Phil and Debi Fellone

Phil’s career in sales started in the early 80’s working for a couple of soft drinks companies including Britvic soft drinks. In 1988 he followed his passion for sport and joined Adidas UK and after 9 years he moved to Diadora UK where he became Sales Director. (This is where he met Debi) In 1999 as part of a VC take over, he joined Umbro UK as Sales Director and in 2003 became Managing Director and held this position for 7 years. In 2004 Umbro successfully floated on the London Stock Exchange and in 2008 were acquired by Nike.

Debi’s background was fashion design and after graduating she started her professional career as a designer working with many of the then top high street brands such as Miss Selfridge, Top Shop and Disney to name a few. She then moved into Sports Fashion, joining Italian sports brand Diadora and in 1999 as part of the same venture capitalist take over moved to Umbro International as Global Product Director.

So, from the dizzy heights of working with multibillion-pound global brands to building a business in ‘Bury’. After the birth of their first child, Debi decided it was time to put the globetrotting on hold and focus on building something closer to home. In 2006, Debi founded thebestofbury, helping local businesses raise their profile and connect with their community.

Phil joined the business in 2011, and in 2014 they launched their second venture, Made in Bury Limited.
What started as a decision to swap international travel for their hometown has grown into a shared passion for championing Bury, its businesses and the people who make the town what it is.

After selling thebestofbury in 2022 Debi and Phil are now 100% focused on Made in Bury, which is all about ‘Helping tomorrow’s businesses today’