Home, garden and outdoors consumer products supplier Fiskars has acquired the WWRD group of companies (WWRD), expanding its reach and strengthening its position in the US, Europe and Asia Pacific.
WWRD includes brands such as Waterford Wedgwood, Royal Doulton, Royal Albert and Rogaska and has high-profile licensing partnerships and collaborations with Vera Wang, Jasper Conran, John Rocha, Monique Lhuillier, Gordon Ramsay, Donna Hay, Miranda Kerr, Jo Sampson, Barber and Osgerby.
President and CEO of Fiskars, Kari Kauniskangas, says he is looking forward to building a future together as part of a strong family of highly renowned brands.
“We are delighted to be bringing together WWRD’s portfolio of iconic luxury home and lifestyle brands with Fiskars’ highly regarded Living brands of Iittala, Royal Copenhagen, Arabia and Rörstrand, which are renowned for their Scandinavian design and heritage,” he says.
“After the acquisitions of Iittala Group in 2007, Royal Copenhagen in 2013 and now WWRD, Fiskars is set to become a leading global branded consumer goods company in the area of luxury and premium home and lifestyle products focusing on table top, giftware and interior décor.”
“Through the acquisition we will create a strong presence for the Fiskars Living business in the US, and further enhance Fiskars’ market position in Europe and Asia-Pacific. Fiskars will now have a balanced portfolio of businesses. Our Functional products and Living products business units will become approximately equal in size and all business units, including Outdoor, will continue as important parts of our company and will be developed according to our strategy,” he adds.
Both brand portfolios complement each other well says Pierre de Villemejane, CEO of WWRD, who will now be reporting to Kauniskangas.
“There is an excellent fit… and we will be able to build a joint success that will stem from the deep roots and core values of both the WWRD and Fiskars’ Living brands,” he explains.
“We are delighted to be getting an owner that has strong industry experience and an impressive 365 years of heritage in Scandinavian design. I am confident that these strengths, together with our continued focus on contemporary relevance, will ensure that the WWRD brands will retain and indeed grow their iconic status around the world and capture the ongoing growth in luxury demand.”
