Muttons

Context: Muttons Country Store had built a strong reputation as a trusted supplier for rural, agricultural and outdoor life, with a range spanning fencing, equestrian supplies, gardening, farming essentials and country living. Yet customers did not live within these categories. The same person might be repairing a paddock, tending a garden, walking the dog and improving a family home. Brendan and Sophie saw an opportunity to move beyond being a respected country retailer and become a destination brand with a broader role in customers’ outdoor lives.

The requirement: Muttons needed a proposition that could support growth, broaden appeal and create deeper customer connection without losing the authenticity that had made the business successful. This was not simply a request for a campaign line. The brand needed a strategic narrative able to unite its diverse offer, differentiate it from transactional online retailers and guide future marketing, content and customer experience. Above all, it needed to show that Muttons understood the people behind the purchases and could act as a helpful, human guide.

The outputs: Glued carried out a proposition development exercise to uncover what made the Muttons brand distinctive and meaningful. The work revealed a central insight: the countryside is not one thing. Customers move naturally between interests, hobbies, projects and passions, so the brand should not define them by a single activity or product group. Behind every purchase is a person with something they are trying to build, grow, fix, explore or enjoy.

This thinking shaped a strategic narrative based on human understanding, curiosity and community. A roll of wire, a wheelbarrow or a gate was reframed as part of somebody’s wider story, not simply an item in a basket. In a retail environment shaped by automation and price comparison, Muttons could stand apart by caring about what customers were trying to achieve. The proposition also recognised that curiosity connects outdoor interests, allowing Muttons to support people as they discover new activities.

The work culminated in a clear brand framework. The market position became the John Lewis of the outdoors. The values were helpful, curious, human, community-minded and authentic. The valuable difference was defined as seeing people, not transactions. The core proposition became helping people enjoy more of the life they love outdoors.

The results: The proposition gives Muttons a strategic platform for future growth and brand development. Rather than being defined by product categories, the business now has a unifying story built around the people it serves. This creates opportunities for richer storytelling, stronger engagement, more relevant content and a more distinctive market position. Most importantly, Muttons now has a framework for evolving from a country store into a trusted outdoor lifestyle brand.