Following the recent shock news that it was significantly increasing its prices by as much as 300%, sink brand Shaws of Darwen has now confirmed it is pulling out of the UK market entirely, and will not be accepting new orders from November 1.
Shaws will cease manufacturing products at its UK facility by the end of June 2027. The company says it will only accept UK or EU orders up until October 31, and as a result, the significant price rises that Shaws had previously announced would come into effect from November onwards have effectively been made redundant.
News of Shaws’ departure came from a letter sent to customers and signed by Jonathan White, sales director EMEAA for Shaws’ parent company, Fortune Brands Innovations, which has been seen by kbbreview.
White’s letter clarifies that the decision to stop UK manufacturing will only affect the Shaws brand, and not Fortune Brands’ wider portfolio of KBB brands, which includes major names like Perrin & Rowe, Victoria + Albert and Aqualisa.
Furthermore, White said that new orders placed until the cut-off date of October 31 will be fulfilled subject to confirmed product availability.
Despite pulling out of the UK, Shaws products will continue to be supplied to the North American market, through a sourced product range designed specifically for that market. Shaws says this is because product requirements differ between the two territories, and anticipated sales volumes from the UK and EU segment “would not support the investment and cost required to develop and supply a separate compliant range”.
White also gave further context on last month’s announcement of major price rises on Shaws products, saying: “Manufacturing costs have remained substantially above our original assumptions and, despite extensive review and improvement activity, we have not identified a sustainable route to profitability.
“The revised pricing announced in August reflected the need to address the continued cost pressures associated with the range. Having reviewed the position further including listening to customer feedback since the announcement, we do not believe there is a sustainable basis for continuing to supply Shaws products in the UK and EU.”
White concluded: “We recognise the significance of this decision for customers who have supported Shaws over many years. We would like to thank you sincerely for your partnership and for the part you have played in the brand’s history.”
Fortune Brands has also directly confirmed to kbbreview that it plans to stop manufacturing Shaws sinks at its UK facility by the end of June 2027.
In a statement, Fortune Brands also added: “We will be restructuring our Shaws sinks business by rationalising the product portfolio, optimizing our production footprint and focusing on the North American end market. Shaws is an excellent brand with room to grow and we will continue to invest in and support the brand.
“We will also continue to offer the craftsmanship, quality and design that customers expect from Shaws. Going forward, we believe we will have scalable capacity that can support more innovation, expansion and profitable growth.”