Wilkinson Sword

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Wilkinson Sword is the name of a company that makes knives and razors, and previously manufactured swords.

Wilkinson Sword was founded in 1772 in London.

The company's past product lines have included guns, bayonets, and other objects such as typewriters, garden shears, scissors, and motorcycles. The garden shears and scissors came from Wilkinson Sword's ownership in the 1970s of the Finnish company Fiskars Brands.

Wilkinson Sword has manufactured its products in three locations in England over the years: in London, in Chelsea, and in Acton. The Acton sword factory closed, and sword production ceased, as of September 15, 2005.

[edit] Merger to form: Wilkinson Match

In 1973 Wilkinson Sword merged with The British Match Corporation to form a new company Wilkinson Match. This was intended to create a bigger company, with a bigger advertising budget, to enable the company to fight its American rival in the consumer shaving market: The Gillette Company; and its British subsidiary, Gillette. In this advertising war, Wilkinson Sword made full use of its long and proud tradition of sword making, in its television commercials.

Wilkinson Match was then bought by an American company Allegheny Ludlum, from Pittsburgh, who later became bankrupt. Wilkinson Match was then at various times owned by a Scandinavian maker of floor coverings, various banks; and a subsidiary of Volvo.

Most of the former Bryant and May half of Wikinson Match were closed down or sold off in the late 1970s and early 1980s, such as the Bryant and May Factory, Bow and the Bryant and May Factory, Melbourne. Fiskars is no longer part of Wilkinson Sword.

Interestingly, Wilkinson Match's rival Gillette is also no longer independent, with Gillette having been acquired by Procter and Gamble in 2005.

[edit] Wilkinson Sword today

The company is currently owned by Energizer Holdings, having been bought from Pfizer in 2003. The company produces a four-blade razor that is marketed under the Wilkinson Sword brand in Europe and the Schick brand in North America and Australasia.