Denby pottery under threat, have you bought some to support them?

[Stopsnowing]

My mum had Denby and it was indestructible. But now I hear they are under threat and have put out an SOS.
https://www.denbypottery.com/pages/save-denby?_gl=113xe0u1upMQ..gs*MQ..&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhobLsPGykwMVbpBQBh2sNhibEAAYASABEgJiavD_BwE&gbraid=0AAAAAD88OOOIrq_FVCUS-mNNXnw6tUk
had assumed they would be around for ever but have now treated myself to a set that I was planning to get way in the future after I had the kitchen redone.

@Superhansrantowindsor Reading through this thread gave me the image of all these women banging plates about and throwing them on the floor for 30 years. “Look, Tabitha! They’re durable and indestructible! Much better than the ghastly supermarket dinner sets those gruesome povvos purchase”

I like Denby, we have the imperial blue. Its not old fashioned, it's classic.

I also don't think supermarket or any other plates will be that much less durable.

I have glasses in my cupboard that were brought as a house warming gift 25 years ago from Asda or possibly woolies.
They are used daily and never seem to break.

Nope

I am talking about stuff from the 50s-60s! A casserole dish etc as collectible pieces. I had no idea there were so many (imo) lovely pieces online.

My everyday stuff is modern Denby bought from them.

🤷🏼‍♀️ yourself.

Its very heavy and clunky looking. Very dated.

I'd forgotten that there is an outlet store near me (at risk of closure now) in Gunwharf, Portsmouth. If I was after any Denby, I'd get over there pretty quickly to have a look.

I got all mine with Tesco vouchers. £80 vouchers = £240 Denby, then £43 vouchers = £86 Denby. I think they had an offer as well.

For this I have a 4 place dinner set (dinner plate, side plate, bowl), 5 mugs, 4 tumblers, 4 large wine glasses and a aluminium sauté pan.

All I did was shop in Tesco.

Probably because of stuff like this?

Whatever has caused Denby’s financial issues, it won’t be solved just by consumers “buying more.” If it was in administration 10 years ago, before Covid, then they’ve probably been in trouble since the 2008-9 financial crisis.

The company’s issues are only going to be solved by new investors who demand a full audit (to determine where the losses are, but I think the comments that mentioned it being old-fashioned and handles falling off mugs are a good starting point) and make some changes.

So if you want to save Denby, @Stopsnowing , I wouldn’t worry about buying as much as sharing this as far and as widely as you can, and hopefully, some rich investor will take pity on a company this old and sort them out, while helping them transition to a post-pandemic world.

I agree. This thread inspired me to look at the website. It’s a no from me. I’m not of my parents’ generation - I’m not interested in my dinner service lasting a lifetime. I follow trends - that’s more important to me than durability.

I am surprised they have shops!

I remember looking at the coupe plates a couple of years ago.
The general consensus was they didn't fit in dishwashers easily.

That sort of stuff doesn't help

Exactly. Its the same reason that washing machines etc are designed to last 3-5 years when they could easily be designed to last for 10 years plus. It better for them to sell something for 200 every 3 years than something for £250 every 10 years. The manufacturers need them to break so that people buy new ones. Similarly for phones . One of the reasons the planet is fucked.

The Denby "look" is not for me, it is clunky, dull and heavy. And surely the era of expensive matching dinner sets that last a lifetime has gone the way of the 3 piece suite?

Sorry double post!

It's mostly design. I did some work in the lawn mower industry once and it was tested that the electric mower should make it to 75 mows which the typical amount that people do in three years. Three years was psychologically important because if your lawn mower breaks in the year you buy it you blame a manufacturing fault if it breaks the year after you think it bad model, but in the third year people tend to have forgotten how long ago they got it, then they generally think it's done alright and buy a similar model for familiarity. For very little extra money they could have put a better motor on and it would last many years but the profitability analysis said not to.

I think the key to the problem is in your OP.
It's virtually indestructible.
That is a virtue to a lot of people still but I think the majority want not classic pieces, they want what's currently on trend in colour and design, which means after a few years, or after a few chips appear, they want a change.
Lots of wares available today are less expensive, less durable, but have a variety of styles to choose from.

I love my Denby, I've had it 20 years and the quality is stunning. Sadly they don't make Harlequin anymore but I buy any matching items I find in charity shops.
I have eight mugs, coffee pot, cream jug & sugar bowl. 😊
Wishing Denby & their employees all the best.

Sadly I agree. Companies like Denby can't thrive in our throw away society.

Same here.
I bought a beautiful turquoise set about 20 years ago and it still looks new.
Meanwhile all the cheaply made Chinese delph has chipped or cracked and been thrown out.

It's not indestructible if you put a plate on the hob to heat it, and then forget to turn the hob off. Made quite the bang! So should at least get a replacement for that... Unimpressed with the product pictures though, I expect both top and side pictures of everything in the set, not just a pile of crockery from an angle. Definitely worth the price though, and do feel it's important to support brands building quality goods, no matter their location. I really hate our throwaway culture of buying cheap shit from Tesco and just chucking it into landfill once we're bored of it. I want to surround myself well made, ethically produced items that I genuinely appreciate.

Interesting. I have a lot of Japanese crockery, mainly the popular ones like Tokyo Design Studio but also from some small makers. I visited the link in the OP and many of the lines are in similar style, quite minimalist, light and great for enhancing the look of the served food.

I think it’s quite contemporary, IKEA has a couple of similar designs right now and their designs are usually very on trend.

I think Denby must have missed many marketing opportunities targeting only the British market. Le Creuset makes similar cast iron and china products and they are hugely popular, Denby should probably target the same customer segment.

We love our Denby! Just got some more pieces from the outlet store near us because we’re worried they will be unavailable soon. We live fairly close to Denby & the cafe/shops etc. at the visitor centre are lovely. Will be a real shame if they close.