Profits continue to rise at manufacturer

Pottery manufacturer Churchill China increased its profits in the first half of the year as its long-term growth continued.

Sales at the Stoke-on-Trent firm were up 17% to £31.9m, with pre-tax profits up 30% to £4.3m in the six months to June.

Alan McWalter, chairman of Churchill China, said: “Churchill has been substantially re-positioned as a business over the past five years.

“We have emphasised the development of differentiated high margin products in hospitality and exited from markets where we did not have a competitive advantage.”

Overseas sales were up 13%, slightly behind the overall sales growth. Around 60% of Churchill China’s sales came from exports and its strategy continues to be to increase its market share overseas.

Churchill has a 500-strong global distributor network and says its products are used in hospitality establishments in more than 70 countries.

Churchill China dates its origins back to 1795 and the company has been on the London Stock Exchange since 1994.