A Ceramics company has snapped up the assets of a collapsed figure-making company to expand its retail business. Burslem-based Wade Ceramics, which is aiming to crank up its turnover to £10 million this year, has bought a licence from Biddulph-based North Light to produce animal figurines for the gift ware industry.

The deal by Wade, for an undisclosed sum, will rescue the jobs of around 15 workers, including North Light's artistic director Guy Pocock, sculptress Anne Godfrey and sales director Clare Beswick, a direct descendant of one of the best known names in the pottery industry.

News of the takeover comes after Wade, which specialises in producing branded ceramics such as spirit decanters, flagons, jugs, tankards and related products for the international distilling and brewing industries, invested £1 million in a new kiln to cope with the increased demand for its products.

Paul Farmer, managing director of the company, which employs 230 people, said the new North Light @ Wade range of dogs, horses, farm animals and wildlife figures will help to expand the product range for its International Collectors Club which now has 10,000 members. More than 450 Wade collectable items are traded and sold on e-bay ever day.

Mr Farmer said: "North Light and Wade are two complementary brands which fit well together and will operate alongside our collectors club under common overheads, thus increasing margin potential going forward. We see great growth potential for North Light @ Wade and have plans to make hybrid resin and ceramics products for our contracts division, supplying products for promotional activities which are traditionally just porcelain."

The company's turnover last year was in the region of £9 million. This year, it is hoping to reach £10 million.

Mr Farmer added: "This is the busiest we've been for several years. Our growth is going to be phenomenal."

Clare Beswick, the great-granddaughter of the legendary animal artist Robert Beswick, joined North Light in 1982 and has developed a collection of more than 1,000 products including horses, rabbits and 185 breeds of dog.

In February the firm was re-launched with the backing of U.S. investors, but has since gone into liquidation.

The remaining workforce at North Light will move to Burslem.