Staffordshire cutlery maker Arthur Price is full of the joys of spring – after clocking up £500,000 in export orders in February.

After attending the Spring Fair at the NEC in early February before travelling to the Ambiente tradeshow in Frankfurt, the Lichfield-based company received orders from a string of new territories, including Mongolia, Finland, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt, Nigeria and Iceland.

And, to cement further export sales, new distributor agreements have been signed in New Zealand and Singapore.

Simon Price, Arthur Price CEO, said: “This country is very good at knocking itself but we should realise our expertise and tap into the desire by many countries for British-made brands.

"We have some of the best trained and skilled people in the world.

“At Arthur Price we have a factory in Birmingham, the city of a thousand trades, and another in Sheffield, the home of British cutlery.

"I’m delighted with the spread of countries we are now exporting to and with new territories we hope to expand even more.”

Kevin Flint, Arthur Price Export Manager, said: “We have sold our cutlery and gifts all over the world for many years but have been recently researching new distributors across the globe, particularly Eastern Europe and the Middle and Far East.

“What is pleasing is that we have been approached on many occasions with potential buyers mentioning our reputation.

"There is definitely a general perception of British goods being amongst the best in the world.”

Started in 1902, Arthur Price is still 100 per cent family-owned and is currently run by fourth generation Simon Price with his son James.

With two Royal Warrants, the firm has supplied cutlery and gifts to everyone from the Beckhams to Concorde.