On Friday I did my usual routine and hopped into the car to head over to my local shop, Kensington Tobacconist. While there I got to talking to the owner, Kurt, who mentioned getting a very surprising phone call from Colibri. It seems that they called him out of the blue to inform him that they have been purchased by another company and are back in business. They went on to tell him that he can expect to see his new Colibri representative in the coming weeks as they get back into the swing of things.
With the reopening, Colibri says that they will honor their eternal flame warranty. While this is good for the customers with broken lighters, I believe they may have a tough time making good with the retailers that were not informed of the closure and were forced to see off their stock at reduced prices.
Pretty badly – if they had to lose money to get rid of stock, they better give some hellish discounts to make up for it or they will have a tough time getting back into the market at the local level.
Mike
I am not sure that anybody really needs Colibri to come back. Most of their products were junk anyway. IMHO So I think most retailers will shy away because they aren’t going to be missing out on anything good.
Went to my local shop yesterday and I noticed that all the Colibri lighters were marked back up to their original sale price. Before then, all the lighters were marked down 50% because of Colibri’s closure. When I questioned the owner about the price change, he informed me about Colibri being picked up by new owners.
After my last experience with them I would not even think of them when it comes to purchasing anything–period! I have purchased a couple of their lighters and none have lasted as long as the cheaper lighters (that still work by the way). Retailers are going to hit the roof.
This should be fum to watch!!!!!!!!!!
I’m not sure all the reasons why Colibri went out of business in the first place, but I’m sure a big part of it was poor sales because of their unreliable lighters. Customers and retailers alike don’t like getting burned by the lighters they buy. Ouch. I don’t know anyone who has faith in Colibri lighters.
HomeBrewer- That is YOUR opinion. If you don’t like their stuff, fine. But don’t throw off on it cause other people do.
At least I can afford their to buy their products.
My only experience with a Colibri is one I got for 7 bucks from CI with a smiley face on it, you all have seen them. Anyway, I’ve had it for a couple years and use it sporadically and it still works every time. I did buy a Solo lighter once and ended up throwing it in the trash. Sent it back twice for $6 each time and the third time it wasnt worth sending back. I paid about $30 for it. I will probably buy a Xikar next, but I use matches when I can.
I guess that last post didnt answer the question. I think it will take some time and some new more reliable product for retailers put it on the shelves.
colibri has had its ups and downs, but under the new ownership the Quality will rekindle and the brand will once again be as sophisticated and sought after as it originally had been.
I have six Colibri lighters,they always light all of the time and have big fuel tanks. Yes, they do a have a real classic look, But I wonder who bought them, and will that look continue?