The longstanding British pottery firm, Denby, established in 1809, has gone into receivership.
They’ve launched a “Save Denby” campaign and are encouraging people to share it, to sign a government petition once it’s available (they ask people to sign up to their e-mails to stay informed), write to their MP, buy Denby products and visit their pottery village in Derbyshire.
If this firm goes under, it will be a huge loss. They’ve been at the forefront of British design and craftsmanship for over 200 years.
I grew up with their crockery on our table at home and have bought quite a lot of it myself too.
It looks as if people must have been increasingly switching to cheaper crockery of poorer quality from the likes of Ikea, the supermarkets and Amazon.
https://www.denbypottery.com/pages/save-denby
Edited to add these (seems that the Iran war may have tipped the firm over the edge):
… 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 “trying to move heaven and earth” to save the business. …
The problems at Denby come a year after the Stoke pottery Royal Stafford – which first manufactured products in 1845 and was best known for its production of earthenware – called in administrators, followed by the neighbouring pottery Moorcroft in May. Stoke’s Wedgwood pottery also said last month that it would be cutting jobs. …
…In a statement last Thursday, The Denby Group said “escalating” employment costs and “soaring” energy costs had “squeezed the business financially”.
Lazell said rising energy costs in particular started with the war in Ukraine, and had been exacerbated by the recent conflict in the Middle East. …