Knife regulation forces Victorinox to rethink
Published: Monday, May 6th 2024, 01:40
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Victorinox is working on a pocket knife without a knife. The increasing regulation of knives due to the violence in the world has prompted the Swiss company to do so, as company boss Carl Elsener said in an interview.
"In some markets, the blade leads to an image of a weapon," said Elsener in an interview with "Blick" published online on Monday. In England and some Asian countries, only those who need a knife for work or outdoor activities are allowed to carry one. In cities, the carrying of pocket knives is severely restricted. Elsener envisions a multifunctional tool that cyclists, for example, could use.
This is not the first time that the company has been confronted with the fact that the blade of the pocket knife is seen as a potential weapon. After the terrorist attacks in the USA on September 11, 2001, sales of pocket knives plummeted by over 30 percent overnight, said Elsener. "9/11 painfully showed us that we must not become dependent on a single business area," he said.
Price increase of 9 percent
The company, headquartered in Ibach SZ, exports 80 percent of the pocket knives, kitchen knives, professional knives and watches manufactured in Switzerland, as the company boss said. 20 percent are sold in Switzerland. To compensate for the strong Swiss franc, the company will have to automate and rationalize further in the future.
According to Elsener, Victorinox increased prices for pocket knives by nine percent. The price increase was made possible by the lower level of competition compared to the other mainstay, professional knives. The Swiss manufacturer's professional knives are 25 percent more expensive than those of its competitors. In this area, the company has to compete with manufacturers from Germany or the USA.
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