John Pye Appointed to Seek Buyer for Historic Moorcroft Pottery

National auction house John Pye & Sons Ltd has been appointed by the Directors of W. Moorcroft Ltd and insolvency specialists Moore Recovery to oversee the potential sale of the iconic fine art pottery company.

Founded in 1913 and based in Stoke-on-Trent, W. Moorcroft Ltd ceased trading on 7 April 2025, with Moore Recovery supporting the Directors in placing the business into voluntary liquidation.

Recognised globally for its handmade pottery, Moorcroft has supplied prestigious clients including Liberty of London, Harrods, Tiffany & Co. in New York, and Shreve & Co. in San Francisco. The company enjoyed royal patronage, most notably from Queen Mary and in 1928 was granted the title ‘Potters to HM the Queen’, a mark of honour retained until 1978. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II also incorporated Moorcroft designs into the Royal Collection throughout her reign.

John Pye and Moore Recovery are now exploring all avenues to secure a buyer capable of resuming operations, ideally before a full asset disposal becomes necessary.

Gary Harper, Machinery & Business Asset Valuer at John Pye, said: “All business assets are available to potential purchasers, including tangible and intangible items such as freehold and leasehold properties, office and IT equipment, plant and machinery, stock (including retail trial pieces and master art pottery), the company name, domain and website, trademarks, social media accounts, customer and supplier data and historical records.

This is a rare opportunity to acquire a world-renowned manufacturing and retail brand with a loyal and international collector base.”

John Pye, a long-term partner of Moore Recovery, brings extensive experience in valuing and selling a wide range of asset classes, including consumer goods, industrial equipment, and intellectual property.

Gary Harper added: “We’re hopeful of securing a buyer who will continue Moorcroft’s legacy, ideally reemploying former staff, as seen earlier this year with Royal Stafford Pottery, also based in the Potteries.”

The deadline for indicative offers is 5:00pm on Wednesday 4 June 2025. Interested parties should contact [email protected] or visit www.johnpye.co.uk for further information.