Waterford Wedgwood Sees 1999 Sales Jump 20% To Record High

Waterford Wedgwood recently announced it had achieved record sales in 1999, boosted by the appointment of Sarah, Duchess of York as an official spokesperson for the Wedgwood brand in the US. In a trading update ahead of full-year results in March, the company reported turnover up 20.4% at Euros 879.6m (£545m) for the year to 31 December. Like-for-like sales, excluding All-Clad, the recently acquired US cookware unit, rose 9,8% to Euros 842.9m. Much of the growth was driven by sales of crystalware and millenniumproducts, with ceramics attracting less demand.