Mark Prince (pictured) and Dave Tutton, the ex-managing director and marketing director of Jacuzzi UK, have bought the company's Staffordshire ceramics factory.

Under their new company - Silverdale Bathrooms - Prince and Tutton have also purchased the BC Sanitan brand from Jacuzzi. The Silverdale factory, in Newcastle-under-Lyme, will continue to be managed by the current production team and the brand will now be ordered and supplied directly from the new company.

Silverdale Bathrooms will also manufacture the Jacuzzi brand of sanitaryware under licence, but it will continue to be supplied b Jacuzzi UK's offices in Bradford.

"I am delighted that we have been successful in securing the future of this ceramic factory with its long tradition of hand-crafted ceramic pieces. Some of the potters, who have worked at this site for many years, have a skill passed down from past generations and long may it continue while there is still a market that requires these quality British made products."

The buyout has been supported by Skipton Business Finance and Midven Ltd, and has safeguarded 50 jobs. In summer 2010, Prince oversaw a major cut of 15% of Jacuzzi UK's workforce as it restructured to cope with the difficult market.

The move comes weeks after Chinese company Imperial Sanitaryware purchased the Middlewich sanitaryware plant from Ideal Standard. In an interview with kbbreview, managing director Jan Klomp said that, in his view, the large bathroom corporations where beginning to struggle to maintain their manufacturing base along with their sales and marketing operations.