Bormioli Rocco () is an Italian manufacturer of

household goods Household goods are good (economics), goods and product (business), products used within households. They are the tangible property, tangible and movable personal property placed in the rooms of a house, such as a bed or refrigerator. Economic ro ...

now operating under the name Bormioli Luigi SpA. The company is one of the world's leading suppliers of tableware and glassware. Founded in 1825 in

Fidenza Fidenza (Parmigiano: ; locally ) is a town and ''comune ''in the province of Parma, Emilia-Romagna region, Italy. It has around 27,000 inhabitants. The town was renamed Fidenza in 1927, recalling its Roman name of ''Fidentia''; before, it was cal ...

(

Province of Parma The Province of Parma ( it, Provincia di Parma) is a province in the Emilia–Romagna region of Italy. Its largest town and capital is the city of Parma. It is made up of 47 ''comuni''. It has an area of and a total population of around 450,000 ...

, Italy), Bormioli Rocco produces glassware and plastic containers for home use, as well as containers for pharmaceutical use. Bormioli Rocco operates nine plants, two decorative

atelier An atelier () is the private workshop or studio of a professional artist in the fine or decorative arts or an architect, where a principal master and a number of assistants, students, and apprentices can work together producing fine art or v ...

s, nine stores and one flagship store, with a presence in over 100 countries and with over 2,500 employees.

Early History

The Bormioli family was originally from

Altare Altare ( lij, Artâ, pms, Latè, L’Atæ in local dialect) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Savona in the Italian region Liguria, located about west of Genoa and about northwest of Savona. As of 1 January 2009, it had a popula ...

, in the

hinterland Hinterland is a German word meaning "the land behind" (a city, a port, or similar). Its use in English was first documented by the geographer George Chisholm in his ''Handbook of Commercial Geography'' (1888). Originally the term was associated ...

of Savona, where the family name was already known in the art of glass-making since the Middle-Age. The family name "Bormioli di Altare" can be tracked back to AD 1300, in the archives of Savona, for the purchase of soda (

sodium carbonate Sodium carbonate, , (also known as washing soda, soda ash and soda crystals) is the inorganic compound with the formula Na2CO3 and its various hydrates. All forms are white, odourless, water-soluble salts that yield moderately alkaline solutions ...

). In 1825, Luigi Bormioli left

(

Province of Savona The province of Savona ( it, provincia di Savona; Ligurian: ''provinsa de Sann-a'') is a province in the Liguria region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Savona, which has a population of 61,219 inhabitants. The province has a total populatio ...

) and moved to Borgo San Donnino (renamed

in 1927) in the

province of Parma The Province of Parma ( it, Provincia di Parma) is a province in the Emilia–Romagna region of Italy. Its largest town and capital is the city of Parma. It is made up of 47 ''comuni''. It has an area of and a total population of around 450,000 ...

. Luigi started a glassware company with money he inherited from his father. After Luigi's death in 1832, his wife Petronilla led the company for the next 22 years, together with her three sons. In 1854 the company purchased the Royal Factory of Ceramics and Glasses Strada Farnese in Parma, and immediately changed its name to Brothers Bormioli Glassware. Over the next several years, the company mechanized its production and moved into a larger facility near San Leonardo. In 1880, the company name was changed to Bormioli Rocco Glass and Son. Upon Rocco's death in 1893, his son Luigi took over. During World War I for the next two decades, Bormioli Rocco remained a major company in the region. employing more than 1,600 people, and had a worldwide sales network.

Modern history

In the 1980s, the company acquired other companies in Italy and abroad, and again renamed itself, this time, as the Bormioli Group. The new company made glass products for the household sector, and industrial packaging for pharmaceutical, perfume, cosmetics and food use. A financial crisis in the 1990s forced the company to cede a majority stake to Banca Popolare di Lodi. In subsequent years, the company became part of Gruppo Banca Popolare (through its subsidiaries and participations Spa Efibanca Italian), and in 2011 it was sold to private equity firm

Vision Capital Vision Capital is an international investor with a flexible capital approach to investing in mid-size private companies that has its headquarters in Western Europe and North America. The company specializes in both the dynamics of private equit ...

, which had 53% ownership. Italian entrepreneur Giovanni Bellavite owns a 17% stake in the company (~ 90 million).

Landmark dates

*1825 : Luigi Bormioli sets up the first glassworks in Fidenza where the development of the company has started. *1880 : After the acquisition of the "Royal factory of majolica and glassware" in Parma, The Bormioli family changes the business name into "Vetreria Fratelli Bormioli Rocco e Figlio spa". *1938 : The first automatic machine is assembled. *1946 : After the war bombings and the total destruction of the factory, the production is relaunched using the most advanced automation technologies. *1950–60 : Introduction of white glass for pharmaceutical containers and improvement of production equipment for tempered-glass tableware products. The Company also expanded to a global presence. *1980–99 : From the beginning of the eighties to the end of the nineties the Rocco Bormioli firm has carried out a campaign of acquisitions of factories in Italy and abroad: Trezzano sul Naviglio, Castelguelfo and then Altare and Fidenza Vetraria in 1991, Verreries de Masnieres in 1993 and Azuqueca in 1997. *2004 : Banca Popolare di Lodi becomes the main shareholder of Bormioli Rocco & Figlio SpA. *2004 : The company closes its factory in Rive-de-Gier, France. *2011 : In June 2011 Vision Capital purchases the Bormioli Rocco Group. *2013 : Bormioli Rocco buys Neubor Glass.

Brands

Brands within Bormioli Group: * Bormioli Rocco: This brand is dedicated to tableware. * inAlto: This brand is dedicated to professionals * Fido: This brand is dedicated to airtight jars. * Quattro Stagioni: This brand is dedicated to jars, lids and accessories. * Frigoverre: This brand offers glass containers. * B2B and Promotion: Works with B2B companies to create or personalize products and design promotional packaging and on-pack solutions.

Key competitors

Arc International Arc Holdings is the holding company of the Arc Group, specializing in the design and manufacturing of glass tableware. The Arc Group markets its collections in France and exports them abroad under the registered trademarks Luminarc, Arcopal, Cr ...

(France), 1 billion euros revenue in 2009 and 8000 employees. * Libbey (USA), 540 million euros revenue in 2009 and 6800 employees. * Pasabahce (Turkey), 480 million euros revenue in 2009 and 5800 employees. *Maghsoud factories group (Iran), 3000 employees. * Vicrila Industrias del Vidrio S.L.U (Spain), 25 million euros revenue.

References

{{Authority control Glass trademarks and brands Italian companies established in 1825 Glassmaking companies of Italy Italian brands Province of Parma