Royal Worcester were made redundant in 2003, and another 100 went in 2005. Fifteen porcelain painters left the Severn Street factory on Friday 29 September 2006, together with 100 other workers. The last trading date for Royal Worcester was 14 June 2009. The company went into administration on 6 November 2008 and on 23 April 2009, the brand name and intellectual property were acquired by Portmeirion Pottery Group – a pottery and homewares company based in Stoke-on-Trent. As Portmeirion Group has a factory in Stoke-on-Trent, the purchase did not include the Royal Worcester and Spode manufacturing facilities. Royal Worcester Royal Worcester was
The Code of the Woosters Spode has a shameful secret. Because of the club's strict rules, Jeeves cannot reveal anything more to Bertie than one name: "Eulalie". Confident that he can blackmail Spode by pretending to know all about his secret, Bertie rebukes Spode with sarcastic insults, orders him to leave Gussie alone, and is about to threaten to reveal the truth about "Eulalie", but, at the crucial moment, is unable to recall the name. Enraged by the insults, Spode attacks. A brief scuffle ensues; Bertie tries to flee, but suddenly remembers the name, and tells Spode he knows about Eulalie. Terrified, Spode backs down