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Information About

Bic Corporation





HISTORY

BIC was founded in France by Marcel Bich with Edouard Buffard in 1945 . The two bought a factory and set up a business making parts for mechanical pencils and fountain pens. In December 1950 , Marcel Bich introduced his own ballpoint pen, and named it the BIC. The 'h' from Bich was dropped in order to avoid a potentially Inappropriate English Pronunciation of the name. Although the pens weren't entirely new (Bich obtained patent rights from Hungarian inventor, László Bíró ), the process of manufacturing was. An inexpensive, and at the same time reliable, ballpoint pen was introduced to the world. In early September 2005 , BIC announced that it has sold its 100 billionth disposable ballpoint pen, making it the world's best-selling pen.


BIC in USA

Ten Year s after the release of BIC pens in Europe, the same BIC pens were introduced to the USA . Americans were wary of BIC pens at first. There were many other pens on the market at the time and people were hesitant to switch over. BIC's marketing share increased with its televised advertising campaign, with the slogan "Writes first time, every time". BIC sold the pens for 29 Cent s each and, within a year, prices dipped down to a mere 10 cents.


OWNERSHIP

The Bich family owns about 40% of BIC's stock and controls more than 50% of its voting power.


REVENUE


  • Stationery (pens, pencils, highlighters, markers, crayons, and correction products): 50%

  • Lighters (disposable, utility, and special-edition): 25%

  • Shavers (men's and women's): 19%



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