Over the weekend (November 9-10), Le Creuset held its kitchenware sale which attracted bargain hunters from around the country to its Andover warehouse.
Queues were as long as four hours and Hampshire Constabulary was called to the site to help control the traffic flow as customer cars caused significant congestion.
The brand, which celebrates its centurion year in 2025, offered deals up to 50% off in some cases, and created a buzz on social media with customers boasting about their hauls. These included wine glasses, mugs, dishes and bowls at a snip of the recommended retail price.
The company calls the Andover warehouse sale its “largest in-person event” and it is in-person only, unticketed, and first-come-first-served.
Plates, pans, gravy boats, cake tins, spoons and kettles are just some of the items made by the company which has weathered a 20 per cent dip in sales caused by the post-pandemic cost of living crisis.
Nick Ryder, Le Creuset’s Managing Director, said in the company’s annual reports last year: “In the post-Covid world, with changing spending patterns and a backdrop of increasing prices and interest rates, the market we operate in has seen a decrease in spend.”
But while people may normally struggle to condone paying hundreds of pounds for a pot when much cheaper imitations are available, the weekend rush for discounted Le Creuset items shows the company is still held in high esteem by the English middle classes.
