New Developments with Waterford, Wedgwood & Royal Doulton

Some of our customers have questions about Waterford, Wedgwood and Royal Doulton. We try to answer those questions here:

Do Waterford, Wedgwood and Royal Doulton have new owners? Yes. On March 26, 2009, Waterford, Wedgwood and Royal Doulton were acquired by WWRD Holdings Limited, a new company formed by KPS Capital Partners, a New York-based private equity firm.

What is this new company, WWRD Holdings? WWRD Holdings is now the leading provider of luxury home and lifestyle products sold worldwide under a number of well-recognized brands, including Waterford, Wedgwood, Royal Doulton, Royal Albert, Minton and Johnson Brothers. WWRD Holdings maintains unique licensing arrangements with some of the most high-profile innovators in the home and lifestyle market, including Vera Wang, Jasper Conran, John Rocha, Monique Lhuillier, Barbara Barry, Gordon Ramsay, Martha Stewart, and Michael Aram.

What are this company's plans for Waterford, Wedgwood and Royal Doulton? According to Pierre de Villemejane, the CEO of WWRD Holdings: “We look forward to building on the Company’s world-renowned brands and incomparable heritage, premier designers and strong customer relationships. No other company in this dynamic sector has a comparable breadth of products from classic to contemporary, and we intend to grow the business aggressively. Our exclusive focus will be on providing our customers with the most innovative, fashionable and quality products in the world.”

Will I still be able to buy items in my stemware, china or flatware pattern? It is likely that the most popular patterns and products will still be produced, but some older and less popular patterns and products will be discontinued, and there may be some inventory shortages during this transitional period. For those reasons, we are encouraging our customers to purchase items in their patterns and other products they know they will want in the near future while they are still available. Please call us at 1-866-516-0907 if you have questions about the availability of a particular pattern or product.

What does it mean for Best Crystal?  As the largest independent Waterford Wedgwood retailer in the western United States, Best Crystal is thrilled that KPS is investing the necessary resources to allow these companies to continue to produce their magnificent products for us and our customers. 

Why should I buy from Best Crystal?  Our dedication to providing the best customer service, our large in-house inventory, fast order fulfillment, and our experienced and knowledgeable staff, keep our customers coming back and win new customers every day. Our policies and procedures also enable our customers to order with confidence and without any risk:  Best Crystal promptly notifies you if an item is backordered, does not charge you for an item until it ships, allows you to cancel at any time, and has a liberal and easy return policy.

If you do not purchase from Best Crystal, please make sure the company you purchase from has the item in stock and/or will not charge your credit card until your item ships. Unfortunately, some customers have told us they ordered elsewhere, were charged immediately, their order was not fulfilled, and the company does not answer its phones or emails. Others have complained that they ordered elsewhere and the company never notified them that the product was not available. That won't happen at Best Crystal.  We will not charge you until your order ships, we will let you know if the product is backordered, and we will give you the option to wait for a backordered item or cancel your order at any time. This protects you, and we believe it is the right way to do business.

If you have additional questions about Waterford, Wedgwood or Royal Doulton, their products, or about Best Crystal, please call us at 1-866-516-0907 or email us at service@bestcrystal.com. We look forward to hearing from you and doing business with you.