Companies

Mitsubishi Pencil to Buy German Manufacturer of Lamy Pens; Japan Company Seeks to Accelerate Overseas Expansion

Courtesy of DKSH Market Expansion Services Japan
Lamy-brand writing tools

The Yomiuri Shimbun

2:00 JST, March 5, 2024

Mitsubishi Pencil Co. will buy 100% of the shares in C. Josef Lamy GmbH, the owner of the Lamy pen brand, the Japanese company has announced.

The transfer of the entire stake of the German company, which is currently owned by its founding family, is scheduled to take place on March 15.

Mitsubishi Pencil is aiming to accelerate its expansion into overseas markets through the purchase. It has not disclosed the monetary value of the acquisition.

Founded in 1930, Lamy produces and sells mid-priced fountain pens and ballpoint pens costing several thousands of yen or more, mainly in Europe and the United States. In the year ending in December 2023, it had sales of about €76 million (about ¥12.3 billion).

Mitsubishi Pencil focuses on low-priced writing tools and does not sell fountain pens. As the Japanese market is unlikely to grow due to the low birth rate, it decided to obtain Lamy’s technology and sales network and strengthen its product lineup.

The company has set a goal of increasing its annual overseas sales from writing tools to ¥70 billion by 2036, up from about ¥40 billion.