{"id":367911,"date":"2026-03-31T17:33:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T17:33:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/367911\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T17:33:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T17:33:08","slug":"centuries-old-pottery-firm-denby-set-to-call-in-administrators-manufacturing-sector","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/367911\/","title":{"rendered":"Centuries-old pottery firm Denby set to call in administrators | Manufacturing sector"},"content":{"rendered":"

Denby has called in administrators, putting the 217-year-old Derbyshire<\/a> pottery at risk of closure with the loss of almost 600 jobs.<\/p>\n

The company, which was rescued from administration in 2009 by the restructuring experts Hilco and also owns the Burleigh brand, produced by Burgess and Leigh based in Stoke-on-Trent, is understood to have struggled with the surging cost of gas, higher labour costs, tighter financial markets and softening consumer demand for its premium homeware.Earlier this month, Sebastian Lazell, the chief executive of Denby, told BBC News he was \u201ctrying to move heaven and earth\u201d to save the business<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A #SaveDenby campaign was launched in an attempt to encourage people to buy more products and to lobby the government to provide support.<\/p>\n

Denby Group said on Tuesday that \u201cthe outpouring of support\u201d in response to the campaign had been \u201coverwhelming and deeply moving\u201d but it had been unable to secure \u201cstrategic investment partners\u201d to help the business continue.<\/p>\n

The company appointed administrators from FRP on Tuesday but is expected to continue to trade while a buyer is sought. Denby\u2019s international subsidiaries in Korea, the US and China are not currently in administration and will continue to operate as normal for now.<\/p>\n

Tony Wright, joint administrator of the Denby Group and partner at FRP, said: \u201cDenby is one of Britain\u2019s most beloved and enduring pottery brands, with a heritage spanning more than two centuries and a loyal following across the UK and internationally.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile it is disappointing that the group has been unable to secure the investment needed to continue as a going concern, the strength and recognition of these brands is undeniable. We are focused on progressing the sale process and we would encourage any interested parties to come forward without delay.\u201d<\/p>\n

Manufacturers and lobby groups have said that surging energy costs caused by the US-Israel war on Iran are compounding already tough conditions for Britain\u2019s factories<\/a>, and are likely to mean deep cuts and closures.<\/p>\n

Denby\u2019s most recent accounts, from 2024, show sales fell 17% to \u00a318.6m while pre-tax profits slumped to \u00a386,000 from \u00a3460,000 a year amid \u201cthe multitude of geo-political and inflationary economic impacts\u201d.<\/p>\n

Craig Thomson, an organiser for the GMB union, which represents pottery workers, said: \u201cThis is the human cost of government inaction: communities let down and workers laid off by companies that can\u2019t keep up with the cost of energy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a very real sense of fury amongst the Denby workers receiving this news today. We\u2019ve been screaming and shouting about the impact the cost of industrial energy is having on the ceramics industry for years. Now the time for warm words is over, and ministers must decide if they want a British ceramics industry or not.<\/p>\n

\u201cDenby is a British icon with history dating back over 200 years. We\u2019ve been working closely with the local MP and residents to make the case that its future is too important to be left to chance.<\/p>\n

\u201cGMB is focused on doing everything we can to support and protect these workers during this difficult time\u201d.<\/p>\n

A worker applies a fountain rinse to a Denby teapot. Photograph: David Levene\/The Guardian<\/p>\n

The problems at Denby come a year after the Stoke pottery Royal Stafford<\/a> \u2013 which first manufactured products in 1845 and was best known for its production of earthenware \u2013 called in administrators, followed by the neighbouring pottery Moorcroft in May. Stoke\u2019s Wedgwood pottery also said last month that it would be cutting jobs.<\/p>\n

A string of consumer goods companies have also fallen into administration this year owing to lacklustre consumer spending and rising costs.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, administrators for the jewellery chain Claire\u2019s<\/a>, who were appointed in January, said they had closed 15 of its 154 stores and cut more than 100 jobs, including at its head office, as they continued to try to find a buyer.<\/p>\n

In a report, they said they did not expect to pay out to unsecured creditors, including suppliers, landlords and staff, who are collectively owed \u00a310.6m.They added it was likely that the private equity firm Modella, which has secured debts of \u00a35.5m, would receive at least some cash.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Denby has called in administrators, putting the 217-year-old Derbyshire pottery at risk of closure with the loss of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":367912,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[114,85,46],"class_list":{"0":"post-367911","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-il","10":"tag-israel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367911","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=367911"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367911\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/367912"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=367911"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=367911"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=367911"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}