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Portmeirion boosted as Koreans snap up its patterned ceramics
POTTERY group Portmeirion saw its profit surge by 88 per cent as its sales in Korea and the US took off.
The Spode and Royal Worcester brands the company bought helped to fuel the rise with revenues up 24 per cent to £21m.
Chairman Dick Steele said half the sales rise came from the acquired brands and half from existing Portmeirion patterns.
The group’s sales are skewed to the second half of the year as, in particular, US shoppers stock up on Spode’s Christmas tree pattern.
Steele said: “We sell very well in the US and Korea. But the type of product that sells well differs. In Korea very ornate patterns sell well while in the UK more plain items are popular. In the US, it’s the Christmas patterns they want.”