All the fun of the fair as firms look to new future

North Staffordshire firms are showcasing more than 5,000 new products at the Spring Fair 2010 at Birmingham's NEC. David Elks finds that exhibitors are still having to strike a balance between price and place of manufacture to survive. . .

It used to be the case that Stoke-on-Trent's best-known pottery brands had to be made in the city or face losing their prestige.

But the reality is that after more than two decades in which consumers have increasingly voted with their cash in favour of cheaper products, to stay 100 per cent British remains a romantic, if flawed, ideal.

"If people do care it is only in a half-hearted way," said Jonathan Plant, director at Burslem firm Moorland Pottery, which employs six staff. He added: "We are committed to manufacturing in Stoke-on-Trent, but the reality is that people are more bothered about quality and what they're buying than where it is made."

The company has exhibited at the trade event for the past decade, although the firm admits results from the Spring Fair have been improved over a learning curve.

Co-director Adam Tinsley said: "Some years we've done very little business. "Sometimes our product has been too close to that of our competitors, and we've had to make ourselves stand out. It's good, but you have to work at getting it to work."

The firm's successful launch of a Stokie range devoted to the city's colloquialisms – such as Cost Kick A Bo Agen A Wo Anyed It Till It Bost – has led to new products, including wares made for Geordie and Scots customers.

Mr Tinsley said: "We didn't expect it to work, but it did, and we want to build on that."

The lack of funding for a dedicated Ceramic Showcase at the fair means buyers have had more difficulty in identifying trade customers within the sector.

The bulk of the key players remain in the second hall of the annual trade fair.

However, many eyes are on the return of Wedgwood and its sister brands Waterford Crystal and Royal Doulton, under the new banner of WWRD after the famous names were saved from administration last spring.

Regular customers of the group's brands, which are owned by New York private equity firm KPS Capital Partners, will have noticed a single, streamlined stand with 21 new ranges across its portfolio.

That is compared to four years ago when the three brands were displayed over at least three times the space.

It is partly to reflect a new brand identity, although it's partly to work the existing brands harder – a key to selling products to the show's traditional customer base.

WWRD's European marketing director Kate Gillis said this year's display would have 1,500 individual product lines.

Mrs Gillis, who previously solely represented Waterford Crystal, said: "Rather than having people dedicated to one brand we can tell a focused story.

"We're now matching what we show to the customer. In the past we would have showed off a greater range of products, and more of the prestige, higher price-point products.

"This is much more targeted and more hard-working."

A highlight from Wedgwood is the Nature's Canvas range, the brand's first true product launch to target the mix-and-match fashion of the casual dining market.

While some items are made in the UK, the bulk is made overseas to meet the price-conscious ranges demanded by consumers.

However, the display has only a small fraction of the ranges that will be shown at the Frankfurt show in a week's time.

In contrast, a third of Churchill China's new lines are at the NEC. Among them include new ranges for wallpaper-maker Sanderson and TV chef Jamie Oliver – a tie-up which the company has developed after Royal Worcester fell into administration along with its sister firm Spode.

James Green, business development director at Churchill China, said: "We are at the Frankfurt Show and we will have new ranges that aren't on display here. But this is still a key show for us."

He said the acquisition of a licence for Jamie Oliver had been potentially lucrative. He said: "There is a broad appeal for Jamie as a product, and we have different products for each sector, although with the full approval of him."

A new fluted range of wares has been designed by the team at Sandyford to appeal to young professionals, although other ranges include giftware products for all ages.

Stoke-based Portmeirion group is presenting the strongest front of all the local manufacturers, with a total of around 3,000 individual products on show. The London Stock Exchange-quoted firm, which employs 480 people across its factory in London Road and distribution centre at Trentham Lakes, has launched ranges to coincide with its 50th anniversary, as well as its acquisition of the Spode and Royal Worcester brands.

The firm is using the show to launch a new corporate group image, along with new logo, to reflect its new brand structure, alongside placemat-maker Pimpernel. Group marketing manager Carol Wright said: "We've had a very strong year with our 50th and taking over Spode. We've reflected that with a new corporate identity to recognise that these brands are within the Portmeirion group."

New launches include a revamp of the Woodland pattern, and the iconic Blue Italian pattern for which Spode became renowned – and for which Portmeirion has brought production back to the UK.

Mrs Wright said: "It is a pattern noted for its whiteness, which disappeared after Spode sent production overseas.

That has returned since it has come back, which our customers have noticed."

Most firms in the ceramic sector have tailored their product ranges to meet the different demands of trade buyers at each of the shows, in a season which starts in Russia in December and ends in Frankfurt.

Norman Tempest, managing director at Royal Stafford, said: "Buyers don't have the time to spend weeks on end at every show. You tend to find most European and American buyers go to Frankfurt, but it is still important to go to the Spring Fair."

Meanwhile, there are further signs that consumers may be returning to design-led products instead of price.

Ceramic designer Andrew Tanner has helped create a series of crowd-stopping designs for Poole Pottery, which is made for parent company Lifestyle Group at Royal Stafford in Burslem.

His Made In England and Fish And Chips products have both attracted interest in buyers favouring quality over price.

Peter Bello, chief executive of Lifestyle Group, which employs 80 people at Royal Stafford, said: "Consumers might be buying less during the recession, but we've found they've been willing to pay more for what they do buy, as long as the quality is there. The feeling is that consumers want the mass-market version of a hand-crafted product."

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