Waterford Wedgwood
| Waterford Wedgwood plc | |
|---|---|
| legal form | Public Limited Company |
| founding | 1986 |
| Seat |
Waterford , Ireland
|
| management | David W. Sculley, CEO |
| Number of employees | 8,089 (2008) |
| sales | EUR 671.8 million (2008) |
| Branch | Porcelain and glass manufacture |
| Website | www.waterfordwedgwood.com |
The Waterford Wedgwood plc based in the Irish Waterford was a holding company specializing in the production of high quality porcelain and crystal glass. In the 2008 financial year, the company generated sales of EUR 671.8 million with a total of 8,089 employees. After the economic crisis and restructuring, the brands 'Waterford' and 'Wedgwood' have belonged to the Fiskars group since 2015 .
history
The ceramics factory Wedgwood was founded in 1759 by Josiah Wedgwood in Stoke-on-Trent established. In 1986 it was taken over by the Irish crystal glass manufacturer Waterford, which was founded in 1783. As a result of the takeover, today's umbrella company was created, which operates under the names of both traditional brands.
At the beginning of 1997, Waterford Wedgwood took advantage of the sales crisis of the Bavarian Rosenthal AG and initially acquired a 9.1 percent stake. In the course of the year, Waterford Wedgwood became the majority shareholder with 61.5 percent of the shares. By 2008, the equity stake rose to 89.9 percent. On January 5, 2009, the parent company filed for bankruptcy for the financially troubled subsidiary. But the Irish group also had to file for bankruptcy. Under the umbrella of the US investment company KPS Capital Partners, the company was reorganized in 2009 as WWRD Holding (Waterford Wedgwood Royal Doulton). In summer 2009 Rosenthal was sold to the Italian cutlery manufacturer Sambonet Paderno. The distribution of the Swiss kitchenware manufacturer Spring was assigned to the Solingen-based company Küchenprofi.
Corporate structure
The following companies belonged to Waterford Wedgwood plc :
- Waterford Crystal
- Josiah Wedgwood & Sons
- Royal Doulton
- Cashs of Ireland
Products
The company's most important products included:
- Glasses (wine glasses, champagne glasses, vases etc.)
- Porcelain (service, place settings, toilet utensils)
- Lighting units (wall fittings, table lamps, chandeliers and candlesticks)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b [http://www.waterfordwedgwood.com/pdf/WW_RandA_2008.pdf Annual Report 2008] (link not available)
- ↑ a b Annual Report 2003 of Waterford Wedgwood plc dated October 2, 2003
- ↑ F&S index United States, No. 4/1997, p. 234ff.
- ↑ Rosenthal manufacturer threatens bankruptcy. Financial Times Deutschland, January 5, 2009, archived from the original on January 31, 2009 ; Retrieved January 6, 2009 .
- ↑ Italians save traditional Rosenthal company
- ↑ Spring sales in new hands ( Memento from April 12, 2013 in the web archive archive.today )