De Porceleyne Fles, the pottery, cutlery and glassware company which makes the famous Delft Blue porcelain, posted a loss of €245,000 in the first six months of this year.

The company said sales of its Royal Delft porcelain fell by almost 10% as companies bought fewer gifts for their corporate contacts. Sales to tourists remained stable, the company said.

However, sales of Leerdam Crystal glassware rose 33%, due in part to a a special campaign involving souvenir vases for the investiture of King Willem-Alexander.