The tabletop industry has been in an incredibly dynamic cycle and not long ago came the announcement that Kevin Oakes, former CEO of Steelite International, was purchasing the Royal Crown Derby brand. In what is sure to be another great company re-birth, this is one more indication of the vibrancy and opportunity within the tabletop category. Royal Crown Derby is a 200 year old brand with tremendous heritage and a terrific reputation for quality and creativity.
Not long ago, we had an opportunity to sit with Kevin and discuss his decision, the Royal Crown Derby brand, and its future within the hospitality trade around the globe.
TabletopJournal: Kevin, you’ve been enormously successful at Steelite International…perhaps the most successful CEO in the pottery industry, and, now all the sudden, at this point in your career you jump out and you take on the Royal Crown Derby challenge. What made you undertake that and leading the brand all by itself?
Kevin Oakes: “Well, the first thing I’d like to say is I truly love Steelite and this is the biggest decision I’ve ever taken in my life, but after much thought and exploration and reached every conceivable opportunity for the business going forward would it be the right thing? And to leave the company in the hands of John Miles and the rest of the management team was important to me. But I certainly didn’t want to retire from the industry. Royal Crown Derby is absolutely iconic and that history, that heritage and the latent potential for design is one opportunity, which I’d really like to maximize. We’d like to have a lot of fun, and we would like to create a lot of exciting products and that’s exactly what’s going to happen. For me, to acquire Royal Crown Derby is an incredible honor. I joined Royal Doulton (which had Steelite then) back in 1977 and if somebody said to me back in 1977 that I could have almost 39 years and with one of the most successful china businesses in the world and then go on to own Royal Crown Derby, I would 100%, never had believed them.
It’s a privilege, it’s an honor, it’s a true responsibility and I feel the weight of all those years upon my shoulders, but I totally believe in the company, I believe in its products and most importantly… I believe in its people and I’m excited about the opportunity that exists.
TJ: We understand that you have made a personal financial investment in Royal Crown Derby, is that anything you want to disclose or talk about?
KO: “I’ve been asked several times in interviews and I am not admitted to share because of other parties but what I can share is that I invested 1 million pounds into Royal Crown Derby of my own investment. This gives us the ability to create wonderful new products and to appoint new people which we already started to do, increase marketing, and travel to new export markets. We have got a very exciting plan signed off on as a board and we are now looking to deliver it.”
TJ: How does hospitality fit into the future plans for Royal Crown Derby? The company has traditionally been known as a luxury consumer brand and a giftware brand, but how does the hospitality segment fit into your vision for Royal Crown Derby?
KO: You’re quite right. When we’re looking at the products, because of our history and heritage, I truly believe that we can leverage the brand in hospitality and to date we have supplied the Dorchester Hotel with a truly fantastic bespoke commission that I dined off a few weeks ago and it is absolutely fantastic, setting the Dorchester banquet room apart from anything else in the UK at this current time.
Custom china design for The Dorchester from Royal Crown Derby
We’ve also supplied Hilton Hotels, Wynn Casino and executive dining at Rolls-Royce Aerospace. So, the company has incredible talent in producing bespoke design in terms of decoration and in shape and I’m confident with the investment that were making we can continue to grow that and appeal to that luxury marketplace.
TJ: Design seems to be so intrinsic to Royal Crown Derby’s makeup. What will design – for the hospitality industry – look like from Royal Crown Derby as we go forward from here?
KO: I’ve already mentioned to you that we started to make new appointments, and the first one we made actually was on the day of the acquisition. And I’m delighted to announce that Nikki Green, who worked alongside creative director, Andrew Klimecki and for me at Steelite for many years, and helped pioneer Steelite’s new designs to the United States hospitality market, has now joined Royal Crown Derby.
And so Nikki will be responsible for developing our hospitality range, and she will be traveling the world doing that, exactly the same way that she did for Steelite, so I’m really excited about that. But, we also have an incredibly gifted team that has been producing some wonderful products and designs for retail, and, now for hospitality industry, as well.
For example, at The Dorchester in London, the bespoke commission there was based upon on the room, the banqueting room at The Dorchester and the pattern which is partially 22-karat gold based upon on the chandelier droplets and featured in the room so heavily was approved by the hotel.
So, we have an incredibly talented team and there’s going to be some really exciting designs coming very soon.
TJ: There are so many great designers and design ideas coming from the UK these days. With design such an integral part of the overall DNA of Royal Crown Derby, do you see the company involving itself with the design community going forward?
KO: Here in the U.K. we have a rich pool of design talents. One of my visions for the business is to work very closely with the university here in Derby and to have internships for young designers coming into the industry and work with them on specific projects to see what comes out of it. So we’re putting something back and I believe we’ll get even more out in terms of creating new design ideas.
TJ: A question to finish up with is one on the issue of distribution. One of the hardest things in hospitality tabletop these days is to get a product out there into the various markets and gain awareness of a new product. Additionally, hospitality is such a global business.
How can hospitality customers around the world have access to Royal Crown Derby products and what is the best way for these hospitality customers to find out more about Royal Crown Derby products and its capabilities?
KO: The agreement that we’ve reached is that Steelite will continue to represent Royal Crown Derby. The two new tableware patterns – RUMORS and EXPOSÉ – they will represent exclusively and we’ll work with them to promote those products. The general range of Royal Crown Derby products will also be available through Steelite International, and will be exhibited by them at trade exhibitions. And in addition of course they will be supported by Royal Crown Derby and the team.
So the world can get in touch with us through one of the finest companies in the hospitality industry, Steelite International, or by contacting Royal Crown Derby directly.
TJ: Will you also be adjusting your website to showcase Royal Crown Derby’s hospitality products and its ability to create bespoke products?
Very clearly, I want the company to be the leading supplier of luxury fine bone china to both the global retail and hospitality markets – that’s what we’re setting out to do. It’s a long journey, a tough journey, but that’s what we want to do.
Also, when my acquisition of the company was announced, I talked about my love and my passion for Royal Crown Derby. I believe that exactly that love and that passion runs through the business. I talked about how proud I was to own a truly iconic British brand, and a brand that’s epitomized by our British bulldog paperweight, which I put up onto the screen during my presentation. So I talked about the British bulldog and the British bulldog’s spirit and I talked about its strength and its tenacity and its willingness to fight. We’re going to use this bulldog symbol around the world for three key reasons.
One is that it’s going to be our icon for our culture within the business. And so I want everybody in the business to demonstrate that. Not only the skill and the artistry but also the strength and the tenacity. Secondly, it demonstrates our pride in Britain, our pride in our skill and our pride in our manufacturing and quality in our design, and the fact that we’re proud to be manufacturing luxury products in Great Britain.
So, we’re going to be that bulldog, we’re going to get that symbol, we’re going to send it around the world and say… you know what – we want people to know Britain is the right place to be that drives trends throughout the world. And, that we’re still going to do great designs and I want people to know that we’re incredibly proud to be British. So, that bulldog is going to be out there as a symbol of Royal Crown Derby.
And thirdly…earlier, I sent this bulldog message to all politicians in Westminster, London because we need political support and vision and every opportunity that they can give to British manufacturing because this country absolutely needs it at the moment…so this message has been sent to our politicians, as well. So, that’s my bulldog story.
TJ: We’re very excited for you and the team at Royal Crown Derby. It’s a fantastic time in our industry right now and often timing is everything. To us, the timing for Royal Crown Derby seems good. Add to that your commitment, which seems unquestionable, and we love where we think you and Royal Crown Derby are headed. Congratulations and we wish you all the best.
KO: Thank you so much for your interest and support.
