Emma Bridgewater boss 'encouraged' by recent trade

The chief executive of a pottery firm has said he is "encouraged" by the business' recent performance.

Iain Martin, who leads Emma Bridgewater Ltd, said the company's recovery plan was on track and that he expected it to return to "profitable growth" in the 2025-26 financial year.

The firm, based in Stoke-on-Trent, was established almost 40 years ago and has become renowned for producing handmade and hand-decorated pottery.

Customers had "responded positively" to new ranges and design collaborations, Martin said, with a boost in Christmas and Black Friday sales.

In recent years, the firm has had to make job cuts due to difficult trading conditions.

The wider pottery sector has faced a turbulent period, partly due to rising energy costs, with a number of firms going bust over the past two years.

Meanwhile, founder Emma Bridgewater told the BBC last year she still saw a future for the industry despite recent pressures.

There had been "ups and downs" in the industry, she said, adding: "We can't get to a stage where we can't make our own plates in this country."

Martin said the new leadership team featured a number of people who had come fromn outside the industry.

He said they were "continuing to execute the recovery plan," and had been exciting "to see the fresh ideas and techniques that are being applied within our traditional manufacturing industry" .

He cited the appointment of Meg Mackintosh as creative director, which he said brought a renewed focus on the brand's craft heritage.

She has previously worked at The White Company and Jo Malone.

Highlights from the 2024-25 figures included an 8% increase in Christmas sales compared with the previous year, as well as a 24% boost in Black Friday sales and a 35% uplift on the sale of Halloween products.

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