Harry's is an American company that manufactures and sells shaving equipment and men's personal care products via
online
In computer technology and telecommunications, online indicates a state of connectivity and offline indicates a disconnected state. In modern terminology, this usually refers to an Internet connection, but (especially when expressed "on line" o ...
and retail channels. The company is known for their
subscription service
The subscription business model is a business model in which a customer must pay a recurring price at regular intervals for access to a product or service. The model was pioneered by publishers of books and periodicals in the 17th century, ...
where customers receive new
razor blades
A razor is a bladed tool primarily used in the removal of body hair through the act of shaving. Kinds of razors include straight razors, safety razors, disposable razors, and electric razors.
While the razor has been in existence since before t ...
,
shaving cream
Shaving cream or shave cream is a category of cream cosmetics used for shaving preparation. The purpose of shaving cream is to soften the hair by providing lubrication.
Different types of shaving creams include aerosol shaving cream (also k ...
, and other grooming products by mail. Harry's is based in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
.
The company was founded in July 2012 by Andy Katz-Mayfield and Jeff Raider.
The company launched its subscription service in 2013.
In 2014, Harry's purchased the Feintechnik razor factory in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
.
In May 2019,
Edgewell Personal Care
The Edgewell Personal Care Company is an American multinational consumer products company headquartered in Shelton, Connecticut. It was formed in 2015 following the corporate spin-off from Energizer Holdings. Edgewell Personal Care was formed by ...
announced it would purchase Harry's.
In February 2020, the
Federal Trade Commission sued Edgewell to block the merger, stating that the merger could hurt competition.
History
The company was founded in July 2012 by Andy Katz-Mayfield and Jeff Raider, who met at
Bain & Co
Bain & Company is an American management consulting company headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. The firm provides advice to public, private, and non-profit organizations. One of the Big Three management consultancies, Bain & Company was fou ...
.
The company launched its subscription service in March 2013.
In January 2014, Harry's acquired the German razor blade manufacturer Feintechnik for $100 million,
in an effort to provide control over the entire process of manufacturing their products.
In July 2015 the company received a third-round
financing
Funding is the act of providing resources to finance a need, program, or project. While this is usually in the form of money, it can also take the form of effort or time from an organization or company. Generally, this word is used when a firm uses ...
of US$75.6 million.
In an interview published in July 2016, Katz-Mayfield said Harry's had two million customers.
As of January 2017, Harry's shaving products are also available at
Target
Target may refer to:
Physical items
* Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports
** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports
** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...
and
Walmart
Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...
stores.
In late June 2017, Harry's started selling its products in the United Kingdom.
In February 2018, Harry's raised $112 million in
Series D funding co-led by Alliance Consumer Growth and Temasek co-led, with participation from Tao Capital Partners.
In October 2018, Harry's launched Flamingo, a women's skin care brand.
In May 2019,
Edgewell Personal Care
The Edgewell Personal Care Company is an American multinational consumer products company headquartered in Shelton, Connecticut. It was formed in 2015 following the corporate spin-off from Energizer Holdings. Edgewell Personal Care was formed by ...
, the owner of the
Schick brand of shaving products, announced plans to purchase Harry's for $1.4 billion.
The merger was intended to finalise by the end of the first quarter of 2020.
On February 3, 2020, the
Federal Trade Commission sued Edgewell to block the merger, stating that bringing Schick and Harry's together could hurt competition
and Edgewell backed away from the deal.
In March 2020, Harry's launched Cat Person as an independent startup out of the company's innovation group, Harry's Labs.
Cat Person sells a lineup of cat care products.
Manufacturing
Harry's razor blades are manufactured at Feintechnik GmbH Eisfeld in
Eisfeld
Eisfeld is a town and a municipality in the district of Hildburghausen, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated on the river Werra, 12 km east of Hildburghausen, and 19 km north of Coburg. The former municipality Sachsenbrunn was merged ...
, Germany.
Feintechnik was founded in 1920,
and was later nationalised in 1948 as
VEB VEB may stand for:
* Venturing and Emerging Brands, a division of Coca-Cola
* Virtual business
* Venezuelan , currency of Venezuela between 1879 and 2007, ISO 4217 code VEB
* ' (German for "People-owned enterprise"), a state-owned workplace or est ...
Feintechnik Eisfeld,
which later privatized by German government agency
Treuhand
The (" Trust agency"), colloquially referred to as , was an agency established by the government of the German Democratic Republic to reprivatise/ privatise East German enterprises, Volkseigene Betriebe (VEBs), prior to German reunification. ...
in 1990.
Feintechnik was acquired by Harry's in January 2014 for $100 million.
The handles of the Harry's razors are manufactured in
China.
Business model
Similar to
Warby Parker
Warby Parker is an American online retailer of prescription glasses, contact lenses, and sunglasses, based in New York City. Warby Parker was founded as primarily online retailer, but now sells primarily (about 90%) through approximately 160 ...
, which was also co-founded by Jeff Raider, Harry's began with a
buy-one-donate-one business model, donating a free razor blade (or the cost of one
) to charitable organizations.
The program started in 2013 by supporting
The Mission Continues
The Mission Continues, formerly Center for Citizen Leadership, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that empowers veterans facing the challenge of adjusting to life at home to find new missions. Founded in 2007 by Republican politician Eric Gre ...
to help veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan,
and it was called the "Give a Shave" program.
By the end of 2013, the "Give a Shave" program had changed slightly such that Harry's would donate 1% of their sales and the employees would donate 1% of their time to charitable organizations like
City Year
City Year is an American education nonprofit organization founded in 1988. The organization partners with public schools in 29 high-need communities across the US and through international affiliates in the UK and Johannesburg, South Africa. Ci ...
.
Currently, the donation model remains 1% of sales, and employees now receive five days of paid time off to volunteer with a registered non-profit organization.
Various charities have received this benefit, and Harry's has recently focused on promoting better mental health care for men and suicide prevention,
making news for working with organizations such as
Campaign Against Living Miserably
Campaign Against Living Miserably, or CALM, is a registered charity based in England.
CALM run a free, confidential and anonymous helpline as well as a webchat service, offering help, advice and information to anyone who is struggling or in cri ...
(CALM),
HEADstrong Foundation
The HEADstrong Foundation is a charitable, non-profit organization that offers financial, residential, and emotional support to families affected by cancer. The Foundation is based just outside of Philadelphia, where patients often travel seeking ...
,
and
The Trevor Project
The Trevor Project is an American nonprofit organization founded in 1998. Focused on suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth, they offer a toll-free telephone number where ...
.
See also
*
Dollar Shave Club
Dollar Shave Club is an American company based in Venice, California, that delivers razors and other personal grooming products to customers by mail. It delivers razor blades on a monthly basis and offers additional grooming products for home ...
*
Warby Parker
Warby Parker is an American online retailer of prescription glasses, contact lenses, and sunglasses, based in New York City. Warby Parker was founded as primarily online retailer, but now sells primarily (about 90%) through approximately 160 ...
*
Away
*
Outdoor Voices
Outdoor Voices (sometimes just O.V.) is an American clothing company, focused on the design and sale of athletic apparel. The company was founded in 2013 by Tyler Haney in New York City, and is now headquartered in Austin. The company's products ...
References
External links
*
Razor brands
Personal care brands
Shaving cream brands
Subscription services
American companies established in 2013
2013 establishments in New York City
Companies based in New York City
Male grooming brands
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