Martha Brook

What Martha Brook does

Martha Brook Ltd is a UK-based direct-to-consumer e-commerce company that designs, manufactures and ships handmade personalised stationery — diaries, life and wedding planners, notebooks, journals, photo albums, calendars, guest books, and desk accessories — to consumers primarily in the UK, Europe, the US and the rest of the world. Founded in 2013 by Martha Keith and headquartered in Verwood, Dorset (with a Dorset manufacturing studio), the company operates a single-brand website at marthabrook.com and serves both individual gift buyers and a smaller wholesale/corporate channel for branded merchandise.

The core technical asset is an in-house personalisation engine that lets customers configure text, names, initials, quotes and dates on product covers and inside pages, with multiple foil colour options (gold, silver, rose gold) and cover variants including a vegan leather range. Products are priced from £4.95 to £115.00 (premium advent calendar), with typical sale discounts of 20% and free UK delivery above £40. The go-to-market is product-led and heavily dependent on organic social media (Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, Facebook, LinkedIn, X), user-generated content, press coverage ('As Seen in The Press' collection), the Women's Prize literary partnership, and a 10%-off email signup incentive.

Revenue is generated through one-time direct product sales to a diversified base of individual consumers — personal use, gifting by recipient and occasion, weddings, book lovers, students and educators — supplemented by wholesale and corporate-branded orders. The company is founder-owned, with no parent, no disclosed institutional investment, and a single crowdfunding round on Crowdcube in July 2020 of approximately $273,755. Headcount sits in the 11-50 range, consistent with a small established DTC brand that has compounded organically since founding.

Name

Martha Brook

Legal name

Martha Brook Ltd

Website

https://marthabrook.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Martha Brook is a UK-based direct-to-consumer e-commerce brand that designs, handcrafts and ships personalised diaries, planners, notebooks, journals and photo albums to individual consumers and gift buyers worldwide, with a secondary wholesale and corporate-branded channel.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Personalised Stationery & Paper Goods

NAICS

Office Supplies, Stationery, and Gift Retailers (4594), Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Retailers (459420)

SIC

Pens, Pencils & Other Artists' Materials (3950)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYCRALACAD

Scrapbooking & Paper Crafts Retail

Consumer Products & Retail/Specialty Retail (Hobby, Books, Office, Pet, Toys)/Arts, Crafts & Hobby Supplies Retail

Keywords

• Personalised stationery
• Custom planners
• Bespoke notebooks
• Vegan leather journals
• Corporate gifting

Headquarters

HQ city

Brentford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Direct Product Sales: One-time purchase model for personalised stationery products including diaries, planners, notebooks, journals, photo albums, desk accessories, and gift sets. Products are handmade in the UK and shipped worldwide.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Martha Brook designs, handcrafts, and sells personalised paper goods — including diaries, life and wedding planners, notebooks, journals, photo albums, and stationery accessories — directly to consumers through its own e-commerce site. Every product can be customised with names, initials, quotes, dates, cover colours, and foil finishes (gold, silver, rose gold), with vegan leather alternatives available. Products are handmade in the UK and shipped worldwide, with a complementary wholesale/corporate gifting channel for branded bulk orders.

Product overview

Martha Brook is a UK-based personalised stationery company operating as a single-brand e-commerce platform. The core product portfolio centres on personalised diaries, planners, notebooks, journals, photo albums, and stationery accessories—all customisable through embossing, foiling, and name personalisation. Key product lines include the award-winning Life Planners, Wedding Planners and Organisers, Bestselling Book Journal (viral on TikTok), Vegan Leather Collection, and the seasonal 24 Days of Stationery Advent Calendar. Supporting offerings include desk accessories (pen pots, desk pads, mugs), personalised cards and notecards, gift sets and hampers, and corporate/retail wholesale programmes. Products are handmade in the UK with a focus on vegan leather alternatives and sustainable materials, shipped internationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Personalised Life Planners Customisable personal organisers with weekly planning spreads, inspirational quotes, and reflection sections, available in multiple designs such as Make It Happen, Dream Plan Do, It's All Good, Turn Wishes Into Plans, and Believe You Can. Designed for individuals seeking holistic life organisation on paper.
• Personalised Wedding Planners and Organisers Beautifully designed wedding planning books for couples organising their own weddings or as gifts for newly engaged couples; covers everything from engagement to the big day and is intended as a treasured keepsake.
• Personalised Book Journal Journal designed for book lovers to track reading, with sections for recording books read, ratings, and notes.
• Hardback Notebooks Hand-crafted personalised notebooks with hardback covers in various designs including Woodland, Cherry, Luxury Photo, Any Text Customised, Ocean Plastic, Bullet Journal, Compass Luxe, Daily Mantra, and Believe You Can Luxe.
• Softback Notebooks Lightweight, portable notebooks in various colours with gold, silver, or rose gold foiling options, including teacher gift and birthday notebooks, plus leather-effect refillable options.
• Personalised A5 Vegan Leather Embossed Notebook Bestselling A5 notebook made from soft faux leather, embossed with initials, part of the popular Vegan Leather Collection.
• Personalised Refined 2026-2027 Mid-Year Diary Hardback mid-year diary with a timeless design, covering July 2026 to July 2027. Available with weekly or daily spreads, multiple cover colours, and gold or silver foil printing; wire-bound for easy page turning.
• Personalised Photo Albums Customisable photo albums in various colours with foil-printed names or initials, including Luxury Linen, Wedding Photo, Couple's Story, Always Wedding, Memories, and Kew Photo Album variants.
• Personalised Journals Handmade journals for capturing thoughts, planning weeks, or marking milestones, including Baby Journal, Couple's Journal, Christmas Planner, Recipe Journal, Five Year Diary, Gratitude Journal, and Travel Journal.
• 24 Days of Stationery Advent Calendar Premium annual advent calendar containing 24 days of personalised stationery items, designed and handmade in the UK. Sold out of pre-orders in May each year.
• Gifts for Book Lovers Curated collection of personalised gifts for book enthusiasts, including the Book Journal Gift Set, Embossed Vegan Leather Bookmark, and Hidden Messages Couple's Bookmark.
• Vegan Leather Collection Best-selling collection of stationery made from soft faux leather that looks and feels like real leather, including notebooks, diaries, pouches, pencil cases, passport holders, and gift sets. All handmade in the UK.
• The Scallop Collection Curated collection of scallop-shaped stationery pieces including pouches, pen pots, passport holders, and notecards, hand-crafted with detailed designs.
• Personalised Stationery Accessories Accessories including Gold Ballpoint Pen, Hexagonal Gold Pen, Brass Bookmark, Assorted Sticky Tabs, Pen Holders, and Custom Branded Pen options for corporate gifting.
• Gift Cards Digital gift cards available in various denominations for gifting purposes.
• Branded Corporate Notebooks Corporate branding service offering custom-branded pens and notebooks for business gifting, events, and promotional purposes.
• Wholesale Stationery Wholesale programme for retailers and businesses to purchase Martha Brook products in bulk for resale.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,279 verified customer reviews with 4.85 star average rating

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sugar Paper: US personalised stationery and greeting card brand offering custom invitations, announcements, diaries and gifts with a similar aesthetic-led, predominantly female customer base. Comparable product depth and personalisation model.
• Papier: UK-founded DTC personalised stationery brand offering customisable diaries, notebooks, cards and wedding stationery. Closest direct competitor to Martha Brook on product range, target customer (women gifting/self-organisation), and premium positioning.
• Rifle Paper Co. Premium US-based lifestyle stationery and paper goods brand known for floral illustrated diaries, planners, journals and personalised prints. Highly comparable on aesthetic-led, women-focused personalised paper products sold DTC and through wholesale.
• Moo: Online printing and personalised stationery company offering business cards, notebooks, postcards and custom print products to consumers and SMBs. Comparable on web-based personalisation configurator, premium pricing, and small-business/wholesale channel.

Emerging players

• Ban.do: Lifestyle and stationery brand selling personalised planners, notebooks and gifts targeted primarily at women and teens. Comparable on customer demographic, social-media-driven brand building and personalised diary/planner SKUs.
• Artifact (formerly Artifact Uprising): US-based premium personalised photo books, albums and stationery brand. Overlaps with Martha Brook's photo album and personalised keepsake category, with a similar premium-positioned, gift-occasion DTC model.

Others

• Papier Touch (by Papier): Corporate custom-branded stationery division of Papier. Directly relevant as a comparable corporate gifting and branded merchandise channel that Martha Brook is also pursuing via its wholesale programme.
• Etsy: Global marketplace for handmade and personalised goods including stationery, journals and wedding paper. Functions as a competitive channel and discovery surface for the same personalised stationery shopper Martha Brook targets.

Broad incumbents

• Crane & Co. Heritage American stationery and paper brand producing engraved wedding invitations, personalised stationery, fine paper and lifestyle products. Comparable in wedding-stationery, personalised cards and premium paper offerings.
• Smythson of Bond Street: Iconic luxury British stationery and leather goods maison, producing diaries, notebooks, address books and Panama leather accessories. Sits above Martha Brook on price tier but addresses the same gifting and self-organisation use cases for affluent customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MarthaBrookLDN
• Facebookfacebook.com/marthabrookldn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/marthabrookldn
• Instagraminstagram.com/marthabrookldn
• Pinterestpinterest.co.uk/marthabrookldn/_shop
• TikToktiktok.com/@marthabrookldn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Martha Brook