Market Research Paper: Parker Pen Company Joshua Avenall Professor Jane Dorn
Parker Pen Company Company Overview and History The Parker Pen Company is a manufacturer of luxury writing utensils that include Ballpoint, Rollerball, Parker 5TH and Fountain pens, along with refills for these products. Parker products are currently sold Online or at specialty retailers although some of their cheaper ballpoint pens can be found at retailers such as Office Depot. Their most inexpensive pen is listed at $18.32, while their most expensive pen is listed at $590.00. Parker products are also hand made, which is very apparent when you feel and write with one of their pens; mass-produced machine-made pens do not come close. The Parker Pen Company was founded in 1888 by George Stafford Parker when he invented the “lucky curve� fountain pen design, which draws excess ink back into the pen when it is not being used. The design was revolutionary, but it was the only innovation that Parker would create; in 1931 Parker created Quink (Quick Drying Ink) which eliminated the need for blotting while writing, and even today all Parker fountain pens use Quink. In 1941 the Parker Pen Company released the Parker 51, the number 1 selling fountain pen of all time. In 1993 The Parker Pen Company was bought by the Gillette Company, which sold it to its current owners, Newell Rubbermaid, in 2000. A close-up of the nib on a Vintage Parker 51 Fountain Pen.