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Bic (company)

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Clichy ( / k l iː ˈ ʃ iː / klee- SHEE , French: [kliʃi] ; sometimes unofficially Clichy-la-Garenne [kliʃi la ɡaʁɛn] ) is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris , France . It is located on the Seine , 6.4 km (4.0 mi) from the centre of Paris .

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50-455: Société Bic S.A. , commonly called Bic and stylized as BiC , is a French manufacturing corporation based in Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine . It was founded in 1945 by French aristocrat Marcel Bich and produces specifically disposable items; namely stationery , lighters , and shaving razors . In 1942, Marcel Bich and his partner, Édouard Buffard, set up a business creating writing instrument parts in

100-999: A Bic exhibition, which included 150 works created with the Bic collection. The exhibition included works from works by Alberto Giacometti , René Magritte and Fernand Léger , Martin Parr and Mamadou Cissé. The Bic Cristal is exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Center Pompidou in Paris. In 2020, the Bic Corporate Foundation was recognized in the Netflix Documentary On Est Ensemble . The film follows French social entrepreneur Stephane de Freitas on his journey to meet social change worldwide, introducing viewers to

150-464: A Canadian semi-permanent tattoo brand, for $ US65 million. Soon after, in August 2022, BIC also acquired Tattly, a company that produces high-quality temporary tattoos designed by artists. In 2023, BIC launched EasyRinse, a razor with the first-of-its-kind reverse blade design and patented anti-clog technology. Bic's earliest lighters were mentioned in 1972 by Time as test marketed disposable lighters with

200-419: A café is one of its product lines and it could consist of flat white, cappuccinos, short black, lattes, mochas, etc. Alternatively, product line of juices and pastries can also be found at a café. The benefits from having a successful product line is the brand identification from customers which result in customer loyalty and multiple purchases. It increases the likelihood of customers purchasing new products from

250-418: A company may be selling health related items such as multi-vitamins tablet and magazines. Although both products fit into the same product line, they are completely dissimilar in use while one is editable and the other is not. When companies add a new item to a product line, it is referred to as the product line extension . The purpose of it is to attract new customers who may not be familiar or satisfied with

300-478: A factory in the Paris suburb of Clichy, where they began production of pen holders and pencil cases. Marcel Bich bought the patent for the ballpoint pen from Hungarian inventor László Bíró , and using Swiss watchmaking tools, he devised a manufacturing process that produced stainless-steel balls for the tip of the pen. Bich soon perfected the design of the ballpoint pen, and the Bic Cristal ballpoint pen became

350-573: A factory specifically for manufacturing lighters in Redon , made up of 400 employees who produce 750 million lighters yearly. During the 1980s, Bic shaving products reached US$ 52 million in sales and had 22.4% of the market. In 1981, Bic began a subsidiary called Bic Sport, which manufactured and sold water sports products. Bic announced the sale of Bic Sport to the Estonian company Tahe Outdoor in 2019. In 1989, Bic attempted further product diversification with

400-423: A few products in the line. In comparison to product bundling, which is a strategy of offering more than one product for promotion as one combined item to create differentiation and greater value, product lining consists of selling different related products individually. The products in the product line can come in various sizes, colours, qualities or prices. For instance, the variety of coffees that are offered at

450-493: A large electronics and media company. The name Clichy was recorded for the first time in the 6th century as Clippiacum , later corrupted into Clichiacum , meaning "estate of Cleppius", a Gallo-Roman landowner. In the 13th century, the plain of Clichy was used as a garenne ("warren" in English), i.e. a hunting park and game preserve for the exclusive use of the king or a lord. Clichy became known as Clichy-la-Garenne ("Clichy

500-468: A lifespan of 3,000 lights. The following year, Bic's lighters were commercially introduced in order to compete with Gillette 's Cricket lighters. These lighters, made using plastic, initially had only five colours, but they were competitively sold at a low price, which ultimately led to Gillette leaving the lighter market. At the time, Bic lighters accounted for around 65% of disposable lighter sales, and they still continue to be cheap and popular. Bic operates

550-452: A line that define the image of the whole line. Image anchors are usually from the higher end of the line's range. When you add a new product within the current range of an incomplete line, this is referred to as line filling . Price lining is the use of a limited number of prices for all your product offerings. This is a tradition started in the old five and dime stores in which everything cost either 5 or 10 cents. Its underlying rationale

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600-553: A longer range of products. The depth of product mix pertains to the total number of variations of product in a product line. For example, a brand would be considered to have a depth of four if it sells two sizes and two flavours of soda. The consistency of product mix refers to how closely associated the products in the same product line are to each other, in terms of their use, production and distribution. A business’ production mix could be very consistent in distribution, yet extremely different in other areas such as use. For instance,

650-465: A new line of temporary tattoo markers called BodyMark by BIC. Soon after, in 2019, Bic launched the Made For You grooming line, a line of shaving products without gender labels. In 2020, BIC purchased Djeep, a manufacturer of high-end and personalized lighters. The acquisition allowed Bic to expand its customizable lighter range. That same year, Bic acquired Rocketbook, a smart reusable notebook brand in

700-424: A part of the territory of Neuilly-sur-Seine to create the commune of Levallois-Perret . The population data in the table and graph below refer to the commune of Clichy proper, in its geography at the given years. The commune of Clichy ceded the commune of Batignolles-Monceau in 1830, and reabsorbed part of it in 1859. In 1866 it ceded part of its territory to the new commune of Levallois-Perret . An immigrant

750-623: A professional cycling team in the 1960s, led by Tour de France winners Jacques Anquetil and Luis Ocaña . The company began sponsoring the Tour again in 2011 as an "official supporter", which they have continued to do to the present day. Bic also sponsored the Alain Prost –led Prost Grand Prix team in Formula One from 1997 to 2000. The corporate logo comprises two parts; a rhomboid with curved corners, left and right sides angled upward and containing

800-553: Is twinned with: L'Oréal Group has its head office in the Centre Eugène Schueller in Clichy. In addition, Monoprix has its head office in Clichy. Société Bic has its head office in Clichy. At one time Fnac had its head office in Clichy. In 2008 the head office moved to Ivry-sur-Seine . Amazon has its French Head Office in Clichy. Clichy is served by Mairie de Clichy station on Paris Métro Line 13 . It

850-543: Is a person born in a foreign country not having French citizenship at birth. An immigrant may have acquired French citizenship since moving to France, but is still considered an immigrant in French statistics. On the other hand, persons born in France with foreign citizenship (the children of immigrants) are not listed as immigrants. The canton covers a part of the commune; the other is in the northern part of Levallois-Perret . Clichy

900-626: Is also served by Clichy–Levallois station on the Transilien Paris-Saint-Lazare suburban rail line. The commune has 22 primary schools, three junior high schools, and two senior high schools. The junior highs include: The senior high schools are: (in French) Product line In marketing jargon , product lining refers to the offering of several related products for individual sale. Unlike product bundling , where several products are combined into one group, which

950-440: Is an excellent example of price lining as most products sold there are $ 1. Captive pricing is a strategy drawing consumers’ interests and encouraging purchases by offering a basic product for a really low price, however, they will have to purchase additional items in order to obtain the full value of the product they have received. Although the retailer might lose profit on the first sales item, they will manage to gain it back from

1000-526: Is known as product line filling. Product line pricing is a product pricing strategy, used when a company has more than one product in a product line. It is a process that traders adopt to separate products in the same category into various price groups, to create different quality levels in the customers’ minds. For instance, vehicle manufacturers produce their vehicles in different models including economy models, environmental models, luxury models and more. Each of them has an individual cost or price to display

1050-409: Is sold with the same brand name , this is referred to as family branding . When you add a new product to a line, it is referred to as a line extension . When you have a single saleable item distinguishable by size, appearance, price or some other attribute in your product line, it is called SKU-Stock Keeping Unit. The marketing jargon for adding a product that is better quality than other products in

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1100-548: Is the tungsten carbide one that was the key feature in Bic's new ballpoint pens in 1960. The schoolboy was designed by Raymond Savignac who also developed the product's "Nouvelle Bille" (new ballpoint) advertising campaign , which was intended to attract the attention of children. When the Bic Boy was added to the left of the rhomboid one year later in 1961, both changed to the newly adopted official corporate colour of orange ( Pantone 1235C). In 2018, Centquatre-Paris featured

1150-446: Is then offered for sale as a units, product lining involves offering the products for sale separately. A line can comprise related products of various sizes, types, colors, qualities, or prices. Line depth refers to the number of subcategories under a category. Line consistency refers to how closely related the products that make up the line are. Line vulnerability refers to the percentage of sales or profits that are derived from only

1200-798: The Netherlands , Austria , Switzerland , and Spain . In 1956, the company established itself in Brazil, and soon after expanded into the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Scandinavia in 1957. In 1958, the takeover of the American Waterman Pen Company allowed BIC to establish itself in the United States while continuing its development in Africa and the Middle East. In 1959, BIC acquired

1250-522: The "la-Garenne". This is the term in use in the 21st century. But, in many instances the municipality of Clichy refers to the commune traditionally as Clichy-la-Garenne, although this has not been the official name for more than 200 years. Clichy was the capital of the Merovingians during the rule of Dagobert I . Its church was built in the 17th century under the direction of St Vincent de Paul , who had previously been curé of Clichy. In 1830, part of

1300-498: The Swedish company Ballograf . On November 20, 1962, BIC launched a range of three luxury ballpoint pens: Chrome, Luxury, and Grand Luxury. In 1969, Bic launched its advertising campaign in the United States. A year later, the four-color Bic was launched. The four-color pen allowed one to change the ink color without changing the pen. Bic's ability to mass produce the manufacturing of their pens resulted in low prices. The Conté company

1350-632: The U.S., in order to bring together analogue and digital writing. Among the eco-friendly products introduced in 2021 as part of the BIC ReVolution product line includes three ballpoint pen products, including one made of 73% recycled ocean plastic , mechanical pencils made of 65% recycled plastic, permanent markers made of 51% recycled plastic, as well as correction tape made of 56% recycled plastic. In May 2021, BIC launched an ad campaign featuring Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg to promote their new EZ Reach lighter. In January 2022, BIC acquired Inkbox,

1400-614: The Warren" or preserve). Between 1793 and 1795, during the French Revolution , Clichy-la-Garenne was renamed Clichy-la-Patriote (meaning "Clichy the Patriot"), perhaps because the word garenne reminded people of the feudal privileges that the new government abolished in 1789. After the Revolution, the French administration officially recorded the name of the commune only as Clichy, dropping

1450-641: The additional products that customers buy. For example, razor blades and razor manufacturers usually sell razor handles for an unbeatable price while selling additional blade cartridges at a much higher price. Captive pricing is most effective when there are no other similar products from competitors in the same price range. Bundled pricing is the approach of selling products and their accessories or other options as one product for one price. Consumers will not need to purchase each item separately but one bundled item and priced as one product. This would also be appealing to customers as normally they would be on sale and have

1500-567: The company offers. A diversified product mix can target the maximum number of customers, however, such numbers of product lines requires much attention and focus as each product line targets different groups of consumers and involves individual strategy and management. Although specialisation of products (narrow product mix) might be easier for businesses to operate and manage, it reduces the ability to reach out to diverse markets as they fail to offer sufficient options for consumers to cater to their "needs and wants." The length of product mix refers to

1550-552: The company that have just been added into the product line due to the previous satisfying purchases. In marketing, the number of product lines offered is referred as the width of product mix. Product mix, also known as product assortment, is the total number of variety of products that a firm sells to their customers. It measures the total number of product lines. Some companies will focus solely and sell only one type of product that they specialise in. Also, some would offer numerous types of products for diversified markets, depending on

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1600-639: The company was renamed as "BIC Cello (India)". Cello was founded in 1995 and, as of December 2015, is India's largest manufacturer and distributor of writing instruments. In 2019 BIC inaugurated a new facility located in Nairobi, Kenya , which serves the East Africa region. As of May 2021, BIC has over 25 factories around the world. BIC's global headquarters remains in Clichy, outside of Paris, France. Its U.S. headquarters are in Shelton, Connecticut . In 2018, BIC introduced

1650-484: The company's first product in 1950. The Bic Cristal has sold over one hundred billion units since its launch in 1950. Bich formed Société Bic in 1953, and the company was listed on the Paris Stock Exchange in 1972. The design of the pen has remained mostly unchanged since its initial launch, and as of 2021, remains the best-selling pen in the world. Between 1950 and the 1970s, BIC expanded globally into Italy ,

1700-848: The correction fluid as Bic Wite Out. In 2000, the Marne-la-Vallée factory opened. Two years later, the company launched BIC Sport kayaks, and the BIC Comfort 3 & BIC Soleil razors were both released soon after. In 2004, BIC acquired Stypen SA and Kosaido Shoji. In the summer of 2008, Bic launched the Bic Phone , marketed primarily in France and Belgium. It was advertised as a ready-to-use phone with one hour of communication and integrated SIM card and charged battery. The SIM card came loaded with 10 minutes of prepaid calls. In December 2015, BIC acquired 100 percent ownership in Cello Writing, India, and

1750-546: The current products, it is considered as trading up or an upward stretch. Alternatively, if the new added item is of lower quality compared to other existing products, it is known as trading down or a downward stretch. These stretches are known as product line stretching. Supermarkets often apply product line stretching to their product lines by offering different grading of their own brand products to ensure all markets are covered for maximum interest from customers. In addition, when companies add new varieties of existing products it

1800-411: The current standard product line. For example, when a lifestyle pharmacy decided to add in a high protein muesli bar into its current product line of muesli bar. Companies with an effective product line can employ product line extension in order to reach new demographic customers in different geographic areas. When a business adds a line extension to the product line and if it is of a higher quality than

1850-501: The difference in levels. With that being said, for any pricing techniques to be effective, demand elasticity, the whole product mix, product positioning strategy and the product life cycle have to be put into consideration to determine the best price for each product. Price lining is a method of pricing different products for a limited number of prices. This strategy allows ease of administering and companies are able to predict their markets of customers and profits much easier. Dollar Store

1900-749: The introduction of pocket-sized perfume spritzers. The perfumes were withdrawn in 1991. Bic's shaving portfolio expanded throughout the 1990s and 2000s, adding the Soleil, a brand of razors for women, in 2004, and increasing the number of blades until the Flex 5 launched, with five blades, in January 2015 in the United States. In 2021, Bic introduced an eco-friendly stationery product line called Bic ReVolution. Products sold under this line, including ball and stick pens, mechanical pencils , permanent markers and correction tape, were made using at least 50% recycled plastic, as well as

1950-447: The launch of a special-edition version of its iconic pen. In 2023, BIC launched a special edition 4-Color Marvel Studios' The Marvels Edition Retractable Ballpoint Pen. Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine Located in Clichy are the headquarters of the L'Oréal Group , the world's largest company in cosmetics and beauty ; Bic , one of the biggest pen producers in the world; Monoprix , a major French retail chain; as well as Sony France,

2000-409: The letters "BiC" with "i" the only one in lower case , and the Bic Boy to its left. The rhomboid , which debuted in 1950 to coincide with the launch of the Bic Cristal , was originally red with white letters. The font of the letters remains unchanged. The Bic Boy is described on the corporation's website as "a schoolboy, with a head in the shape of a ball, holding a pen behind his back." The ball

2050-400: The line is trading up or brand leveraging or up-market stretch . A line extension of lower quality is called trading down or down-market stretch . Trading down may reduce your brand equity by gaining short-term sales at the expense of long term sales. The jargon for "stretching the line" in both the directions is "two-way stretch". Image anchors are highly promoted products within

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2100-485: The organization's work in Brazil to educate and empower women. In July 2021, Bic partnered with iconic French 19th-century department store La Samaritaine to create a limited-edition collection of products inspired by the façade for which it is famous. Additionally, in August 2021, to celebrate more than 70 years of the Cristal Ballpoint Pen, Bic has collaborated with luxury French malletier, Pinel et Pinel, on

2150-440: The original price still tagged on the product to emphasize the price difference. For instance, retailers will offer a bundle deal for purchasing a new computer with its accessories, such as keyboard and mouse pad. Bait Pricing, also known as "Bait and Switch" is often considered unethical and sometimes illegal. It involves promoting items at a really low price to entice customers, with only limited supplies. Customers will come into

2200-718: The paperboard used in all of the packaging being made of 100% recycled material. In 2022, Bic joined One Percent for the Planet , an environmental organization in which its members contribute at least one percent of their annual revenue to protect the environment. As a part of joining, one percent of annual sales from BIC ReVolution goes towards supporting environmental nonprofits. By 2025, Bic plans on having 100% of its packaging use reusable, recyclable or compostable material. Additionally, Bic's products will contain 50% non-virgin plastic by 2030. The Bich family owns about 46% of issued shares and controls 63% of its voting power. Bic sponsored

2250-411: The promoted products, they often end up buying additional products at their full prices. Therefore, businesses earn their profit off of the unplanned buying decisions by customers besides the loss leaders. The number of different categories of a company is referred to as width of product mix . The total number of products sold in all lines is referred to as length of product mix . If a line of products

2300-436: The size and objectives of the entities. Each approaches' results vary based on many factors including location, market, trends, etc. Therefore, businesses should carefully consider their product mix. The width of product mix is one of the four dimensions of product mix along with the length, depth and consistency of product mix. As mentioned above, the width of product mix is referred to as the total number of product lines that

2350-400: The store looking for the advertised product and find out is out of stock or does not even exist, and afterward be encouraged to purchase a comparable, higher-priced product that is available in store. Similar to Bait pricing, retailers use leader pricing to entice customers to come into the stores by advertising items, the loss leaders, at a low price. When they arrive at the stores aiming for

2400-416: The territory of Clichy was detached and became the commune of Batignolles-Monceau. On 1 January 1860, the city of Paris annexed neighboring communes, taking most of Batignolles-Monceau, which now forms the major part of the 17th arrondissement of Paris . A small part of the territory of Batignolles-Monceau was returned to Clichy. On 11 January 1867, part of the territory of Clichy was detached and merged with

2450-503: The total number of products sold by a company. A product line consists of many similar products defined by its functions and customer market while short product line consists of fewer related products. Customer satisfaction could be achieved through longer product lines. However, overly dense product lines may result in competition within the same line and lead to loss of revenue and customers. If product lines are too short, consumer options are limited, forcing them to switch to competitors with

2500-587: Was acquired by BIC in 1979. In 1981, BIC launched "BIC Sport", which specializes in windsurfing boards. In 1985, the "BIC Mini lighter" was launched and, in 1991, the company launched the "BIC Electronic" lighter. The group began its expansion into Eastern Europe in 1995, and, in 1996, BIC Graphic Europe was formed. In 1997, BIC acquired the Tipp-Ex brand as well as Sheaffer. The company further expanded into Asia. In 1992, Bic purchased Wite-Out Products , an American brand of correction products, and subsequently reintroduced

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