 | |
| Company type | Public limited company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Household goods |
| Founded | 1987 |
| Defunct | 2009 |
| Fate | Assets purchased by KPS Capital Partners |
| Successor | WWRD Holdings Limited |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Tony O'Reilly (lead shareholder; chairman 1995–2009) Peter Goulandris |
| Products | Ceramics and glass items |
| Subsidiaries | Waterford Crystal Wedgwood Rosenthal Royal Doulton Cashs of Ireland |
Waterford Wedgwood plc was an Irish holding company for a group of firms that specialized in the manufacture of high-quality porcelain, bone china and glass products, mostly for use as tableware or home decor. The group was dominated by Irish businessman Tony O'Reilly and his family, including his wife Chryss Goulandris and her family, with the two families together having invested hundreds of millions of euros in it. The group's financial record was mixed, and significant cost-cutting had been ongoing for many years.
In 2009, parts of the group, including the main Irish and UK operations, were placed into receivership[1] and acquired by KPS Capital Partners, a New York–based private equity firm. Waterford Crystal and Wedgwood, along with Royal Doulton and other brands, were transferred to a new company named WWRD Holdings Limited (with WWRD as an acronym for 'Waterford Wedgwood Royal Doulton').[2] In July 2015, WWRD Holdings was acquired by Fiskars, a Finnish consumer goods company.[3]
- ^ Labanyi, David (5 January 2009). "Troubled Waterford put into receivership". The Irish Times. Dublin. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
- ^ "WWRD Holdings Limited acquires the assets of Waterford, Wedgwood, and Royal Doulton". KPS Capital Partners. 26 March 2009. Archived from the original on 9 January 2010. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
- ^ "Fiskars Corporation has completed the acquisition of WWRD and extended its portfolio with iconic luxury home and lifestyle brands". Press Releases. Fiskars Corporation. 2 July 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2018.