Latest news with #DunoonMugs
The Sun
07-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Beloved kitchenware brand on brink of COLLAPSE after being ‘bombarded from all sides' & axing 20% of its workforce
A POPULAR British kitchenware brand is fighting to survive after soaring costs hit hard — leaving families who've worked there for generations heartbroken. Dunoon Mugs, based in Staffordshire, has been making fine mugs for 50 years. 3 3 But today, the company is battling to stay afloat, axing 20 per cent of its workforce and slashing staff hours as energy bills skyrocket to six times what they were just three years ago. Sharon Yates, who has worked at the pottery for over 30 years, said she: 'would not be able to cope' if the factory shut its doors. 'It's my life,' Sharon said. 'I just love putting the handles on the mugs. It's hard work, but it's therapeutic. I'm proud to work here — it's in my blood, she told the BBC. Four generations of Sharon's family have worked at Dunoon, including her retired mother Irene, daughter-in-law Leian, and granddaughter Madi. Alan Smith, the firm's director, said the company was being 'bombarded by all sides' — not only from energy costs but also the rise in the minimum wage and employers' national insurance. This year alone, three Staffordshire potteries have already closed. Smith admitted it's 'entirely possible' Dunoon could be next. On Wednesday, Stoke-on-Trent MPs, the GMB trade union, and Ceramics UK will meet Industry Minister Sarah Jones to call for emergency help to save the potteries. The ceramics sector, one of the UK's most energy-intensive industries, is pleading for government support to cover what it calls 'crippling' energy bills and to temporarily suspend carbon emissions penalties. Why are shops closing stores? Last month, historic Moorcroft Pottery shut its doors after over 100 years in business — another blow to the once-booming Stoke-on-Trent ceramics scene. Irene, Sharon's 81-year-old mum, remembers when the city was 'buzzing' with over 45,000 people working in ceramics. She called it 'heartbreaking' to think Dunoon might close too. 'I hope the government steps in to help us,' Irene said. Last week, Labour MP Gareth Snell told Parliament the industry faced collapse, slamming the government's response to the crisis. But Smith is doubtful about the future. 'I don't think they behave as if they're interested in traditional industries,' he said. In a statement, the Department for Business and Trade said: 'Ministers continue to engage closely with the ceramics sector to understand the challenges and provide support, ensuring the industry is globally competitive as part of our Plan for Change.' The Sun has reached out for comment. RETAIL PAIN IN 2025 The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion. Research by the British Chambers of Commerce shows that more than half of companies plan to raise prices by early April. A survey of more than 4,800 firms found that 55% expect prices to increase in the next three months, up from 39% in a similar poll conducted in the latter half of 2024. Three-quarters of companies cited the cost of employing people as their primary financial pressure. The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year. It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year. Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: "The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025." Professor Bamfield has also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector. "By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020." 3
Scottish Sun
07-05-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Beloved kitchenware brand on brink of COLLAPSE after being ‘bombarded from all sides' & axing 20% of its workforce
SHATTERED DREAMS Beloved kitchenware brand on brink of COLLAPSE after being 'bombarded from all sides' & axing 20% of its workforce Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A POPULAR British kitchenware brand is fighting to survive after soaring costs hit hard — leaving families who've worked there for generations heartbroken. Dunoon Mugs, based in Staffordshire, has been making fine mugs for 50 years. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Four generations of Sharon's family have worked at Dunoon 3 Sharon Yates, has worked at the pottery for over 30 years But today, the company is battling to stay afloat, axing 20 per cent of its workforce and slashing staff hours as energy bills skyrocket to six times what they were just three years ago. Sharon Yates, who has worked at the pottery for over 30 years, said she: 'would not be able to cope' if the factory shut its doors. 'It's my life,' Sharon said. 'I just love putting the handles on the mugs. It's hard work, but it's therapeutic. I'm proud to work here — it's in my blood, she told the BBC. Four generations of Sharon's family have worked at Dunoon, including her retired mother Irene, daughter-in-law Leian, and granddaughter Madi. Alan Smith, the firm's director, said the company was being 'bombarded by all sides' — not only from energy costs but also the rise in the minimum wage and employers' national insurance. This year alone, three Staffordshire potteries have already closed. Smith admitted it's 'entirely possible' Dunoon could be next. On Wednesday, Stoke-on-Trent MPs, the GMB trade union, and Ceramics UK will meet Industry Minister Sarah Jones to call for emergency help to save the potteries. The ceramics sector, one of the UK's most energy-intensive industries, is pleading for government support to cover what it calls 'crippling' energy bills and to temporarily suspend carbon emissions penalties. Why are shops closing stores? Last month, historic Moorcroft Pottery shut its doors after over 100 years in business — another blow to the once-booming Stoke-on-Trent ceramics scene. Irene, Sharon's 81-year-old mum, remembers when the city was 'buzzing' with over 45,000 people working in ceramics. She called it 'heartbreaking' to think Dunoon might close too. 'I hope the government steps in to help us,' Irene said. Last week, Labour MP Gareth Snell told Parliament the industry faced collapse, slamming the government's response to the crisis. But Smith is doubtful about the future. 'I don't think they behave as if they're interested in traditional industries,' he said. In a statement, the Department for Business and Trade said: 'Ministers continue to engage closely with the ceramics sector to understand the challenges and provide support, ensuring the industry is globally competitive as part of our Plan for Change.' The Sun has reached out for comment. RETAIL PAIN IN 2025 The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion. Research by the British Chambers of Commerce shows that more than half of companies plan to raise prices by early April. A survey of more than 4,800 firms found that 55% expect prices to increase in the next three months, up from 39% in a similar poll conducted in the latter half of 2024. Three-quarters of companies cited the cost of employing people as their primary financial pressure. The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year. It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year. Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: "The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025." Professor Bamfield has also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector. "By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020."
BBC News
06-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Family 'heartbroken' at prospect of Staffordshire pottery closure
Family 'heartbroken' as pottery firm struggles Just now Share Save Zoe Conway Employment correspondent Reporting from Stoke-on-Trent Share Save BBC Four generations of the Yates family have worked at Dunoon Mugs in Staffordshire Sharon Yates has been working at Dunoon Mugs in Staffordshire for more than three decades. Four generations of her family have worked there - her mother, Irene, who has now retired, her daughter-in-law, Leian, and granddaughter, Madi. But, the company, which was established 50 years ago, is struggling. The firm said its energy bills were now six times higher than they were three years ago; 20% of the workforce was made redundant and staff are working shorter hours. Ms Yates told the BBC she "would not be able to cope" if the pottery closed. "It's my life," she said. ''I just love putting the handles on the mugs. It's hard work, but it's therapeutic," said Ms Yates. "I'm proud to work here, it's in my blood." Three Staffordshire potteries have closed this year, and Dunoon's director Alan Smith said it was "entirely possible" that Dunoon could be next. Sharon Yates has been working at the site for 33 years Mr Smith said it was not just their energy bills - the rise in the minimum wage and employers' national insurance made it feel like the company was being "bombarded by all sides". On Wednesday, Stoke-on-Trent's MPs, the GMB trade union and the industry body Ceramics UK will meet Industry Minister Sarah Jones to call for urgent action to save the potteries. Ceramics is one of the most energy intensive industries in the UK and the sector is calling on the government to subsidise what it says are "crippling" energy bills. It also wants businesses to be temporarily exempt from carbon emissions penalties. The directors of Moorcroft Pottery announced last month the firm has stopped trading after more than 100 years. It was the latest blow to the pottery industry in Stoke-on-Trent, a city affectionately known as The Potteries. Dunoon Mugs said 20% of its workforce was made redundant and staff are working shorter hours Ms Yates' mother, 81 year-old Irene, has lived around the industry all her life. She said the city was once "buzzing", with more than 45,000 people working in ceramics. She met her husband David working on the line at the now-closed Staffordshire Pottery, and added it was "heartbreaking" to think Dunoon Mugs could close too. "I hope the government steps in to help us," she said. Last week, Gareth Snell, the Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central, gave a speech in Parliament, warning the industry faced collapse. He criticised the government's response to what he described as a "crisis" facing the industry. Mr Smith also added he was not confident Dunoon would get the help it needed from government. ''I don't think they behave as if they're interested in traditional industries," he said. In a statement, the Department for Business and Trade said: "Ministers continue to engage closely with the ceramics sector to understand the challenges and provide support, ensuring the industry is globally competitive as part of our Plan for Change."
