Latest news with #MooreRecovery
BBC News
13-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Interest expressed in collapsed Stoke-on-Trent pottery firm
"Various interested parties" have come forward after a pottery firm collapsed last month, its liquidator has Pottery in Stoke-on-Trent ceased trading on 30 April and announced it was entering liquidation, with its 57 employees all made Recovery was appointed by the firm to handle the process and director Laura Pickering said Moorcroft would officially enter liquidation on 27 told BBC Radio Stoke an agent had put the company's assets up for sale, which included its name, online presence, factory and remaining retail stock. "We're in touch with various interested parties who have come forward since the sad news reached the press and the local community," she said."We've got various people who are interested in potentially looking to take Moorcroft forward but at the moment, we don't have any deal agreed - we can't agree a deal until the company is in liquidation." 'Difficult industry' Despite the expressions of interest, Ms Pickering said nobody has committed to purchasing the business as a said the pottery sector was a "difficult industry" at the moment and getting someone to take on a sizeable firm was a "difficult sell".Moorcroft, which had been trading for more than 100 years, was the third ceramics company to collapse since the start of the year, following Royal Stafford and Heraldic sparked further concerns about the future of the industry in the face of rising energy prices and falling sales. MPs, unions and workers have been calling on the government to support the sector, with meetings held with Williams, Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent North, recently called on the government to "act now" to save the industry."What we can't have is any more of our pot banks going, it's part of what makes us a city. It's in our DNA," he said. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pottery firm goes bust after more than 100 years
The directors of Moorcroft Pottery have announced that the firm has stopped trading after more than 100 years. In a post on social media on Wednesday, bosses at the Stoke-on-Trent firm, based in Burslem, said they have told insolvency business Moore Recovery to help with voluntarily liquidating the company. They said Moore would contact creditors in due course but did not give an explanation for the firm's closure. Moorcroft had warned in March of possible redundancies and at the time cited rising costs and falling sales. The firm traces its roots back to 1897 and has been based at its current site in Sandbach Road since 1913. According to its website, the firm's founder William Moorcroft was able to produce pottery from its current site thanks to the support of London department store Liberty. After winning a number of prestigious international awards, Moorcroft was appointed as Potter to HM The Queen in 1928. The firm's royal patronage continued when the late Queen Elizabeth II added Moorcroft designs into the Royal Collection. The brand was also popular with US presidents and British prime ministers, according to the firm. The news of Moorcroft's collapse is the latest blow to the pottery industry in Stoke-on-Trent. In February, Royal Stafford, also based in Burslem, called in administrators. The firm's collapse followed the closure of Dudson in 2019, Wade in Longton two years ago and Johnsons Tiles in 2024. City council leader Jane Ashworth said Moorcroft had been a major part of Stoke-on-Trent's heritage in ceramics. "Our teams have been working closely and intensively with Moorcroft to try to find a solution but unfortunately this has not been possible," she said. "The fact is global and national headwinds - including high energy prices and a rash of cheap, illegal forgeries from overseas - have made life very difficult for manufacturers. "We have lobbied - and will continue to lobby - the government to provide specific support for this vital and valuable sector." She added the authority would provide support for affected employees to help them find new jobs. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. 'How many more blows can the pottery industry take?' Staff 'devastated' at pottery firm's collapse Tile factory set to close with 105 jobs at risk Pottery firm warns of redundancies Moorcroft
