February 2006

February sees the beginning of one of the busiest periods for those involved in the Pottery and China Industry. The first weekend of February heralds the start of a long line of trade fairs starting with the Spring Fair in Birmingham and it is at these fairs that companies unveil their new products for the first half of 2006.

Denby have two major launches for the first half of 2006 with a few line extensions for exsisting patterns.

	Caramel Caramel from Denby is a new and contemporary pattern for 2006 inspired by modern Country Living. The warm shades and understated decoration heralds this new pattern as stylish but home orientated addition to the current Denby Collections. To view the complete range of Denby Caramel please use the link below. Caramel is expected to be available from June 2006 and will be included on the Kings and Queens Site as soon as it is available. View Denby Caramel
	Jet Dots Jet Dots is the newest addition to the Jet family. This fun pattern with a big personality was first introduced on mugs at the end of 2005. It proved so popular it has now been extended to act a second accent range to compliment the sophisticated blacks and greys of the main range. To view the Jet Dot Collection please use the link below. Jet Dots will be available in March/April 2006 and will be added to The Kings and Queens Site at that time. View Jet Dots

Line Extensions

We would like to start by thanking all those who ordered from us over Christmas. It was a very unpredictable trading period and, like many, we got a little caught out. Christmas trade started quite late compared to previous years and to begin with mirrored the trends on the High Street. This changed dramatically once we entered December and demand for Denby, and especially retiring patterns such as Reflex, was phenomenal and took both us and Denby by surprise. We therefore apologies for the prolonged delay on some orders leading up to Christmas but with the same trends happening all over the country demand outstretched availability. Denby Pottery Ltd were excellent and rose to the challenge and I am pleased to say with their huge efforts to turn orders around at break-neck speed and the understanding nature of our customers we managed to get most orders out in time for Christmas.

February 2006 Retirements

As previously mentioned a couple of Denby patterns our now retiring and will not be available to order after February 2006. These patterns are:

Reflex
Flavours
Smokestone

A number of individual items from existing ranges are also being retired

Drama Swatch
Coupe Saucer
Coup Dessert / Salad Plate
Extra Large Plate
Mug
Oval Platter

Regency Meadow
Small Mod Mug
Tea Plate
Dessert / Salad Plate
Dinner Plate

White Silk
Tea Saucer
Tea Plate
Dessert / Salad Plate
Dinner Plate
Small Mug

Metz
Cream Tea Saucer
Cream Tea Plate
Cream Dessert / Salad Plate

Energy
White/White Dessert Salad Plate
White/Green Dinner Plate
White Large Mod Mug
Salt
Pepper
Butter Dish

Energy Leaf
Coffee Beaker
Dessert / Salad Plate
Dinner Plate
Pasta Bowl
Round Platter

Jet
Mixed Grey Teapot
Mixed Grey Covered Sugar
Mixed Grey Creamer Jug
Grey Oval Platter
Mixed Black Ramekins
Black Serving Bowl
Mixed Black Square Dish
Grey Rimmed Bowl
Jet Stripes Round Platter

Linen
Square dish
Ramekin

Imperial Blue
Square Dish
Medium Pasta / Salad Bowl
Ramekin
Large Oval Dish
Egg Cup

Regency Green
Egg Cup

Greenwich
Egg Cup

Azure
Espresso Cup
Rimmed Bowl

Where we hold stocks of the above items they are still available to order but stocks are limited and as they run out the items will be removed from the site. All orders for retired pieces are subject to availability.

Retirements in February 2007

We have been informed that the following patterns will be retiring in February 2007:

Light and Shade
Cinnamon
Storm

It has been 4 months since we launched the Denby Site and we have been overwhelmed by the demand. We would like to thank everyone who has ordered and hope you are all pleased with your Denby Pottery and the level of service you received from www.kingsandqueenswales.co.uk.

In the Diary this Quarter
is information about the new patterns launched by Denby along with some forward warning of retirements and....

A quick summary of our working procedures and...

There is also an article about safe shopping on the internet. Calling it and article is perhaps overstating it a bit, but at Kings and Queens we want to rid the internet of those traders who abuse the system so we have a few little tips if you are wary about internet shopping.

New Launches

A number of new ideas have been Launched this year. Firstly there are 2 new patterns and a bit more than that.

Denby China

This is the bit more!!. Denby recognized that the quality of china over pottery appealed to a number of people in certain circumstances. They also noticed that although those making pottery had modernized with changing fashions there seemed to be a gap for well designed contemporary chinaware at competitive prices. Denby China is the result. The white is soft but clear but the real eye catcher is the shape of the wear especially the jugs and teapot. The quality is unmistakably Denby and they rightly feel that this could easily be the start of something big.

To view the Denby China Range please use the link below
Denby China

Retirements

Two patterns are due for retirement February 2006, Smokestone and Reflex. We are still taking orders on these patterns while they remain available. To View the retiring patterns please use the links below
Smokestone
Reflex

Tablelife

Tablelife is the way to select you coordinated accessories. Denby recognized that different moods could be created by changing the accessories at the table. So instead of assigning one particular look to each pattern they have created a colour coordinated range of independent textiles and placemats for you to chose from. This is the perfect way to personalize your look.

To view the Tablelife Collection please use the link below
Tablelife

Mugs

A small range of mugs have been launched. Some take their inspiration from exsisting patterns others are new stand alone designs.

To view the Mugs Collection please use the link below
Mugs

How We Operate

I think it is important to stress that although we hold stocks of many Denby patterns it is impossible to hold everything. We have therefore arranged for all items that we are out of stock of to be sent to us direct from the factory. This process takes anything from 2-4 weeks but at all items are first factory quality, guaranteed.

Tips on Internet Shopping and Security(1)

Ordering on the internet can be scary, especially if you are new to internet shopping. We have all heard the the tales of woe, some of which I suspect are merely Urban Legends, but even so it pays to be careful. I think the best way to look at the problem is to imagine who you are dealing with. At the other end of the computer are people, in the case of Kings and Queens helpful, friendly people. If you are in anyway unsure whether any internet site is safe, phone them. If you can't find a contact number then ask yourself "why?" If you have the address, phone number, web site address and e-mail and you have phoned them, and therefore are pretty confident they really exists, then you have a little more peace of mind. Of course you need to also make sure that when you send in credit card details you are doing so over a safe encrypted connection (Check this by looking for a padlock or safe icon on the credit card page and that the address changes in the top address bar from http://www...... to https://www......) Remember when you buy goods on the internet you have the same statutory rights in the UK as buying from a catalogue. If something goes wrong and you have all the information I mentioned above you can take your complaint to the Trading Standards and they will help you pursue your claim. Please though,always give the company a chance to put things right before approaching Trading Standards. After 20 years in business I know that there are companies who are "Dodgy" in all trades but there are a lot more who are honest and strive to give good service. Sometimes things go wrong and most will try and sort things out but if you are unlucky enough to come across a bad one do something about it!!. Don't feel that you are going to be accused of getting what you deserve for buying on the internet after all it's only shopping, and you have just as much right to be treated fairly on the internet as when you walk into a shop. The internet is a fast convenient way to shop and done properly it is the best thing to happen to shopping since "Sliced Bread". Unfortunately there are always those who wish to abuse and take advantage. If we only deal with sites that we have confirmed have a physical presence as well as an internet presence, and we reported all rogue activity we could clean up the internet.

If you would like to phone Kings and Queens to discuss your order or check that we are there (We are between 9.00am - 5.30pm Monday - Saturday) you can do so by
phoning 01267 231678

The other way to gain some confidence with the company you are dealing with is by recommendation. I thought I would share with you a great letter we received from a US Police Lieutenant from Miami. I have blocked out his full name and telephone number for obvious reasons.
To read the latter please use the Link below
Recommendation Letter