Nineteen jobs go at pottery firm

The firm said it had lost some money as a result of the fall in interest rates

Nineteen jobs have been lost at a Stoke-on-Trent ceramics firm which saw pre-tax profits fall by 80%, it has been revealed.

Tunstall-based Churchill China said it hoped to redeploy the 19 workers who had been given notice of redundancy.

Chief Executive Andrew Roper said he expected its staff numbers would now remain unchanged for six to 12 months.

He said £1.2m was being invested in the firm this year and he was "cautiously optimistic" business was improving.

The firm, which makes tableware and goods for the hospitality and retail markets, made a profit of £1.2m before tax in the second half of 2008.

However, in the first half of this year, it made only £400,000.

'Financially sound'

Mr Roper said the loss was largely the result of one its distributors of hotel goods going into administration.

But he said the firm's retail market was good and he expected exports to improve.

"The results look on the surface of it to be bad news, but it's in line with expectations," he said.

He said the firm had also lost about £300,000 on money invested in the bank because of interest rates falling.

Mr Roper added: "I think we have got a very good team at Churchill and we have a very financially-sound firm."