Fired Earth and Ceramique International succumbs to market pressures and enters administration

THE tiling industry this year has battled many financial challenges owing to the sluggish state of the UK economy. As a result, we’ve seen two big industry names file for administration over the last quarter of the year.

The first was Fired Earth, a well-known UK supplier in the tiling industry, resulting in reportedly over 130 employees being made redundant. The company founded in 1983, began selling terracotta floor tiles and grew into a company consisting of 30 showrooms and two overseas in Denmark and Norway. For more than 40 years, Fired Earth sourced products from across the globe and was known for its array of inspirational showrooms across the country.

Dane O’Hara and Neil Bennett from Leonard Curtis were appointed as joint administrators to the company, on October 31.

As reported in The Sun, Dane O’Hara said: ‘Fired Earth has been loss-making for some time. In the last three years the company has been supported by its shareholders while efforts were made to return the business to profitability.

‘Unfortunately, the company has continued to incur trading losses, and its investor was not prepared to provide further funding.’

The company is said to have made a total turnover of £15m according to recent financial data, however it’s reported that it made a loss of 1.6 million in 2023 as well as producing similar result consecutively in 2024.

Another major company that has also suffered the same fate is Ceramique Internationale which recently went into administration on 4 November. The company, founded in 1974 appointed new administrators Matthew Haw and Christopher Ratten from RSM UK Restructuring Advisory.

It’s clear the economy has been tough for many tiling companies over the last few years. Along with Fired Earth and Ceramique Internationale, CTD Tiles went into administration in 2024 before the brand was acquired by Topps Tiles with 30 of its stores. Additionally, last year, Johnson Tiles, another well-known supplier in the Midlands also moved its production facilities out of the UK owing to it reportedly not being sustainable long term.