Waterford Wedgewood to axe 1,800 jobs
Luxury goods group Waterford Wedgwood said today it planned to cut 1,800 jobs as part of a major restructuring of its operations in Ireland and the UK.
The moves by the new owner of Royal Doulton include the closure of its Waterford Crystal plant at Dungarvan, resulting in the loss of 400 jobs.
It will also increase the level of savings stemming from its acquisition of Stoke-based Royal Doulton – bringing an additional 500 job losses worldwide on top of 450 posts already lost.
The company, which will employ around 9,500 people following the restructuring, said it needed the cost savings in order to return to “sustainable profitability”.
A spokesman said a major factor in the closure of the Dungarvan plant had been the site's need for substantial capital investment.
The world-renowned cut glass will instead be made at a more modern facility at Waterford City, where the company employs around 1,000 people. Despite the switch, Waterford said it would remove 85 jobs at the main plant.
A further 160 posts will go at Waterford’s German business Rosenthal while another 200 jobs will be lost across the wider Waterford operation.
In terms of the Royal Doulton integration, Waterford said savings would be achieved in manufacturing, retail operations, administration and warehousing. The spokesman said it would continue to have a base in the Potteries region.
