Moorcroft Closure Exposes Larger Problem for UK Ceramics Sector

After some 112 years, Stoke-based Moorcroft Pottery has closed its doors. The luxury ceramics manufacturer, favoured by prime ministers, US presidents, and members of the Royal Family alike, announced its closure on 30^th April.

Moorcroft had enjoyed a reputation as one of Britain’s most prestigious brands, built on years of manufacturing high-quality ceramics that are highly collectable. In fact, one of the most extensive Moorcroft collections in the world belongs to Leonard A. Lauder, president of Estée Lauder.

Economic headwinds bite

Unfortunately, the legendary pottery house’s customer base of the rich and famous wasn’t enough to save it from the rigours of the current business climate. A number of economic headwinds combined to make trading more and more difficult for the ceramics titan.

Just this March, a spokesperson for Moorcroft warned that it had endured a “dramatic reduction in sales figures over many months”. They accredited this to a decrease in “people’s disposable income for luxury goods.

The same spokesperson added that this drop in sales “coupled with the increase in energy prices, which in the past two years alone have increased by almost £120,000 per annum”, had posed some serious challenges for them.

Blow for Stoke-on-Trent

Moorcroft’s demise follows hot on the heels of fellow Stoke pottery, Royal Stafford, which folded in February.

Royal Stafford was actually a longer-running firm than Moorcroft, tracing its roots all the way back to 1845. The site they’d used for all of those years was even creating ceramics before that, with Thomas Wedgwood operating out of there from as early as 1787.

Business cares little for history and sentiment though, and the difficult trading climate has also recently put paid to Heraldic Pottery (February 2025), Dudson (in 2019), and Wade (in 2022).

Add to these Portmeirion Pottery, who have found things so challenging of late that they’re looking to make staff redundant in order to survive.

All of these potteries mentioned are based in Stoke-on-Trent, making the economic impact to the immediate area devastating.

Even the companies that have survived, such as Johnson’s Tiles, have made changes that have rocked the region. 105 jobs were lost last year as the business moved its manufacturing out of the area.

“Serious energy bills”

Forbes Burton Insolvency Expert, Ben Westoby lamented the latest high-profile casualty of the economic climate. Commenting on Moorcroft’s closure, he said that “sadly, it seems like Stoke’s famous ceramics industry is struggling to navigate the challenges of the post-Covid trading economy.

“While decorative trays and vases would have been found in most UK homes during Moorcroft’s heyday, the modern home is more likely to sport plain and inexpensive pottery from retailers such as Next, The Range, or even the nearest supermarket.

“Many of these historic potteries will be working out of huge sites set up for the huge demand of yesteryear, and as such, can rack up some pretty serious energy bills. Add this to the slowdown in sales, international competition and increased supplier costs, and it’s little wonder that the sector finds itself in a sticky situation”.

Indeed, industry body, Ceramics UK have been monitoring the situation and are now asking for government intervention to ensure that the sector can achieve some sustainability moving ahead.

An industry summit hosted produced a rescue plan that they sent to government officials, detailing the strategies that those within the sector felt could save it. Ceramics UK Chief Executive, Rob Flello explained that “the UK ceramics industry, a vital economic contributor, urgently needs government support. This rescue plan is essential for the UK government to support this critical sector and its skilled workforce.”

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