On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, “Made in the U.K.” is just as important as “Made in America” is here, and Spode is one British tabletop brand proud to back that claim up.
Production of Spode Christmas Tree, an iconic pattern created in 1938 that has seen many iterations since, is being brought back to Stoke-on-Trent, the center of British pottery making for centuries. For nearly the past two decades, Spode Christmas Tree has been made in China and other parts of Asia.
As previously reported, Michael Raybould, CEO of Portmeirion Group, Spode’s parent company, has pledged to bring as much tableware production back to the U.K. as possible. He has started with Spode.
“I’m on a mission to come back to our heritage and roots,” he told HFN in a telephone interview. Spode’s skilled workforce — its décor is still hand-applied and nearly 25 people touch each individual product — is part of the brand’s DNA, Raybould said. Its new backstamp that features the Spode factory gates and its founding year — 1770 — underscores its history.
A trade agreement between the U.S. and the U.K. was struck earlier this summer, but Raybould’s bigger concern is how the endless tariff discussions have caused uncertainty in the minds of U.S. retailers and caution among end consumers. “Uncertainty is bad for business. That said, I think we have a good plan. We know where we are right now. The U.K. has a notional trade deal in place.”
Any price increases related to tariffs have been communicated and agreed upon with Portmeirion’s wholesale customers, Raybould said, and Christmas delivery is scheduled to arrive on time. Last year, Portmeirion’s holiday deliveries were delayed due to port strikes in October and other logistical issues. “This year, we are earlier,” Raybould said. “The U.K. to U.S. routes are less complicated, less subject to supply chain disruption. Some production is already in our U.S. warehouse, and some is on the way. At the moment, everything is on track and earlier than last year.
“The question is how the U.S. customer will spend in the holiday season. Nobody knows that. We just have to make sure we have all our best products in the right place.”
Courting independent retailers
In the company’s March earnings report, Raybould told investors that 2024 was a disappointing year (revenue was down 11%), but overall financial performance overshadowed good growth in the Spode brand in the U.S.
Product development and innovation contributed to that growth, Raybould told HFN, but the brand also aims to widen its distribution in the U.S. and is focused on independent retailers.
“There are thousands of very important smaller stores, owned individually, and they do an incredible job across the U.S.,” Raybould said. “We are working hard to look after and support them better – whether through delivery costs, or exclusives, or whatever it is. So far, it’s doing well.
“When times are tough, the end consumer wants something fresh and new, and our job is to deliver,” he said. Extensions to iconic ranges are among the new products planned for the second half of the year. “On the marketing side, we need to tell the story of our products and our history and how it’s made. It is an important part of everything we do—to tell the story behind the product, [so they have] pride of place on the table.”
The company also plans to bring more products back from the archives, offer more targeted gifting SKUs and launch collaborations —”a great way to bring two consumer audiences together,” he said, though he declined to name who the company is partnering with.
With Christmas Tree production back in the U.K., the vast majority of Spode manufacturing will be done in England, Raybould said. It will start to figure out the Portmeirion and Royal Worcester ranges next. That will take longer, he said.
