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.

I see this a lot with British businesses and honestly it’s quite shocking. UK left the customs union in January 2021 and some places still struggle to adapt to this. They’ve had 5 years! It’s fine if they only want to reach the domestic market but there are people all over the world who want to buy stuff made in Europe because it has reputation for quality.

I buy things made in Britain quite often and noticed that some small businesses just embraced Brexit and for others it seems like a challenge they won’t overcome in decades.

I have a lot of the Denby Imperial Blue, including the coffee pot which is such a lovely item,although it doesn’t get used very often. We’ve had the majority of it for more than 20 years and even added espresso cups when we saw some in the Denby ‘seconds’ shop more recently. (I can’t spot the flaws, either). My son took some the plates and a couple of the mugs when he moved into his own flat, saying that they reminded him of home which means a lot to me. They are very durable and this design seems timeless.
it is no longer our main set, but I still like it enough to keep it.

I’ve just donated the set my parents got as a wedding present in 1975!

Yeap and its quite labour intensive so another business screwed over by Reeves job tax.

I love my Denby. We have a fancy dinner service we use at Christmas, Easter and big birthdays. https://www.wedgwood.com/en-gb/sale/sale/sale/renaissance-gold-8-piece-dinnerware-set-1076505

then Denby Regency Green for day to day. Both have lasted 15 years already and I fully expect them to do another 15.

All given as part of our wedding. Some guest bought a single bowl, others two plates and one generous soul the whole Denby lot.

I can’t imagine having new dinner sets every few years. What a waste for the planet. But then I also use placemats from our wedding, a tablecloth that is at least 30 years old and silver cutlery inherited from my Granny!

Just looked on the site again and love the look of the Elements black set (it’s like the Imperial blue we have but black). Can’t justify spending any more than I did to top up the imperial blue set for ds and I have no tesco vouchers left.

Odd. DH has some from the 70s that are good as new...

I really wish I had some spare cash to make an order!! I really like the Kiln range. Kitchenware and crockery wasn’t something I was bothered about when I was younger but now in my 40’s I wish I had some nice bits. Ranges like the imperial blue are quite dated but the right person (not me) would be able to make it look modern.

We’ve had Dendby for nearly 30 years.

Does everyone know that you can buy it with Tesco Clubcard points? I’ve been adding bits to the set we got for our wedding.

Every time we go to hell of Alton Towers I make sure we go via Denby. The pottery village, reduced shop, cafe are all brilliant. The car park alone is enormous. I wish they’d made a bigger playground just so dc could be occupied for a little longer as it is my purchases are supermarket sweep style! I will be sad to see them go especially as they are still made here. When big businesses go they generally don’t come back and that leaves holes in society where darkness begins to grow. I hope they can get back on track.

A lot of the modern stuff from China is heavy in lead though. Not sure about Denby.

We had some Denby as wedding presents 25 years ago. It’s still perfect and hasn’t aged at all!

Just purchased a dinner set as backup replacement for our Linen collection. Thanks for the heads up.

Have had it years now, was on our wedding list we have been adding to it. It’s so long lasting and doesn’t chip. Only smashes are when it gets dropped on our tiled floor which is unforgiving! Otherwise it’s indestructible.

So sad we might lose this heritage company. But it is classic wedding present territory (because it lasts so long) and fewer people are getting married these days. So I can see why sales may be dropping off. But such a shame as the quality far exceeds what else is on the market IMO.

That is really a shame - I bought from them our main dinnerware set after moving to my current house, and more recently bought some stuff from them before Christmas. The reason I chose them is that they are the only ones I could find within this price range that don’t produce in China. I have children and feel more confident us having dinnerware that’s produced in the UK or EU as I have seen reports and studies that find the plates produced in China especially coloured ones can leak heavy metals etc. The Denby stuff I have is very tough and indestructible. I understand that the designs may be a bit basic and old fashioned but the quality is good. I don’t know where I will buy from if they are gone. Portuguese stoneware while very pretty breaks so easily.

Actually my Denby cups have fallen on my kitchen tiles plenty of tiles and none have never broken. I am surprised myself.

I could do with some new dinnerware.
might have a look, but we are in the US I bought some expensive dinnerware from williams Sonoma about 10years ago and it’s all chipped to shit. Very disappointing. At $30 for a bowl which we’ve broken all of. I can’t justify replacing with the same set.

No, but thank you for this, and I have added myself to their email list. With the reductions, I might look at replacing chipped dinner plates, most of which we've had for 30+ years.

Thanks also to pp who mentioned Tesco loyalty points!

Two full time workers with second jobs on the side are now what would be necessary to rent that flat.

I thought the issue wasn't so much the individual businesses adapting as their customers willing to wait longer and pay more now that customs fees apply in the EU.

You also need to have an appointed representative in an EU territory in order to be able to legally sell there, which is why a lot of UK shops no longer deliver to Northern Ireland as the border agreement means you also need to have one there.

Wow - the prices… I was thinking I could maybe splurge on some distinctive fancy dinnerware as we are redoing our kitchen, but not at £10-£20 a piece. I have an IKEA set at the moment that’s at least as nice as the Denny options and is ten years in with no chips. We have replaced dishes here and there as I have a clumsy DH so we probably lose a plate or bowl a year when he drops one, which is fine as the IKEA set is cheap and easy to add to and replace.

Oh no.

The problem is that their stuff is indestructible. We recently reached an ancient Juice set with an all white porcelain set. They're one of the few potteries that still manufacture in the UK.

This was also my understanding. The appointed rep stuff might be within their control, but the price customers are willing to pay isn't. To that end, it isn't at all shocking that some companies haven't been able to get past the detrimental impact of Brexit.

So everyone is now racing to buy discounted items.... If they were the discounted price in the first place then maybe Denby would sell more. They'd make less profit per piece but at least there would be money coming in. At full price they get no profit because nobody is buying it. Supply and demand is basic business knowledge really....

Yes, OP, I have.
Your post reminded me that (a) I’ve always coveted Denby and (b) we’ve still not spent the Christmas money from my parents - well we have now!
I do hope that Denby & the 500 jobs are saved.