Do you consider the writing market as a growing market and/or as a niche market ?
Neither of them, it is not necessarily a growing market but it must generate some value.
Because of Internet, printers, … the use of writing tends to decrease in a strong way. However, there is definitely a need to keep on investing on this market in order to avoid the real threat of bipolarization, i.e. the market trivialization on one side with promotional, downmarket pens, and a niche market (top of the range) on another small side. One day or another, the manufacturers will have to consider a re-investment in communication related to the type and category of writing; today, the trend is rather on brand communication through accessories, as does Montblanc for instance.
The responsibility of a leader is to make sure that the category on which he positions himself (in our case, the writing market) is highlighted on a regular basis.
This is a real joint reflection that needs to be implemented by all manufacturers.  
In the past, the pen was a top seller at Christmas time; this is not the case anymore.

How about the less than $ 50 USD models ?
In a supermarket, the average price of pen is about 0.70 euros (generally speaking) and it involves the sale of millions of pens.
So, when you talk about a pen costing less than $ 50 USD, you already talk about a niche market :
On the writing market, a 30 euros model is already a high range product.
As a manufacturer, we are not supposed to stigmatize one or other buyer according to his buying capacity, and this is why we have a brand portfolio (Papermate, Reynolds, Sharpie, Waterman, Parker…).
At that point, the manufacturers must invest on the pleasure and necessity to buy a pen instead of pulling the market further down.
We keep on supporting the bottom of the range models (Vector/Graduate), especially as the decrease of the market in terms of value might be linked to the transition from nib pens to other writing tools that generate less value (the purchase of fewer cartridges, for instance). One must invest in the brand and in the type of product.
 
Do you plan to make customized models ?
No the existing option lies in pen engraving.

What are your pillar pens, in terms of sales or turnover ?
For Parker : Sonnet, Vector, Duofold. For Waterman : Expert, Hemisphere.
It depends on the geographical areas.

What is your current and coming strategy to improve after-sales services ?
There is a kind of comeback. Right now, we are working a lot to make our sellers aware of the need to explain our customers how to make a proper use of a fountain pen.
The sale goes together with an advice.
Each pen is scrupulously tested in our R&D department before being launched on the market.

Do you consult a dealer panel before a market entry ?
Yes.
 
Do you plan to launch propelling pencils (such as the Dufold Citrine) ?
There we are talking of a very small segment and this is why such choices are not systematically offered.

How about lengthy repairs ?
Our after-sales services are pretty fast, you will be able to get a reply within 48h (for instance, quotations, …).
It is a global service; each pen always goes back to St-Herblain; 20 people work there and speak several languages in order to meet the various requirements.
But you must keep in mind that the waiting periods will increase if the dealer does not send the product right away, and quite often the dealers will wait several weeks in order to send together a fair amount of pens.

After-sales services : BP 44 44801 St Herblain Cedex -France-
 email:sav.france@newellce.com 

Why did you dissolve Rotring and incorporate it in Parker ?
Very good question !
I think that when Newell bought back Rotring, it found itself at the head of a great number of brands.
In my opinion, Rotring had a very technical image, thus complementary.
A large part of the range was redirected towards Parker and it works pretty well that way.
A lot of these products went under Parker and because of the worldwide scale of the brand this was a good decision.
Certain Rotring models thus got a second wind, like the Esprit model that had a modification on its materials to produce a lighter and nicer pen. It goes beyond the simple change of a logo.