Harry's Battles
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

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 as "on lin ...
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 (business), product or Service (business), service. The model Publication by subscription, was pioneer ...
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 ...
,
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 kn ...
, and other grooming products by mail. Harry's is based in
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
. 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, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. 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 b ...
announced it would purchase Harry's. In February 2020, the
Federal Trade Commission The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) United States antitrust law, antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. It ...
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 nonprofit organizations. One of the Big Three management consultancies, Bain & Company was found ...
. The company launched its
direct-to-consumer Direct-to-consumer (DTC or D2C) or business-to-consumer (B2C) is the business model of selling products directly to customers and thereby bypassing any third-party retailers, wholesalers, or middlemen. Direct-to-consumer sales are usually transa ...
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 use ...
of US$75.6 million. In an interview published in July 2016, Katz-Mayfield said Harry's had two million customers. By January 2017, Harry's shaving products were also available at
Target Target may refer to: Warfare and shooting * 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 artille ...
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 in the United States and 23 other ...
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 b ...
, 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 The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) United States antitrust law, antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. It ...
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 2021 Forbes reported that Harry's had raised a Series E round at a $1.7 billion valuation. In December 2021 Harry's announced it would acquire deodorant brand Lumē for an undisclosed price. By 2023 the product line generated $300 million out of a total $750 million in annual revenue for the company. In March 2024 Reuters reported that Harry's had filed to go public in an IPO.


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 Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the n ...
, Germany. Feintechnik was founded in 1920, and was later nationalised in 1948 as VEB 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 China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
.


Business model

Similar to
Warby Parker Warby Parker Inc. is an American eyewear brand and retailer of prescription glasses, contact lenses, and sunglasses, based in New York City. Founded in 2010, it was initially an online-only retailer. It now receives (about two-thirds) of its r ...
, 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 is an American 501(c)(3) national nonprofit organization that aims to empower military veterans to apply their skills and leadership abilities to benefit under-resourced communities. Established with the recognition that ...
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. City ...
. 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 runs a free, confidential and anonymous helpline as well as a web chat service, offering help, advice and information to anyone who is struggling or in c ...
(CALM), HEADstrong Foundation, and
The Trevor Project The Trevor Project is an American nonprofit organization founded in 1998. Focused on suicide prevention efforts for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth, they offer a toll-free telephone number where con ...
.


See also

*
Dollar Shave Club Dollar Shave Club, Inc. 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 fo ...
*
Warby Parker Warby Parker Inc. is an American eyewear brand and retailer of prescription glasses, contact lenses, and sunglasses, based in New York City. Founded in 2010, it was initially an online-only retailer. It now receives (about two-thirds) of its r ...
*
Away Away may refer to: Film and television * ''Away'' (2016 film), a British film directed by David Blair * ''Away'' (2019 film), a Latvian animated silent film by Gints Zilbalodis * Away (2025 film), a drama film by Gerard Oms * ''Away'' (TV series ...
*
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 cofounded in 2013 by Tyler Haney and Matt McIntyre in New York City, and is now headquartered in Austin, Texas ...


References


External links

* {{Authority control 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