In 2009, Wedgwood Will Celebrate a Milestone in Its Rich History. for 250
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CSB08_116-117_Wedgwood 11/6/2008 16:30 Page 116 In 2009, Wedgwood will celebrate a milestone in its rich history. For 250 years its fine ceramics and gifts have graced the tables of palaces, parliaments, leading hotels and homes the world over. Its unique English heritage is being marked in its anniversary year with a series of global celebrations bringing together modern classics and fashion accessories with the best of its international design, quality, and craftsmanship. Market Wedgwood remains a market leader in luxury lifestyle within the ceramics industry. Part of the Waterford Wedgwood Group, it distributes to more than 90 countries worldwide providing premier fine bone china, earthenware and its unique Jasper stoneware, together with a range of silver and crystal accessories, textiles, gourmet foods, specialist teas and bespoke prestige items influenced by the company’s unparalleled archive records. Its key markets are the UK, North America, Western Europe and Japan, with a rapidly expanding operation both in China and Russia and a thriving corporate, sporting, hospitality and governmental portfolio. Achievements Wedgwood has two and a half centuries’ experience of supplying giftware and stylish tabletop products to the luxury sector of the market. With its superlative standards of craftsmanship, quality, record of innovation and bespoke timeless design, it maintains a Such is its popularity and heritage, this house thousands of priceless artefacts from leading position in all of its key markets. classic English brand attracts almost the last 250 years of the company’s history; With a multi-million pound turnover during 100,000 visitors a year to its multi-million approximately 6,000 Wedgwood pottery 2007, it employs more than 1,000 people in pound visitor centre in Staffordshire where artefacts, 75,000 manuscripts and 680 its sales and marketing divisions worldwide people can immerse themselves in the pattern books, as well as the results of with the aim of providing superb customer history of the company, while seeing for 10,000 trials conducted by the young Josiah service and retail excellence. themselves exactly how products are crafted to develop ‘new’ ceramics, such as the now Holders of the Royal Warrant from Her during factory tours. world-famous Jasper. The museum will also Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Wedgwood A new £10 million museum also opens house a host of other exhibits, from the includes among its past customers the White in 2008 at the company’s Greenfield portraits of Josiah and his wife Sarah by House, the Kremlin, the House of Lords headquarters on the rural outskirts of Sir Joshua Reynolds and paintings by George and numerous other governments and Stoke-on-Trent. The museum, built by the Stubbs, through to a fire engine used at Royal Houses. independent Wedgwood Museum Trust, will Wedgwood’s original Etruria Works. 1759 1773 1774 1789 1902 1940 The Wedgwood Empress Catherine After thousands of Wedgwood successfully President Theodore The Wedgwood factory Company is the Great of Russia experiments Josiah reproduces in Jasper Roosevelt orders a moves from Etruria in founded by commissions a 952-piece Wedgwood perfects the iconic Portland 1,282-piece fine bone Stoke-on-Trent to a new Josiah Wedgwood. dinner service, known as the world famous Vase – a copy of the china banqueting 300 acre greenfield estate the Frog Service, for her Jasper ceramic. ancient Barberini Vase service for the at Barlaston. The factory imperial palace. It is now a is now housed in the White House. remains the company’s Russian national treasure. British Museum. international HQ. 116 CSB08_116-117_Wedgwood 8/5/2008 15:16 Page 117 Product Wedgwood’s product range has grown significantly in recent years. Beyond its designer tableware, it encompasses a nursery collection, cutlery, crystal glassware, linens and jewellery as well as a collection of gifts providing a diverse portfolio of lifestyle items such as clocks, photo frames and table accessories. Throughout its history Wedgwood has pioneered innovation in the ceramics industry. The founder, Josiah Wedgwood, was given the title of Potter to Her Majesty in the 1760s after he developed cream coloured earthenware and provided a service for Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III. After thousands of experiments he also developed the now iconic Jasper, along with a Black Basalt body. Innovation continued with the development of the pyrometer – the first time the temperature in kilns could be accurately measured. But it is not just technical innovation that Wedgwood is famous for – design is also central to the brand. Wedgwood blends its own design expertise with that of international designers to provide Recently, contemporary colours including the majority of its promotion through careful a constant flow of contemporary classics. delicate taupe, light turquoise and romantic product placement in films, television In recent years, fashion designers Martha chocolate have been created for the programmes and magazines. Stewart, Vera Wang, Jasper Conran and company’s iconic Jasper ware, as well as a In addition, Wedgwood sponsors premier interior designers Barbara Barry and Kelly unique lead free lustre glaze to add further fashion events and sporting competitions Hoppen have each in their own way partnered glamour and sophistication to its armoury such as the World Golf Championships, the with Wedgwood to create fashionably of products. World Sailing Championships, horse racing, relevant products for the modern consumer. Even though Wedgwood products may tennis and selected charitable events. look delicate, independent compression tests Recent Developments show Wedgwood fine bone china to be Brand Values Innovation plays a key role in the among the strongest ceramics in the world, Wedgwood has a reputation for timeless development of Wedgwood’s product. with an average of 17,597 pounds per square luxury developed through its high standards Wedgwood has experimented with clays inch needed to break it. of authenticity, quality, heritage, innovation, from as far away as Australia, China and the design, craftsmanship and customer service. Cherokee (Ayoree) Lands in America to find Promotion the perfect recipe for its diverse portfolio. The company’s marketing dates back to www.wedgwood.com Most modern clays however continue to be its early days, with the introduction of the drawn from high quality deposits in Devon first money back guarantees in the early and Cornwall. 1770s, predating John Wanamaker, who is Things you didn’t know about normally given credit for this concept, by Wedgwood nearly a century. The speed of innovation still keeps apace. Josiah Wedgwood was the grandfather The company is forging sales opportunities of Charles Darwin, the controversial by establishing new distribution channels naturalist who wrote the famous and agreements with key retail partners ‘The Origin of Species.’ throughout the world, developing the width and scope of its appeal while maintaining its Approximately 165,000 separate ceramic classic modern brand heritage. items are produced each week at the It is also contemporising its product company’s manufacturing headquarters portfolio to ensure continued relevance to at Barlaston, Stoke-on-Trent. today’s discerning customers. Astute in its self promotion, the company By 1763, Wedgwood had already begun targets its key knowledgeable audience to crack the all important American through top magazines and newspapers, with market, with records showing goods being despatched to Boston, Philidelphia 1953 1986 1994 2009 and New York on a regular basis. A 1,200-piece Wedgwood merges The Russian Government Wedgwood will Josiah Wedgwood was one of the first Wedgwood Persephone with Irish crystal orders a 47,000-piece fine mark its 250th industrialists to provide new housing for dinner service is chosen producer Waterford bone china service, believed anniversary with his employees and their families. The as the tableware for Her to form the to be the largest banqueting global celebrations. homes were erected in a specially built Majesty the Queen’s luxury Waterford service ever produced, coronation banquet. Wedgwood Group. manufactured for use in St village adjacent to his Etruria factory in George’s Hall in the Kremlin. Stoke-on-Trent in 1769. 117.