With a combined history of over 600 years of heritage, tradition, and craftsmanship, today Waterford Wedgwood PLC is among the world's leading luxury lifestyle groups, with world-class brands that include Waterford Crystal, Wedgwood, W-C Designs, Rosenthal, and All-Clad. Waterford Wedgwood PLC was established in 1986 with the merger of Waterford Crystal and Wedgwood. In February 1998, the company acquired an 85 percent share in Rosenthal AG of Selb, Germany, a share that has since increased, in 2001, to 89.9 percent. In May 1999, All-Clad of Cannonsberg, Pennsylvania, joined the Waterford Wedgwood Group, as did W-C Designs of Anaheim, California, in 2001. The product portfolios of the Group's prestige brands complement each other perfectly. Cooperation with other luxury brands, with fashion designers such as Vera Wang, Versace, Bulgari, John Rocha, Jasper Conran, and Paul Costelloe, and with top international chefs have helped the Group differentiate itself from its competitors.
