The renowned Scottish firm of Caithness Glass, noted for its paperweights and coloured glass, has gone into receivership. The firm has been owned for less than three years by porcelain ware makers Roy…
The renowned Scottish firm of Caithness Glass, noted for its paperweights and coloured glass, has gone into receivership. The firm has been owned for less than three years by porcelain ware makers Royal Worcester & Spode, who handed the glass company over to accountants Deloitte & Touche on 20 February 2004 citing difficult market conditions. The receivers quickly put the business up for sale. One hundred and fifty Caithness workers risk losing their jobs, as they depend on Caithness being sold as a functioning business. A spokesman for the receivers D&T said: “At the moment we are very positive a buyer can be found. Caithness Glass is a very famous name and we have already received interest from more than one party.” He added that Royal Worcestor could no longer continue with the “substantial financial support” that it had given to Caithness Glass, which has suffered harder than similar firms because it runs three separate plants, in Wick (north Scotland), Oban (west Scotland) and Perth (east Scotland). The spokesman said: “Since Royal Worcester and Spode acquired Caithness Glass in July 2001, market conditions in the ceramic and glassware industry have been very difficult, hitting the group“s performance.” Current turnover is GBP 6 million A possible buyer is Caledonia Investments, the owner of Edinburgh Crystal, which already sells Caithness products through its own retail outlets.