No redundancies at pottery firm, council says

No redundancies are planned at Staffordshire-based pottery firm Burgess and Leigh, a month after its owners Denby appointed administrators, according to Stoke-on-Trent City Council

The renowned pottery firm, based in Derbyshire but which owns Burgess and Leigh, also known as Burleigh, said in March it had been struggling with rising costs.

The firm said reduced demand, "escalating" employment costs and "soaring" energy costs had "squeezed the business financially".

Council leader Jane Ashworth said she welcomed the news that there would be no redundancies at Middleport-based Burleigh. A spokesperson for Burleigh Pottery said they would not be commenting on the jobs news.

They added it was "very much business as usual" at the firm and they were "functioning as normal" having made no redundancies.

"This is a difficult time for the ceramics industry but we believe Burleigh Pottery - the Stoke-on-Trent business owned by Denby – is viable and has a full order book," Ashworth said.

"We understand the administrators remain in discussions with interested parties regarding parts of the business."

Denby was established more than 200 years ago and chief executive Sebastian Lazell previously told the BBC he was "trying to move heaven and earth" to save the business, but had to be realistic that there may not "be a happy ending".

A campaign encouraged people to buy more products and lobby the government to provide support, but administrators were appointed on 31 March.

The firm, which employs 600 people in the UK, said it would continue to "service orders" placed online and through its stores as normal.

Burleigh is based at Middleport Pottery, the UK's only continuously-working Victorian pottery factory, run by ReForm Heritage.

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