Klarinet Archive - Posting 000707.txt from 2000/11

From: "Kevin Fay (LCA)" <kevinfay@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] Selmer buys UMI
Date: Wed, 22 Nov 2000 16:35:20 -0500

We live in an interesting world. Steinway Musical Instruments, Inc. owns
Selmer here in the U.S. In September, Steinway bought United Musical
Instruments, who owns many of the traditional instrument brands not already
owned by Selmer (including Armstrong, Artley, Benge, Conn and King).

On the brass side, it's historically interesting. When Conn moved its
manufacturing operations to Mexico, the factory in Indiana was sold to
Selmer to make Bachs. Now Selmer/Bach owns Conn (along with Benge and
King). So it may come to pass that Conns will be made in the old Conn
factory once again.

It is, of course, even more complicated than that. Selmer doesn't make the
artist-level Selmers, Selmer does -- the French Selmer, that is. As
explained in Steinway's SEC filing:

"Selmer is the exclusive U.S. distributor for SELMER PARIS products. The
SELMER PARIS saxophone is generally considered to be one of the best in the
world. SELMER PARIS, in turn, has exclusive distribution rights to Selmer's
woodwind and brasswind products in France. SELMER PARIS products represented
approximately 7% of Selmer's sales in 1999."

. . . so while Selmer doesn't actually own Selmer, they now own most
everyone else other than the brands that Leblanc and Buffet own and the
individual makers like Rossi, Howarth and Guy Chadash.

kjf

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsubscribe from Klarinet, e-mail: klarinet-unsubscribe@-----.org
Subscribe to the Digest: klarinet-digest-subscribe@-----.org
Additional commands: klarinet-help@-----.org
Other problems: klarinet-owner@-----.org