Is Bic Tryin G Ti Sell Sheaffer?

[welch]

Has anyone else wondered if BIC wants ti sell Sheaffer? It took them a long tome to select a US distrributor. Might that be because BIC was shopping the entire Shaeffer line?

 

- Any guess about the price?

 

- Sheaffer's revuenue?

 

- profitability?

 

Just how much is a first class pen company worth?

 

 

[nxn96]

I never quite saw the fit from the get-go.

 

People here often question how "invested" Sanford might be in Parker, yet my sense is that Sanford continues to work on Parker. Bic and Sheaffer? Not so much I'd say. I would guess that when Sheaffer came on the market, it sounded like a nice "fit" for Bic; and somewhere in the numbers, it seemed like it made sense. I have less of a feeling that Bic "works" Sheaffer as opposed to milking the brand legacy. In my local area (Metro Chicago), it seems as if Sheaffer products are harder to find as time goes on. I tend to buy my Sheaffer refills off of Amazon, because local retailers don't carry them.

 

My guess is that Bic has done little to build any value in Sheaffer such that at present, the value would be more in what someone would pay vs. what Bic would like to get for the brand.

 

Out of curiosity, who would you say might be a likely buyer for Sheaffer- assuming Bic was looking to sell?

[Pepin]

Well, if anything, BIC's control has actually damaged the brand. I first got into pens through vintage Sheaffers I encountered in vintage stores. The next logical progression for me was to try the new ones and the experience has been quite sour. Sheaffer as a brand to me is as good as dead.

 

I never quite saw the fit from the get-go.

 

People here often question how "invested" Sanford might be in Parker, yet my sense is that Sanford continues to work on Parker. Bic and Sheaffer? Not so much I'd say. I would guess that when Sheaffer came on the market, it sounded like a nice "fit" for Bic; and somewhere in the numbers, it seemed like it made sense. I have less of a feeling that Bic "works" Sheaffer as opposed to milking the brand legacy. In my local area (Metro Chicago), it seems as if Sheaffer products are harder to find as time goes on. I tend to buy my Sheaffer refills off of Amazon, because local retailers don't carry them.

 

My guess is that Bic has done little to build any value in Sheaffer such that at present, the value would be more in what someone would pay vs. what Bic would like to get for the brand.

 

Out of curiosity, who would you say might be a likely buyer for Sheaffer- assuming Bic was looking to sell?

[Black Rose]

Around here all I see from Sheaffer is the cartridges in a couple stores, the bottled Skrip ink at an arts supply store, and the Sentinel ballpoints on clearance at Staples. That's it.

 

If want to actually handle a Sheaffer fountain pen, I have to drive 2 hours to do so.

If I lived in a rural area I could perhaps see that, but I live in the capital city of Canada.

 

A lot of the other big brands are represented here, but not Sheaffer.

[Flounder]

The next logical progression for me was to try the new ones and the experience has been quite sour. Sheaffer as a brand to me is as good as dead.

 

You know, reading your post I realised I've not paid the Sheaffer website a visit for a long time. The only 'new ones' I'd been aware of were brought to my attention by a posts here on FPN. I don't quite think the brand is as good as dead yet, but their only offerings that wow me as distinct from their competitors' are their premium pens - and even they are presented in a pretty boring and almost disinterested way.

 

These should be the brand's flagship products, but from the looks of the Sheaffer site they couldn't care less. Let's take the Valor as an example. Here in the UK, this is a product with a triple digit price tag. You bring up the Valor page to find a single paragraph, and even this is squandered on the usual cut and paste marketing filler that could apply to any luxury product.

 

" Everyone has a story. The world awaits yours. The Sheaffer® Valor® writing instrument is both classic and bold, personifying luxury, self confidence and accomplishment. If you are a truly discerning individual who appreciates the finer things, the Sheaffer® Valor® is for you. Made in Italy, it combines timeless German design and precision American engineering."

 

Nothing communicates to the prospective owner/gift giver "why Sheaffer" or "why a Valor". It's available as a fountain pen, ballpoint, or rollerball, but it's anyone's guess what nib varients/rollerball sizes are available. Similarly, the paucity of media content just has me baffled. By rolling the cursor over the finish list, a single photo (is it even a photo or a rendering - is the png format not an unusual choice for photographs?) changes colour. Is a single, top down picture of the posted pen enough to show off the range? At a measley 560 by 90 pixels? There are eBay listings that are more involving. At least we get to see the inlaid nib in the picture - the showpiece 'Stars of Egypt' collection's solitary picture is of a capped pen!

 

The whole site is very much geared toward the gift market. That's fine, but who's being targetted? The only pens that stand out from the crowd are in a high price bracket. If the target is people new to Sheaffer, then the message has to marry the prestige of the brand with the prestige price.The Legacy Heritage's bumph should illustrate the pedigree of the design; queues from the PFM's girth, the famous and distinctly 'Sheafferesque' inlaid nib, the Imperial's clip, the quality that the white dot has represented for countless models over decades, in new and appealing finishes and pen types. The media presented is sparse and uninspiring - and seemingly unconsidered. Is this close up how you would show off a defining motif of your company's products? For heaven's sake, the inlay has been cropped out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If the target audience is people familiar with Sheaffer as a brand - like Pepin, through vintage examples, or perhaps people who were given Sheaffers as gifts in the past, and now have the disposable income to do the same - where's the continuity? Some of the current product line up have it in abundance, why is so little emphasised in the branding?

 

 

 

 

I don't think Sheaffer is dead. I do think that a famous and impressive brand reputation is being squandered with couldn't care less promotion for the flagship lines, and utterly anonymous midrange pens. Inlaid nibs are costly to produce, but is it entirely unfeasable to bring out a new line of triumph nibbed, midrange cartridge pens, supported by a brand message that draws on the sterling reputation of the Snorkel or Touchdown ranges?

[akrishna59]

somehow i still love sheaffer, if for nothing else but for the legacy (not the legacy pen). sheaffer pens are not overpriced, even inlaid models can be had for a reasonable price if we shop diligently.

 

and the beauty and feel of that inlaid nib is hard to beat.

 

bic has not done much by way of promotion. also new product lines and innovation is very low for sheaffer today. if bic were to divest the brand hope someone serious will take it up.

 

all the best to sheaffer.

 

rgds.

 

krishna.

[Flounder]

I've just realised I've used 'queues' instead of 'cues' . I'm leaving the mistake in situ to embarrass me into remembering it.

[rhosygell]

Even Sanford would make better custodians than Bic.

[Mike]

After Bic killed off Stypen, their neglect of the Sheaffer brand comes as no real surprise. As to whether they'd sell the "company"... I honestly wonder whether they'd find a buyer, these days. The brand's not what it once was, the market's far from what it used to be, and all the sale would net a buyer would be a small amount of tooling, I guess, and a bunch of IP...

[davefoe]

Bic seems to have found a niche for Sheaffer as a reasonably low-priced pen for the gift market in various countries such as India, Mexico, etc. The pens look nice enough, are cheaply produced in China, and probably sell enough to make a small profit. The beautiful finishes, creativity and innovation of the past are long gone, however. The Bic people seemed to give up on the U.S. market. The entire fine pen industry seems much reduced these days. Computers have reduced the practical need for pens, and the old retail sales base of gift shops, stationery stores, office supply houses, department stores, etc., has been decimated over the past 20 years. Sheaffer products are still good writing instruments, from what I have experienced, and some are quite nice. But the old panache is gone. Regrettably, Bic management has done little to add any type of cachet or allure to what they incessantly refer to as the Sheaffer "brand." Meanwhile, for most people under about age 45 or 50 Sheaffer is a ghost brand, at least in the U.S.

[DrPJM1]

-Quote: "Bic seems to have found a niche for Sheaffer as a reasonably low-priced pen for the gift market in various countries such as India, Mexico, etc."

 

A fellow pen collector told me that Sheaffer pens were big in Mexico because they would hire workers to go to Fort Madison temporarily, they were paid all travelling costs, a decent wage and a $5 Peso note for each pen they made. They worked hard and were thankful for the opportunity and the wages. He also said that he had seen Sheaffer advertisements that showed the pens and a $5 Peso note in the background. I suspect they are still popular today.

 

Fountain pens are a luxury item these days and brand demand is influenced by awareness which is created by marketing. Is there a doubt on why Montblanc is considered the "best" pen? Sheaffer's are not advertised so it is not a surprise that they have low sales numbers. I doubt they will ever find a buyer for this once great company.

 

Pedro

Edited May 18, 2011 by DrPJM1

[Roger W.]

-Quote: "Bic seems to have found a niche for Sheaffer as a reasonably low-priced pen for the gift market in various countries such as India, Mexico, etc."

 

A fellow pen collector told me that Sheaffer pens were big in Mexico because they would hire workers to go to Fort Madison temporarily, they were paid all travelling costs, a decent wage and a $5 Peso note for each pen they made. They worked hard and were thankful for the opportunity and the wages. He also said that he had seen Sheaffer advertisements that showed the pens and a $5 Peso note in the background. I suspect they are still popular today.

 

Fountain pens are a luxury item these days and brand demand is influenced by awareness which is created by marketing. Is there a doubt on why Montblanc is considered the "best" pen? Sheaffer's are not advertised so it is not a surprise that they have low sales numbers. I doubt they will ever find a buyer for this once great company.

 

Pedro

 

That's an interesting tale as Fort Madison has been closed for a while. Also, it is a little hard to believe that such a practice was done at all but, I can't dispute is personally - maybe some of the Fort Madison folks know if there is any truth to it. Making the inlaid nibs for some time was kept in Fort Madison as they weren't able to get quality nibs overseas - that's skilled labor not temporary workers. Anything that a temporary worker could do was likely being done by the fully automated line I saw a few years ago.

 

As far as selling Sheaffer I understand that it has substantial debt and is unlikely saleable even to parties that would be keen to see it do well.

 

Roger W.

[Mike]

I wondered if the Mexican worker thing wasn't during WWII? A lot of Mexicans were brought to the upper midwest during the war to supplement the workforce; usually in the agricultural and meat-packing industries, but I could see them being used to fill in at Sheaffer, who might have had to divert 'American' workers to their wartime munitions production.

 

That said, I searched through Google news archives and didn't find any wartime or immediate postwar mentions of Mexicans in Fort Madison, though, where I'd have expected at least a few "plucky immigrants adapt to midwestern life, weather" fluff pieces. Also, it seems the 1944 exchange rate was around 5 Pesos to the dollar, which would have been a crazy high rate to pay per pen...

 

On a slightly related note, something I found interesting from the 14 August 1943 edition of 'Billboard' magazine:

 

...dealers all over the country are reporting that current demand (for fountain pens and 'automatic pencils' - Mike) is about twice their supplies.... W.A. Sheaffer pen company is one of the few pen companies that is still making low-priced pens but has stopped making pencils altogether because of its munitions production... Reports are that a considerable part of the heavy demand is for gift sets to be sent to men in the services. It is expected that the Christmas season will see an even heavier demand for pen and pencil sets.

[pengoddess]

-Quote: "Bic seems to have found a niche for Sheaffer as a reasonably low-priced pen for the gift market in various countries such as India, Mexico, etc."

 

A fellow pen collector told me that Sheaffer pens were big in Mexico because they would hire workers to go to Fort Madison temporarily, they were paid all travelling costs, a decent wage and a $5 Peso note for each pen they made. They worked hard and were thankful for the opportunity and the wages. He also said that he had seen Sheaffer advertisements that showed the pens and a $5 Peso note in the background. I suspect they are still popular today.

 

Fountain pens are a luxury item these days and brand demand is influenced by awareness which is created by marketing. Is there a doubt on why Montblanc is considered the "best" pen? Sheaffer's are not advertised so it is not a surprise that they have low sales numbers. I doubt they will ever find a buyer for this once great company.

 

Pedro

 

That's an interesting tale as Fort Madison has been closed for a while. Also, it is a little hard to believe that such a practice was done at all but, I can't dispute is personally - maybe some of the Fort Madison folks know if there is any truth to it. Making the inlaid nibs for some time was kept in Fort Madison as they weren't able to get quality nibs overseas - that's skilled labor not temporary workers. Anything that a temporary worker could do was likely being done by the fully automated line I saw a few years ago.

 

As far as selling Sheaffer I understand that it has substantial debt and is unlikely saleable even to parties that would be keen to see it do well.

 

Roger W.

 

I've never heard this story before and it seems unlikely, but I don't know that for a fact. I do know for a fact that Fort Madison has a good sized Mexican population, but these are people who settled here when the Santa Fe RR was being built long before WA even thought of moving here. They stayed and continue to be an integral part of Fort Madison. I would guess there would be quite an uproar in town from not only the local Mexican residents, but the union and townspeople in general if something like this had occurred. Fort Madison isn't very big, there aren't many well kept secrets!

 

Sam

[DrPJM1]

Well, it goes to prove you can't believe everything you hear at a pen show.

[nxn96]

I would question how "invested" Bic might be in the writing instrument business at all these days, including their own "Bic" branded products. Just based on what I've observed on the shelves at the various retail outlets, Bic products seem to occupy a smaller share of the overall space than they did a few years ago. It would be hard to imagine Bic divesting themselves of the entire writing instrument business- particularly as so much of the value is tied up in the "Bic" brand, but it does seem like they're running a dairy operation.

 

Sheaffer would be relatively easy to for Bic to separate from the portfolio, but the question is- who would want it? As an earlier poster noted, Sheaffer is pretty much a "ghost brand" to people younger than 50 in the US. The high-end gift pen market is already a crowded space, and it's questionable whether Sheaffer still "belongs" there. In terms of possible purchasers, I would guess a likely buyer would be a Chinese manufacturer looking to "break into" the US market in need of a recognizable brand name. If it went that way, is the buyer looking for the Sheaffer product line, or simply the name (and the White Dot) to put on their existing line of pens?

[Tom Heath]

I am currently enjoying writing with my Legacy..

 

Irridescent Green with Matt Golden cap..

Sorry to see Sheaffer seemingly giving up on the US Market.

 

 

I just received a Spring 2011 Catalog from the Fountain Pen Hospital of NYC

 

per this article I just double checked approx 15 Manufacturers represented but Sheaffer is absent !

 

" As The Pen World Churns "

 

Tom

[Batman]

I agree with the several statements from above that Bic is really pushing Sheaffer in the Mexican and Indian market. If you look at all their PR events on their Facebook page you can see they're doing a lot of advertising in Mexico. They've also got specific deals catered to India only, such as buying a pen get a free sheaffer watch or wallet. Pretty much Bic is hitting the emerging world markets where past north american brands are held in high esteem. For example in India Parker pens are held in high esteem but they advertise Jotters and Vectors, which are very affordable here in North America and Europe, but are considered 'high end' in India. This really makes me question the future of Sheaffer as I don't know how they are even keeping the legacy or valor alive since there seems to be a considerable lack of advertising and store shelve space for the brand. And since Sheaffer is currently positioned for the low end gift pen market, the high end pens are probably only surviving through the sales of the low end pens and god forbid the sales of Bics. But knowing how corporate works, if Bic doesn't find a buyer in the distant future, they'd probably just get rid of the Legacy and Valor cause it would just be 'weighing' down their balance sheets. But the fact that Bic kept the Inlaid nib even long after Fort Madison, gives me a glimpse of hope. I guess only time will tell but in all honesty whenever I go to pen stores I see the usual MontBlanc, Parker, Waterman, Pelikan, Visconti, Aurora pen displays but Sheaffer is rarely seen, and even if they're seen their displays are just uninspired. I know Sheaffer has always been known for their conservative pens but god dammit man they really need better displays, their ad's look like something I could do on paint! Atleast Sanford has actually taken an interest in the Parker and Waterman brand and has really pushed for effective marketing campaigns and actual new pen designs that aren't cheap.

 

Thanks

Brad

[davefoe]

I agree with the preceding post. Sheaffer seems more like it's geared to foreign (i.e., non-USA) markets and mostly in the developing world. I guess that's where the money is these days. But I don't think Sheaffer has any presence or even name recognition anymore in the United States. It's unfortunate. I think Bic could and should have done a better job of keeping it viable in the United States, but it didn't.

[nxn96]

If Bic's "strategy" with Sheaffer is to take advantage of Sheaffer's historic legacy as a premium brand in places like India, Mexico, etc., but to allow the Sheaffer brand to continue to decline/almost disappear in it's "historical" markets such as the US/Canada, one might question how much the brand would be worth to a potential purchaser if and when Bic decides to sell. As demand increases in these emerging markets, the Sheaffer brand will find increasing competition from other writing instrument manufacturers. Further, as markets are increasingly "global", higher end purchasers in these markets will become increasingly aware that Sheaffer's "cachet" overall is falling and increasingly spend their "fine pen" money on other brands.

 

My guess is that Bic is always open to offers on Sheaffer, but will hold onto it as long as the cash flows from these markets justify their investment in the brand. However, if those cash flows erode, Bic will likely start to "shop" Sheaffer to another (my guess is Chinese) manufacturer looking to have an additional "label" to market.