Pottery firm set to cut workforce

A 200-year-old pottery firm is cutting its staff due to the economic downturn.

Denby Pottery is in talks with union leaders over the exact number of layoffs, a spokesman said.

The firm employs 700 people at its offices, factories and shops across the UK, with 500 of them working at the headquarters in Denby, Derbyshire.

Managing director Garry Biggs said the "financial and economic crisis" had resulted in a reduced demand for its pottery products.

Retail slump

"The tableware market has been affected by the downturn in the retail trade, which is expected to continue for the remainder of 2009 and this unfortunately includes Denby tableware" he said.

A spokeswoman for the firm said: "It is too early to tell the exact numbers. Talks are already under way - but we will not know the results until the end of this week or early next week."

Geoff Bagnall, general secretary of the union Unity, said: "This union will make every effort to reduce those redundancies to an absolute minimum."

Crystal and pottery maker Waterford Wedgwood has already announced plans to lay off 367 workers, mostly at Stoke-on-Trent, while pottery firm Royal Worcester and Spode went into administration in November.

Denby operates 16 warehouse outlets across the UK from Edinburgh and Portsmouth, and has 35 staff at its factory and offices in New Jersey.

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