Wedgewood and Minton

[Oscar]

Japan buys about a third of all Luis Vuittons sold in the world and about a quarter of all Guccis.
Less annoying but of the same vein (in my understanding, anyway) was the Japanese obssession with imported European chinaware.
Trite, formulaic and stereotypical designs of British tea cups seem to be very popular. Everyone seems to be collecting the "wild strawberry series".

That is why it is all the more shocking to hear that Royal Doulton-Minton and Waterford-Wedgewood (currently under the same ownership) are pulling out of the Japanese market.

Perhaps the Japanese appetite for imported brands was not as great as I thought. Or maybe the market has already been saturated. Pulling out of the world's second largest economy and sell where? China? Russia? India? Who's next? Gucci?

Yeah, the economy sucks, but there are worse places. People are pulling out of Japan because Japan, or more pointedly the Japanese market for branded goods, suck more than the areas where they are NOT pulling out of. Which is telling me something but I don't know what.