Wilkinson Sword

Wilkinson Sword
Product type Personal care
Owner Edgewell Personal Care
Country United Kingdom
Introduced 1772 (1772)
Related brands Schick
Markets 12 countries
Previous owners Pfizer
Energizer Holdings
Tagline "Free your skin"
Website www.shaving.com

Wilkinson Sword is a brand owned by Edgewell Personal Care for razors and other personal care products sold in Europe. It was founded as a company in London in 1772 by Henry Nock as a manufacturer of swords, made in Shotley Bridge in County Durham.

Besides swords, the company has also produced guns, bayonets and products such as typewriters, garden shears, scissors and motorcycles.[1] Gardening equipment is still made under the Wilkinson Sword name by E.P. Barrus under a licensing arrangement.[2] Wilkinson Sword has manufactured its products in three UK locations over the years: in London, (Chelsea and Acton), Cramlington in Northumberland and Bridgend in Wales, where it made gardening tools. In 2000, the company closed its razor plant in the UK and consolidated production in Germany.

History

Motorcycle production

Wilkinson TMC 850cc

Wilkinson Sword produced some of the earliest motorcycles in 1903. These were two-cylinder machines with Belgian engines made by Antoine, which were marketed by a garage in Chelsea, London – one of the first motorcycle dealerships in the UK. The venture was not a success however.[3] In 1911 Wilkinson developed and manufactured the Wilkinson TMC, a luxury touring motorcycle between 1911 and 1916, when production was stopped by World War I.[4] The first 'Wilkinsons' were designed for military reconnaissance by P G Tacchi, who was granted a patent for the design in 1908. Demonstrated to the British military in the summer of 1908, the Wilkinson motorcycle failed to impress the authorities, despite optional accessories including a sidecar complete with Maxim machine gun – and a steering wheel instead of handlebars.[5] Undaunted, the company continued development and exhibited a new version a year later at the Stanley Clyde Motorcycle Show at the Agricultural Hall, Islington, London in 1909.[6] Only about 250 Wilkinsons were produced before World War I restrictions brought the line to its end in spring 1916, and Wilkinson had to produce thousands of bayonets for the war effort. After the war they decided to continue to develop the in-line four engine – but in a new car called the Deemster, and they never resumed motorcycle production.[4]

Stainless steel razor blades

In 1962, Wilkinson Sword introduced stainless steel razor blades and soon the company's blades made rapid gains in shares of the market, because one blade, though somewhat more expensive, could be used for a week. The earlier carbon steel razor blades rusted quickly enough that many people used a new blade each day. So, although Wilkinson gained a larger percentage of the market, the demand for razor blades declined to approximately 14 percent of its previous level. This introduction gave Wilkinson a substantive market share and previous market leaders quickly responded by introducing their own stainless blades. The technology had been available for some time, but the market leaders such as Gillette, which held a patent on stainless blades, presumably knew that any gain for them in market share would be overwhelmed by the dramatic reduction in the size of the market. [7]

Merger with British Match

In 1973, Wilkinson Sword merged with the British Match Corporation to form Wilkinson Match.[1] This was intended to create a stronger company, with a larger advertising budget that would enable the company to fight its American rival in the consumer shaving market, the Gillette Company, and its British subsidiary, also called Gillette. In this advertising war, Wilkinson Sword loudly touted its long and proud tradition of bladesmithing in its print and electronic media advertisements.

Allegheny Ludlum Industries of Pittsburgh purchased Wilkinson Match in 1978. After becoming Allegheny International, Inc., the company filed for bankruptcy reorganization in 1987. Allegheny sold Wilkinson Match in 1986 to Swedish Match, which merged with Stora Group two years later.[1] In 1989, Gillette helped finance a buyout of the Swedish Match consumer products division, which included Wilkinson Sword, by the Netherlands-based Eemland Holdings, giving Gillette a 22% stake in Eemland.[8] After Gillette was ordered by the European Community Commission in 1992 to sell its interest in Eemland, Eemland sold Wilkinson Sword to Warner-Lambert, owner of Schick razor brand forming Schick-Wilkinson Sword. The Schick name was used on its products in North America and Japan, and the Wilkinson Sword name in Europe.[1] In 2000, Pfizer acquired Warner-Lambert and three-years later, divested the Wilkinson component.

Most of the former Bryant and May operations of Wilkinson Match were closed or sold in the late 1970s and early 1980s, including the Bryant and May factories in Bow and Melbourne. The gardening tools division was sold to Fiskars in the 1990s.

During this time Wilkinson Sword produced ceremonial swords for the Household Cavalry of the British Army, and crafted the ceremonial sword for the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 2002. The sword factory combined state of the art manufacturing technology with traditional skills and 19th century machinery to produce original fighting quality swords.

The production of swords came to an end when the company's sword factory at Acton closed in September 2005.[9] Wilkinson Sword then held an auction of the tools, equipment, sword drawings, and forging and milling machinery. Robert Pooley, who had commissioned the company to produce swords, bought many of these items and began supplying the Army in place of Wikinson Sword.[10] Other sword manufacturers, and in particular WKC in Germany, also bought items, including the roll forge. Many of the tools and machines are still in use today.

21st century

Energizer Holdings bought Wilkinson Sword from Pfizer in 2003, along with Schick. In 2015 Energizer demerged its personal care business as a new company, Edgewell Personal Care, of which Wilkinson Sword and Schick became part.[11] Both are now brands used by Edgewell; Wilkinson Sword is used in Europe and Schick is used in Edgewell's remaining markets.

Wilkinson Sword-branded three-, four-, and five-bladed razors for men and women have been produced in Germany since 1998, when production moved from the UK.[12]

Products

Quattro Titanium Energy

Wilkinson still also makes double edge razor blades for safety razors.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Wilkinson Sword Ltd. History". Funding Universe. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
  2. ↑ "About Us". E.P. Barrus Ltd. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  3. ↑ De Cet, Mirco (2005). Quentin Daniel, ed. The Complete Encyclopedia of Classic Motorcycles. Rebo International. ISBN 978-90-366-1497-9.
  4. 1 2 Currie, Bob (1988). Classic British Motorcycles of over 500cc. Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-85260-083-7.
  5. ↑ Brooks, John (2000). The National Motorcycle Museum. Jarrold Publishing.
  6. ↑ "Stanley Clyde Show". Progress: Vol V, Issue 5. 1 March 1910. Retrieved 2013-03-08.
  7. ↑ "Competition: Beastly Blades". Time. 23 November 1962.
  8. ↑ Yenkin, Jonathan (11 November 1992). "Gillette ordered to sell stake in Wilkinson parent". APnewsarchive. Associated Press. Retrieved 2013-03-08.
  9. ↑ "Army sword factory gets the chop". BBC News. 20 September 2005. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  10. ↑ "British Military Swords". Pooley Sword. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  11. ↑ Andrew Goodman. "With The Energizer Split, What Will Edgewell Look Like?". Forbes. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
  12. ↑ "Wilkinson Sword cuts jobs". BBC News. 1 October 1998. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
  13. ↑ Sepinwall, Alan (April 5, 2015). "Season premiere review: 'Mad Men' - 'Severance': Is that all there is?". Hitfix.
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