Bic (company)

File:BIC logo.svg

Bic logo

Bic Cristal pen

Société Bic is a company based in Clichy, France, founded in 1945, best known for making disposable products including lighters, magnets, ballpoint pens, shaving razors and watersports products. It competes in most markets against Faber-Castell, Global Gillette, Newell Rubbermaid and Stabilo. The Bic pen, more correctly titled the Bic Cristal, was the company's first product and over fifty years later is still synonymous with the name Bic.

History

A Bic lighter

Bic was founded in France by Marcel Bich with Edouard Buffard in 1945. The two bought a factory and made parts for mechanical pencils and fountain pens. Bich noticed that fountain pens leaked and needed to be refilled, the process of which may result in more ink loss. In December 1950, Marcel Bich introduced his own ballpoint with a thick, paste-like ink and named it the Bic. He chose the name Bic as a shortened, easy-to-remember version of his name. Although the pens weren't new (Bich obtained patent rights from Argentine-Hungarian inventor, László Bíró), the process of manufacturing was. An inexpensive and reliable ballpoint was introduced. In early September 2005, Bic sold its 100 billionth disposable ballpoint, making it the world's best-selling pen.

In Belgium, France and Greece the name has become generic, referring to all disposable ballpoints as "un bic". In Quebec, disposable razors are also known as "bics". Ten years after the release of Bic pens in Europe, the pens were introduced to the USA. Americans were wary. There were other pens on the market. Bic's market share increased with televised advertising, with the slogan "Writes first time, every time." Bic sold the pens for 29 cents each and, within a year, prices dipped to 10 cents. Bic is the top-selling disposable lighter in the USA, partly due to the success of the Wells, Rich, Greene (WRG, 1967-1990) advertising agency's "Flick Your Bic" campaign.

Bic Sport

Encouraged by Marcel Bich interest in sailing Bic expanded into water sports equipment manufacture in the early 1980's. Following a dispute between Windsurfer International Inc of California and Dufour Wing of Brittany over patents for the windsurfing board, Bich financed the Dufour's prior art royalty payment dispute in the United Kingdom and Canada. The company won the case, and subsequently expanded to become the world’s largest producer of windsurfing equipment with an annual production of 15,000 boards. After being taken over by Bic, the renamed Bic Sport has over the past 10 years diversified into the other water sports such as surfing, kayaking and kitesurfing.

Ownership

The Bic family owns about 40% of Bic stock and controls 55% of its voting power.

Sponsorship

Bic sponsored a professional cycling team in the 1960s, led by the French winner of the Tour de France Jacques Anquetil

Revenue

In 2007 revenue was more than €2 billion.

• Stationery (pens, pencils, highlighters, markers, crayons, and correction products): 43%
• Lighters (disposable, utility, and special-edition): 49%
• Shavers (men's and women's): 8%

See also

• Marlboro
  • List of Marlboro products

External links

• BIC World - Company website
• Société BIC Company Profile - Yahoo! Finance
• BicSurf
• BIC Promotional Pens
• Bic watersports
• BIC Everyday website for students, teachers and parents
• Parkercollector.com (Detailed information about most pen models made by the Parker Pen Company.)