A Halving of profits at ceramics group Beauford is at odds with the rest of the pottery industry.
The parent group of Wade Ceramics at Burslem saw pre-tax profits slump to just £1.1 million.

That compares with a string of good results from other pottery companies in recent weeks.

The latest came from Wedgwood on Monday, reporting operating profits up 20 per cent to £21.8 million.

Parent group Waterford Wedgwood saw its pre-tax figure climb 24 per cent to £34.9 million.

However, Beauford maintains the comparison of such headline figures is unfair.

The group has reinvented itself in the last five years - changing from an engineering business to a full-blown ceramics group.

It finally severed its engineering roots with the disposal of a company in Halifax in October last year.

Chairman Sir Trevor Holdsworth told investors: ''Your board concluded the ceramics business offered greater potential for future profitability. growth and enhanced shareholder value than did the engineering business or retaining the two-divisional structure.''

Overall, operating profit fell £200,000 to £2.1 million. This fall was due to the reduced contributions from disposals in 1996.

Its ceramics businesses lifted profits by 36 per cent or £500,000 to £1.7 million.

Overall, turnover was down 9.8 per cent, from £41.1 million to just under £37.1 million in the year up to December. It does not include the cost of eight one-day strikes mounted by hundreds of workers at the three Burslem factories since the beginning of the year.

As the Sentinel reported on Saturday, Beauford reckons that this has already cost it about £600,000.

Sir Trevor said: ''The empowerment of our employees to move our existing businesses forward continues at a pace and - leaving aside the impact of the effect of two months' of industrial action at Wade Ceramics - the year promises further development and growth.''