Why Did Cross Buy Sheaffer?

[welch]

Why did Cross buy Sheaffer? Only to shut it down, except for $15 ballpoints?

 

- eliminated all high-end fountain pens with inlaid nib: Legacy Heritage, for instance

 

- cut the mid-level Prelude (with gold nib).

 

- currently selling the re-formulated ink bottles, but for how long? Is there much of a market now for any Sheaffer ink except in cartridges?

 

I'm curious about the Cross business reasons; not meant as a rhetorical jab at Cross. It's just hard to understand why they have bothered. Cross has kept the Sheaffer logo and the white-dot, but what's the point?

 

 

[Ron Z]

That's a great question. Why DID Cross sell their pen division to focus on stuff like sunglasses and leather products, and then turn around and buy Sheaffer.

 

The answer appears to be 42.

[EBUCKTHORN]

Huh?

[Ron Z]

Huh?

 

Read Douglas Adams.

[Jerome Tarshis]

It isn't that "Cross" bought Sheaffer. It's that Clarion bought the writing instruments side of Cross, which the sunglasses people desired to get rid of. And has added Sheaffer.

 

Think of it as Clarion being willing to buy, and hope to improve, a number of well-established American brands.

 

They have got Hartmann luggage. In silver tableware they have acquired what could be considered a pantheon of long-established companies. Gorham, Reed & Barton, Towle, and more.

Edited September 19, 2017 by Jerome Tarshis

[watch_art]

I spoke to the Cross/Sheaffer lady at the San Fran show, she's really excited about them getting back into the FP game and bringing back some of the vintage styles and shapes, really aimed at pen lovers.

[Bill P]

Cross is owned by Clarion Capital Partners...they also own Lenox...amoung other investments.

[max dog]

Why are there two posts for the same topic?

[Bluey]

I spoke to the Cross/Sheaffer lady at the San Fran show, she's really excited about them getting back into the FP game and bringing back some of the vintage styles and shapes, really aimed at pen lovers.

I'm not sure that eliminating something like the Sheaffer inlaid nib pens is a good way of going about it, as there is no sign of any of them on their website

https://www.sheaffer.com/en/departments/writing-instruments/by-writing-type/fountain-pens

 

They waswere the only decent modern noteworthy pens they had even though the nibs were made by Bock. Shame they don't make their own anymore.

Edited September 20, 2017 by Bluey

[Sasha Royale]

I will venture a guess. Cross calculated that the action would add to the company profits.

Not everyone loves us, or our fountain pens. For some people, the incentive is monetary.

Edited September 20, 2017 by Sasha Royale

[Batman]

I spoke to the Cross/Sheaffer lady at the San Fran show, she's really excited about them getting back into the FP game and bringing back some of the vintage styles and shapes, really aimed at pen lovers.

 

I hope this is true.