STOCK WATCH

PORTMEIRION, the maker of Royal Worcester porcelain, climbed sharply after it reported a record set of halfyear results.

For the six months to the end of June, the Stoke-on-Trentbased pottery firm posted a profit of £1.5m.

That swung from a £2.7m loss a year ago, while company revenues increased by 35pc to a record £43.1m.

The potter flagged up strong growth in its key South Korean market, adding that it also expects to resume dividend payments this year.

Portmeirion’s shares jumped 9.7pc, or 60p, to 680p on the back of the news.