On the way home from school yesterday I heard a news item that the factory in Waterford had been shut down by bankruptcy officials. Today I googled "waterford crystal factory" and read that it was indeed true. Alas!

Yesterday afternoon the workers arriving for the pm shift were told that the factory was shut down. the workers have been working short hours while the company struggled with its debts.

time marches on. this company has not kept pace with change. wedgewood will be no longer also due to inability to realise that times have changed. the system is set up to weed out those who refuse to meet market demands.

A couple of years ago Waterford purchased the Royal Doulton and Royal Albert china business which accelerated their demise in my opinion. Recently I went to purchase some of their china as a special commerative gift for a friend. The "sticker shock" was coupled with the horror that it was made in China! Somehow in their infinite wisdom the owners believed that they could pass off mutton dressed as lamb. It is a sad end for what was beautiful, traditional homewares.

Irishface, I agree that the closing of the Waterford factory is a tragedy and soooo hard for its loyal employees. But let's face it, although my generation loved Waterford and had great pride in owning and displaying it, most younger folks are not interested in investing in this crystal and using these beautiful pieces. How many brides today have Waterford on their bridal registries?

Another sad break with the past....

Great pity.........................
here am I, working on an itinerary for our May trip to Ireland which included a tour of the Waterford factory - guess we'll find something to replace those those couple of hours!

It is sad and even more so when some Royal Doulton has been made in Indonesia for some years now and its VERY INFERIOR

Looks like the few pieces of Royal Doulton I having lying around( and NOT the teacups with the Periwinkle design!!) will be even more valuable than ever.
I seldom use my dinner, tea & coffee service which is stunningly beautiful in pure white called "Cascade", simply because they are soooooo expensive. Seems silly to acquire them just to be left in a cupboard but at least they are totally complete. Maybe I should start thinking about flogging the whole darn lot and spend the lolly in Paris!

I was thinking the same Tod. Got a 12 piece set of Royal Doulton which sits in the cupboard and like you I can think of plenty of better things to do with the money right now.

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But let's face it, although my generation loved Waterford and had great pride in owning and displaying it, most younger folks are not interested in investing in this crystal and using these beautiful pieces. How many brides today have Waterford on their bridal registries?
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nor do very many want 'royal' dolt-on, wedgewood, etc any longer. these brands have been mismanaged and failed to keep up with customer requirements. shame on them for letting down british industry and their workers. their workers don't deserve their fates but these horrid firms do deserve to go down in flames. what a disgrace.

You can only be gobsmacked at the sheer idiocy of a self-loathing Briton who can take the mismanagement of an Irish company, by an Irish chief executive, as evidence of British incompetence.

But I still object to it. We Irish screwed up Waterford all by ourselves.

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mismanagement of an Irish company, by an Irish chief executive, as evidence of British incompetence.
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of course royal dolt-on and wedgwood are very old british firms that were acquired by waterford and allowed to operate fairly independently. as such, i am assuming that they remained at the helm of their brand management, product direction and other marketing functions.

while a right and proper result of idiotic management, it IS a disgrace of BRITISH industry that two of our oldest and most respected brands are run into the ground. don't you think?

anyway, my main point is that these firms were mismanaged and deserve their fate. blame the brits or blame the irish management. the fall of the dolt-on and wedgwood is much more of a blow to british industry and pride than irish....but i do understand that you are grasping at every straw of pedantry to argue with me.

No matter how thin you slice the baloney, it is still a loss to all persons of taste that these key artisans have lost their jobs and the world in future will not have their works to enjoy.

Do you think their doors will re-open?

Does Ireland have a law such as America's bankruptcy under Chapter 11 where the enterprise continues, protected from its creditors.

Flanners - Are you Irish citizen in Ireland or just Irish person living elsewhere?
Hope you don't mind me asking.

USNR wrote: "Do you think their doors will re-open?"

Yes and no.

The "yes" part is a plan to maintain the visitors' centre, with sufficient production to exhibit the skills involved in the product.

The "no" part is that the bulk of production will be done overseas, probably in Bohemia. I don't think that can be avoided: Waterford is squeezed between high production costs in Ireland and a difficult market for the product.

It IS true that Waterford has effectively shut down. Upper management went on a buying frenzy over the past decade or so, using cheap credit from the Celtic Tiger economy to buy up numerous "Old Name' companies that were, themselves, already on the verge of bankruptcy. Off-shore divesture (much Waterford made in Poland or Checklovakia and much Royal Doulton and Royal Albert made in China or Indonesia)only cheapened the Brand.
Now, with people 'cutting back' on their spending for luxuries ...

The Irish Government is discussing the possibility of stepping in and taking over the Visitor's Center (at least) to shore up the Tourist value. Dunno how well that will work out -- or when -- as they seem pretty mired down in dealing with the general economy.

Some former Waterford artisans HAVE struck out, on their own and there are a number of FINE, regional crystal makers, scattered through out Ireland, although none have, as yet acquired the "NAME" recognition that Waterford has (HAD) carried.

I thought that it was reported that an American compay had been awarded Receivership of Waterford and that the local, at least, held out high hopes. Apparently, the details were LESS than were hoped for:

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/br...-14161651.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/n...nd/7863612.stm

Bob

Friends, the question remains - do the tastes of younger consumers suggest a continued customer base for Waterford and other fine china and crystal? Regretably, it may not.

It's certainly stuff I associate with grannies (or my parents who are in their 80s, who have Waterford crysta). I'm in my early 40s and I don't know anyone in my peer group who collects these types of items. (and USNR, I believe we are still 'persons of taste' - we just don't have the same taste as you. Your comment was rather arrogant and rude)

I simply can't see the appeal in spending so very much money on something that rarely gets used and probably sits in a cupboard, or maybe in a display cabinet. As far as I'm concerned with the china, you can get equally beautiful designs without paying that huge price. IF I want to display something beautiful in my home I'd rather invest in a piece of art, that I can see and enjoy every day.

Different people like different things. Maybe younger people don't have that 'collectors' urge so much these days.

<i>do the tastes of younger consumers suggest a continued customer base for Waterford and other fine china and crystal?</i>

No.

I didn't even register for china when I got married. The only way I will ever get some is if I end up with an heirloom.

Waterford Crystal failed before. The brand started before the United States was formally founded and died before our civil war. It was resurrected after World War II.

Waterford Crystal is art, and, the pieces done by the master cutters are stunning objects of genius and high craft. Most of the pieces are designed to be used in common functions such as dining and bathing, though they certainly have aesthetic appeal sitting on a shelf or table.

Likely that fluctuations in exchange rates and a slowing market for luxury goods did much to hurt the market for their products, though it appears that their managers over-extended themselves.

Seems as though large segments of newlyweds are more interested in instant gratification (plasma tvs) than acquiring objects of enduring value rooted in and carrying forward tradition. Perhaps the demise of Waterford is a harbinger for a society that wants to consume everything it currently produces (especially if someone else pays) and some of what future generations produce. Now.

RIP.

I read that a handful were not let go to keep the furnaces giung in case a buyer came up last minute and they could start producing straight away. As far as i know there are still workers protesting in the Visitors centre. This am they said there could be an America crowd interested so they may bet a last minute save. The sad thing is there was no notice. We know jobs are being cut but we all have mortgages and even a few days notice would have made the situation better. Fingers crossed.