Duchess China has secured new investors as it looks to expand its UK and international business. Rob Ward and Kieran Donovan from Open to Ideas, a company set up to back British businesses across the creative industries, have recently invested in the UK ceramic manufacturer, alongside existing directors Jason Simms and Andy Tooth, who will continue to lead Duchess China.
Duchess China, which currently employs 59 staff members, has been making fine bone china in Stoke-on-Trent since 1888. It is one of the last historic fine bone china manufacturers still producing in the UK.
Open to Ideas CEO, Rob Ward, says: “Kieran and I invested in Duchess because we believe it makes some of the finest fine bone china in the world. There is something extraordinary about finding a genuinely world-class product still being made in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent. Much of it by hand, using skills and craftsmanship that have been developed and passed down through generations.
“Our ambition is to build on that. We want to invest in the people, skills and manufacturing capability here in Stoke, develop the products and the brand and take what is a fantastic British-made product to many more customers and markets around the world. This isn’t about changing what makes Duchess China special, it is about recognising how special it already is and giving Jason and Andy the support and investment to realise its potential.”
Duchess China Director, Jason Simms, adds: “This is an incredibly exciting moment for the brand. Andy and I have spent many years building the business, protecting the skills and manufacturing heritage that sit at its heart. Rob and Kieran share our belief in Duchess, our people and our products. Their investment gives us the opportunity to build on everything we have achieved. We now have the resources and ambition to invest, grow and introduce Duchess to a much wider audience, while continuing to make our fine bone china here in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, as we have done since 1888.”
With a new factory tour launching earlier this year, along with recent collaborations such as making David Hockney’s ‘A Year in Normandie’ bone china vases for The Serpentine, bespoke tableware for Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Celia’ carriage on the Belmond British Pullman and the Capel Salem mug collection for Keith Brymer Jones, with lots of exciting projects in the pipeline – the four shareholders will work together on the next phase of Duchess’s development, with Jason and Andy continuing to lead the day-to-day business.
Plans include investment in the factory and manufacturing capability, developing and protecting specialist skills, expanding the product range and brand, exploring new collaborations and growing the company’s presence in both domestic and international markets.
Rob Ward adds: “Britain sometimes talks about manufacturing like it is something we used to do. At Duchess China, it is happening every day. We have more than 135 years of heritage behind us but we are much more interested in what we can do with the next 135 years.”