Portmeirion heads for record and looks forward to royal wedding

The AIM listed manufacturer and distributor said it was pleased to report strong trading through the Christmas period and expects its 2010 profits to be in line with market expectations for record revenues of at least £50 million. Over £13 million of these sales were made under the company's Spode and Royal Worcester brands, well above the £12 million target previously reported. Portmeirion said 2010 sales were excellent, particularly in the US, South Korea, Canada and Italy. Sales of Spode Christmas Tree in the US and Sophie Conran for Portmeirion products worldwide were particularly strong. In 2011 it intends to launch over 250 new products including a collection of Royal Worcester items to commemorate the Royal Wedding, for which it has already seen significant demand. Chairman Dick Steele said: "To have grown sales to over £50 million is a significant milestone for Portmeirion. It is pleasing to note that the growth in 2010 has been shared among all four of our brands: Portmeirion, Pimpernel, Spode and Royal Worcester"