in various trades, but they are also increasingly popular for DIY an ...

. Since Norman's death in 1994, the company has been run by his son, John Draper. In 2009, the company opened a new 350,000 sq ft industrial unit warehouse facility in

North Baddesley North Baddesley is a large village and civil parish in Hampshire, England. It is situated east of the town of Romsey and north of Southampton. It occupies an area of approximately , and is home to a population of just over 10,000 people, reduci ...

Hampshire.

Sponsorship

The company was a sponsor of

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

football club between 1984 and 1993. The company has also been a perimeter board advertiser and sponsor of Southampton's big screen LCD football

scoreboard A scoreboard is a large board for publicly displaying the score in a game. Most levels of sport from high school and above use at least one scoreboard for keeping score, measuring time, and displaying statistics. Scoreboards in the past used ...

. Draper sponsored

Solent Stars The Solent Stars were a basketball club from Southampton, who were one of the founder members of the British Basketball League, where they competed from 1987 to 1990. For the rest of their existence, the club competed in the English Basketball ...

basketball team between 1986 and 1987.

References

{{reflist Tool manufacturing companies of the United Kingdom Manufacturing companies established in 1919 British brands Companies based in Hampshire 1919 establishments in the United Kingdom Power tool manufacturers