Discount retailer Home Bargains is among the parties pursuing a deal to acquire Denby, the tableware brand that fell into administration roughly two months ago, reported Sky News.
The retailer, which operates hundreds of stores across the UK, is understood to be engaged in a process managed by insolvency practitioners at FRP Advisory.
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The stage of negotiations and whether competing bidders remain in the running could not be immediately established.
According to the report, several other homewares chains have also reportedly registered interest.
Denby entered administration at the end of March after citing mounting costs and sluggish consumer demand.
The business, which includes the Burleigh pottery brand, has continued to trade through the administration period.
Manufacturing was halted in April, leading to close to 50 redundancies, though Denby’s subsidiaries in South Korea, the US and China were unaffected by the initial administration appointment.
The company manufactures tableware and related products using Derbyshire clay at the same site where the pottery tradition began.
Burleigh was itself rescued in 2010, receiving £9m from the then-Prince of Wales — now King Charles — to fund emergency repair works at its Middleport Pottery.
Home Bargains has reportedly set a goal of expanding to 1,000 stores.
In a statement to Retail Insight Network, FRP said it “does not tend to comment on speculation like this. We do not know what Sky is basing the claim on, but it was not information that we provided”.
Retail distress in the UK is persisting through 2025 and 2026, according to GlobalData, the parent of Retail Insight Network, driven by rising costs, subdued consumer spending and operational pressures accelerating store closures and restructurings, particularly among speciality chains.
GlobalData noted that survivors are increasingly defined by omnichannel maturity, cost discipline and brand differentiation, while those unable to adapt face continued failure.
Home Bargains has been contacted for comment.
