What happened to Royal Worcester in 2008–2009?

The Royal Worcester factory on Severn Street closed in 2008, and the brand and intellectual property were acquired by the Portmeirion Group in 2009. The Royal Worcester Museum's factory history and ownership pages describe the closure and purchase, while the Portmeirion company history records the acquisition of the Royal Worcester brands in 2009. Reuters reported on the 2009 acquisition of the assets by Portmeirion when Royal Worcester and Spode were placed into administration. This transfer is important to collectors because of the "place of manufacture". Older pieces made in Worcester have a different provenance than later brands. If you are buying as an investment or collecting a collection of historically made in Worcester, look for markings, date signals and vendor documentation to confirm provenance.