Latest news with #RoyalStafford
BBC News
06-08-2025
- Business
- BBC News
'Buzz' at Stoke-on-Trent ceramics store amid industry setbacks
A "buzz" in Stoke-on-Trent was reported as people queued for the opening of a new ceramics shop that has emerged in the wake of a collapsed pottery Green launched the Cornishware store at its Burslem factory on Tuesday, with pottery enthusiasts from across the country, and two from the Netherlands, visiting the company took over the factory in March after the collapse of pottery firm Royal Stafford which led to the loss of 83 was one of three ceramics companies in the city to go bust since the start of the year as the industry cited pressure from rising energy costs and falling sales. Attending the store's opening, customer Jenna Goodwin said the staff appeared to be "over the moon" and it was nice to see the factory open again."It was just such a vibe, such a buzz," she told BBC Radio Stoke. "Everybody is really excited about it."Cornishware collector Katie Godwin, who visited from Leicester, said the new store was helping to keep Stoke-on-Trent's pottery heritage alive."Stoke is renowned for the its pottery," she said. "I think it's a good thing to do." Ceramics enthusiasts Emma and Inga, from the Netherlands, said they were visiting Chester, Cheshire, while on holiday but wanted to attend the opening of the said they enjoyed collecting a variety of pottery, adding: "It's always nice every morning to decide what kind of cups and plates I'm using." 'Going incredibly well' TG Green took on 17 former Royal Stafford workers when it took over the site in March and three more had been recruited since then, according to general manager Paul said business was going "incredibly well", adding: "All in all, we're pleased. The factory shop is a really good and positive add-on to the whole thing."As well as Royal Stafford, Heraldic Pottery in Newstead and Moorcroft in Cobridge also collapsed earlier this year, though the latter has since been purchased by the founder's grandson. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
19-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Staffordshire pottery sector support 'being looked at urgently'
The government is "urgently" looking at how it can support Staffordshire's pottery industry, the energy secretary has Miliband said the sector was facing "particular challenges" due to global events causing an increase in fossil fuel ceramics firms have collapsed in the wake of rising energy costs, including Stoke-on-Trent-based Royal Stafford and Moorcroft, though the latter has since been bought by the grandson of its a visit to Rocester on Thursday, Miliband told the BBC that ministers were seeking to address some of the issues in the upcoming industrial strategy. "It is something we are urgently looking at," he said. "We do understand some of the challenges the ceramics industry is facing."It's a really important industry, really important for this area and we want to do everything we can to help." The Labour minister put the rising international gas prices down to the "rollercoaster" of recent global events and said it was why his "mission for clean power" was so comments came after Industry Minister Sarah Jones spoke of the importance of the ceramics industry and how the government wanted to support the sector."We know they've been struggling with a number of different challenges and we want to see if we can maintain and support as much as we can," she visit came as the government announced it was expanding sits Warm Home Discount to 2.7m more households, including 270,000 in the West Midlands. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
08-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Stoke pottery firm's plea to help industry 'on its knees'
Ahead of the government spending review on Wednesday, pottery bosses are not holding out hope for it to contain support with spiralling energy or employment costs. "Our industry is on its knees," said fifth generation ceramicist Emily Johnson, from one of the oldest traditional Stoke-on-Trent manufacturing families - the Johnson brothers. "There is a lot of hope and opportunity, however, we need help. If our industry fails, where do people work?"The Department for Business and Trade said: "Ministers continue to engage closely with the ceramics sector to understand the challenges and provide support, ensuring the industry is globally competitive as part of our Plan for Change." In 2011, Ms Johnson established 1882 Ltd, one of the youngest ceramics firms in Staffordshire. She said she did not believe ministers would step in: Although the pottery industry has been in decline for decades, 2025 has seen a quick succession of three Stoke-on-Trent manufacturers going bump, citing energy bills as the events included:The February collapse of historic firm Royal Stafford along with the loss of 70 jobs, followed by Heraldic Pottery going into liquidation, and other firms working on reduced hours. Moorcroft's trading end in April. The company stated its energy costs had gone up almost £250,000 over the past two March, in between the events, industry bosses and unions pitched a rescue plan to ministers in "make or break" meetings, including Labour Stoke-on-Trent Central MP Gareth Snell who said help could not come fast Ms Johnson said she believed that while "our local MPs are doing all they can", they were just "getting lip service" from ministerial colleagues."We don't need lip service," she said, "we need help." Without it, she added, the future of factories, and the industry itself, were in jeopardy. The 1882 Ltd firm has a factory within the Wedgwood site in Barlaston, employs 23 potters, and operates ten electric kilns for firing products, as opposed to the traditional gas operator Nathan Platt said that insulating kilns with bricks made them more efficient, however they still used a lot of energy. "The gas kilns, it's a lot of money. Electric, it's a lot of money. But I'd say electric kilns are smaller, easier to fill, easier to empty quicker," he said. With an ageing workforce within the industry, there are fears those with specialised skills will literally die out. Andrew Henshall, a potter for 50 years, and one of only a handful of ceramic modellers left, said he was positive there remained a demand for handmade despite a changing market, he likes an approach that prioritises the potential of the craft."It's not who can make the cheapest mug or who can make the cheapest teapot now," he said. "It's often guided by designers who say they want to create a new range, or create something beautiful." Rob Flello, chief executive of Ceramics UK, said he believed the government was listening, but whether the message cut through to the treasury remained to be seen."All we're asking really is that some of the burdens that are placed on our industry are lifted, so those taxes, those levies - get those lifted off."
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
23-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ceramicists speak of fears for pottery industry
Ceramicists at a market in Staffordshire have spoken of their fears over the increasing pressures businesses are facing in the pottery industry. More than 60 traders attended a Ceramic Makers' Market at the Gladstone Pottery Museum in Stoke-on-Trent on Saturday, the city council said. But business owners said they were worried after a number of pottery firms in the area closed recently, with job losses at Royal Stafford and Portmeiron last month. Ceramic maker Ian Minshull said the pottery industry was "difficult" at times due to factories announcing redundancies. Mr Minshull was made redundant from three separate ceramic firms before he started his own business, Black Star Ceramics, 10 years ago, but he said the industry was facing rising costs and bills. "The pressures that I'm under with my small business is mostly electric, the cost of electric is constantly going up, we're doing everything we can to subsidise that whether it's solar and batteries," he explained. "But it's the increase in the cost of glaze, the materials and we're having to pass that onto the customer." Mr Minshull said customers had been sympathetic and understanding but he was worried about the future of the industry. "Every day we're seeing businesses announcing that there's going to be job losses and that's concerning," he added. "The skills, they take so long to learn, to pass through generations and to just lose them overnight, it's quite scary." Another trader, Sarah Hallam, told the BBC the price of both bisque and glazed fire had increased in the last couple of years. "The industry is struggling to attract younger people because of all the redundancies they've made over the last 20 years, it doesn't look really attractive, " added Nathan Smallman from Sculpta Ceramics. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Throwdown judge hopeful for pottery industry Pottery museum to host ceramics market Ceramics worker says industry 'needs support now' Pottery firm with 200-year history goes bust Gladstone Pottery Museum Stoke-on-Trent City Council
