Xecutive Summary

This Key Note Market Report explores the UK glassware market. For the purposes of this report the market has been divided into four primary sectors — functional drinking vessels, such as stemware and tumblers; tableware and ovenware, for instance bowls and oven dishes; decorative and ornamental gifts, such as vases, paperweights and candle sticks; and collectibles, including commemorative items and glass ornaments. In terms of the materials used, the glassware market can be split into three categories — soda lime glass, lead glass and heat-resistant glass (often known under trade names, such as Pyrex).

Stourbridge, in the West Midlands and Sunderland, on the North East Coast of England are two of the main UK regions renowned for glass production, dating back to the seventeenth century, when these areas were rich in the supply of raw ingredients, particularly in the case of Stourbridge, and had good transport links, for example, Sunderland’s close proximity to the coast, which enabled large amounts of high-quality sand to be shipped over from the Baltic. However, today, UK manufacturers of domestic glassware are unable to compete with overseas suppliers which are not weighed down by the high labour, environmental and energy costs that affect the UK market, and Eastern Europe, as well as, more recently, the People’s Republic of China (PRC), has become the main exporters of domestic glass.