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We are a husband and wife team who founded Scriveiner London in 2019 with a simple goal; to be the best affordable luxury pen and accessories brand in the world. We design our products to perfectly blend aesthetics, quality and value for money. We are proponents of ‘luxury minimalism’; having fewer possessions but ensuring they are high quality and long lasting. Our pens should therefore be beautiful, last a lifetime, and be supremely fit for purpose.
Since 1st January 2021 our growth has been incredible. In calendar year 2020 our revenue was £1.94M. In 2021 this more than doubled to £4.28M. In 2022 we grew 25% to £5.34M. We have been profitable every year since launch and profit has grown in step with revenue. We have sold more than 500K pens since launch. More than 80% of our products are sold overseas. We are on target to grow by 40% in 2023.
Over the period we have hugely expanded our product range and launched online in the EU, Canada and Japan. We are now gaining significant traction in traditional retail having successfully launched in all 950 Office Depot stores in the USA, where we are outselling industry heavyweights Parker and Waterman by 2:1.
Recognising an opportunity
The pen world was ripe for disruption.
Established pen brands sell to distributors who sell to retailers. This model requires large incentives at each stage meaning brands sell pens at a retail price around 8x factory cost. By launching online, keeping costs to a minimum and focusing on product design, aesthetics and quality, we produce and retail pens at around 4x factory cost. Our pens are twice the quality of established brands at our price point. They cannot compete without undercutting their retail distribution partners – the very relationships that give these brands so much of their value.
We also recognised a gap in the market for an identifiably British pen brand and launched Scriveiner London in 2019.
A global brand with a people-first approach
We have both run our own businesses, both in the UK and overseas, including China. We have built an international supply chain with writing components made in Germany, pen bodies and final assembly in China. UK design, German engineering and high-quality Chinese manufacturing has proved a winning combination.
We believe in growing the business while treating customers, staff and suppliers well:
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We have six Philippine based staff: normally, Philippine workers are paid a 13 month year - we pay 15 months, offer full paid holiday and sick leave, and assist with other costs that arise
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In India, when the general manager of our supplier tragically died of Covid, we donated $2,000 to help support his family
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In China, we conducted an independent audit of our main supplier to ensure environmental sustainability and ethical working practices
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With customers, our goal is to go above and beyond expectations, for example, if a customer drops a fountain pen and damages the nib, we replace the whole pen, free of charge
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We have donated $35K to NRDC, a US charity that fights for our environment
Our pens are built to last and produced with sustainability in mind. Whilst most companies use packaging that includes plastic, ours is entirely paper. Our leather journals are made from water buffalo that have died of natural causes.
Future plans
Our ambition is to become a household name. We will seek out other retail partners in the US and other countries. We will continue to expand our product range and we will add other product categories as we grow.
Britain used to be the home of pen brands but now has only niche (albeit high-quality) players. We are proud that our founding mission and vision to create an elegant, identifiably British brand is resonating with a global audience, and elevating us into the same league as industry heavyweights such as Cross, Waterman and Parker.
Nomination Title: Yanning Li and Justin Lowes
