INTELLIGENCE News
Spode site to get new lease of life
Burleigh survives thanks to Denby
Denby Holdings Limited, the parent company of Denby Pottery has confi rmed its rescue of Burgess, Dorling and Leigh Limited, the manufacturer of Burleigh pottery. Established in 1851, Burleigh has been creating unique handcraft products for nearly 160 years. Every piece of Burleigh is still made in the authentic Victorian pottery at Middleport in Stoke on Trent, using the original machinery and processes. Burleigh is one of the last potteries in the world to use the traditional and timeless skills of underglaze tissue printing which is a 200-year-old English process. Their products are famous around the world for the signature blue and white fl oral designs strongly infl uenced by nature. Burleigh offers a wide collection of patterns and shades perfect to mix and match to create the signature Burleigh look and takes it far beyond a traditional tableware offering. Burleigh’s Victorian model Pottery and Factory Shop is located in an attractive setting next to the Grand Union canal in Stoke-on-Trent. The factory retains much of its original Victorian character, manufacturing methods and traditions, having converted from running on steam power just three years ago, and operates a popular Visitors Centre. Burleigh product is found in exclusive retailers such as Liberty, Fortnum and Mason and Harrods and its unique attributes have broad appeal. Historically the business has also manufactured product for premium American brands such as Ralph Lauren and Williams Sonoma. The team at Denby are aiming to build on Burleigh’s unique brand proposition to bring this product to a wider audience and develop Burleigh as a niche British heritage brand alongside Denby, which celebrated its 200th anniversary last year following its own restructuring and refi nancing by Valco Capital Partners, the private equity arm of Hilco UK.
Garry Biggs, Managing Director of Denby, commented, “This is a good day for the British ceramics industry, which assures the long term future of a unique British pottery brand. We look forward to working together with the team at Burleigh, to build on Burleigh’s unique heritage and expanding its export business”.
Ceramic companies have welcomed the news that a historic former pottery site in Stoke-on-Trent is to be brought back in to use. Spode Works in Elenora Street, Stoke, which lays claim to the longest continu- ous period of pottery production went into administration in 2008. The 10 acre site has now been bought by Stoke-on-Trent City Council as part of plans to transform historic Stoke Town.
Sue Evans, chief executive of the Ceramic Industry Forum, welcomed the news as an important step in the regeneration of a town synonymous with the pottery industry. She said: “Spode Works has a wealth of pottery heritage and is a really important site not only for the town but for the ceramic industry as a whole. The former factory lays claim to the longest continuous period of pottery production and will have many happy memories for residents who will have worked or lived nearby over the years. It is good to see that the former factory will once again be brought back in to use through the council’s plans.” The city council is currently under going a tender process to fi nd a design team for the Stoke Town masterplan, which incorporates the Spode Works site. The plan, which will help to guide investment in the town over the next 5 to 15 years, will focus on ways to bring the former pottery site back in to use and connect it with the Univer- sity Quarter, mainline railway station and existing town centre. Spode Works, which was built in 1759 by Josiah Spode, consists of stunning build- ings of international heritage signifi cance and offers a unique opportunity to develop a mixed-use scheme which will lead to the regeneration of the town. Ian Dudson, of Dudson Group, a 210 year-old family run pottery fi rm and the oldest in the UK tableware business, said: “The Ceramics Sector in North Staffordshire will be delighted to learn that Stoke-on-Trent City Council has purchased the Spode site in Stoke.
“Personally I hope that the team ultimately chosen to deliver the master plan will replicate the same vision and ambition that Josiah Spode showed when he fi rst developed the factory some 250 years ago. “The site’s location close to major road and rail links provides a fantastic opportunity for the redevelopment to attract many new commercial and tourist visitors and also hopefully provide a permanent location for the Spode Collection.” Michael Haynes, Group Sales and Marketing Director, for Portmeirion Group, which took over the Spode brand in 2009, said: “We are very pleased to see that the plans to develop the original Spode factory site are progressing well. It is vitally impor- tant to the future of the town that we make the best use of what we have and the regeneration of this architecturally unique historic site is excellent news for the local community and businesses alike. “With regards to the actual Spode brand, we are delighted to report that once again Spode products are being made in Stoke-on-Trent in our own factory. Our belief in the importance of the Spode brand has been proved right with a very positive re- sponse from around the world. Spode and Stoke-on-Trent are inextricably linked and I am confi dent that our success with the brand will be repeated for the factory.”
4 TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL
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