The demise of famous china and glass maker Waterford Wedgwood plc. has been lamented by one of Bermuda's biggest stockists of the merchandise.

But Peter Darling, managing director of William Bluck & Co. Ltd., which has been carrying the popular line for the past 20 years, said it would not have a huge impact on his business. AS Cooper & Sons Ltd. is understood to have stocked the brand for 100 years.

Mr. Darling, who is also a member of sales division of the Chamber of Commerce, reckons Bermuda's retail sector will suffer a tough year of trading in 2009, but start to show signs of recovery in 2010.

Waterford Wedgwood's UK and Ireland-based operations went into administration/receivership last week, but its US business and Royal Doulton USA had not gone into administration and it was a case of "business as usual" in the American market, according to a letter sent by Dick Kunkle, the president of Wedgwood USA & Royal Doulton USA, to customers and partners.

The administrator and receiver Deloitte were committed to continue trading the businesses while seeking a buyer, with "significant" interest in the company.

"We are working diligently with the appointees to ensure that there is no disruption to our mutual businesses," the letter read. "We feel confident, both in the short and long-term that we will be able to continue our partnership with our valued retail customers and consumers in a way befitting the premier tabletop and collectable brands in the USA market."

Mr. Darling said he was unsure at the moment how his company would be affected by the collapse of Waterford Wedgwood, but added that Deloitte was "very optimistic" of finding buyers for the business.

He said the US division of Waterford Wedgwood was set up as a different company from its UK and Irish counterparts and that it was in good shape.

"It is not all doom and gloom," he said. "But to be honest the English and Irish china companies have been in serious decline for the last 10 years."

However, he believes it will be "catastrophic" if the Waterford Wedgwood name disappears altogether, but said they only had themselves to blame after stretching their brand too far and wide through a mass marketing programme throughout US department stores.

And Mr. Darling has a positive outlook for the Island's retail trade in the future following a lean year in 2009, with his own company having enjoyed better sales in December 2008 than the previous year.

"The brand is well-known and respected in Bermuda, with three to four generations of Bermudians who have had Wedgwood in their homes and are probably a bit concerned about it, while us and most people want to see the brand continue," he said.

"But, we are very upbeat as a small business and, although over the last 10 years we have gone from six sites Island-wide to one and a we are a very tiny operation compared to what we were before, we are in much better shape than a lot of companies that we deal with and we will survive.

"I think that the rest of the retail trade in Bermuda will have to hold on because I believe the good times are coming around the corner.

"I think it is going to be a tough two years — for 2009 retailers are just battening down the hatches, buying very little and conserving our cash, but in 2010 things will look up again, I firmly believe."

He pointed to the launch of Tucker's Point hotel in April, with 85 luxury rooms for high-end clientele, as one reason for retailers targeting that niche of the market to be cheerful, while those big established traders would weather the financial storm because they had good inventory.

"As I said to my family, it will not exactly be a case of living off bread and water, but we will just have to do with a good hamburger instead of filet mignon for the meantime," he said.