Sakar Acquires Vivitar Brand

Consumer electronics manufacturer Sakar International today announced the acquisition of the Vivitar worldwide brand name and associated intellectual property from Syntax-Brillian Corporation, the parent company of 70-year-old photographic equipment maker Vivitar Corporation. The acquisition equips Sakar with a well-known camera brand that the company will use to expand its own mass-market camera line, add higher-price camera SKUs, introduce other Vivitar-branded consumer products, and gain overall market visibility. Sakar is a market leader in digital cameras and related accessories to the mass retail channel and a producer of various other technology, toy and consumer electronic products. The company’s current camera products retail from $20 to $100. The Vivitar-branded cameras that Sakar plans to introduce will sell for $70 to $300, enabling the company to reach a new market segment that will significantly broaden its customer base and market penetration. The new products will leverage Vivitar’s existing SKUs, patents and engineering expertise. In addition, Sakar plans to add other Vivitar-branded products, including camera accessories and digital photo frames, as well as explore licensing opportunities in various categories. Sakar currently holds licenses for major brand franchises including Crayola, Hello Kitty, Star Wars, Leap Frog, Spiderman, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Jeep, Made for iPod and For Dummies. “This acquisition positions our company to substantially increase market share in the camera space as well as leverage the Vivitar brand name in numerous other ways,” said Sakar CEO and founder Charles Saka. “It is a core building block for our next phase of growth.” “Linking ourselves to Vivitar will strengthen our presence on the retail shelf while also enabling retailers to buy more product from a single source,” added Sakar COO Ralph Sasson. “We will now have an even more extensive product line at multiple price points.” Vivitar was founded in 1938 and grew to become a leading manufacturer of both digital and film cameras, including one of the broadest product lines of digital cameras spanning entry-level VGA cameras to twelve-megapixel digital cameras with zoom optics for the amateur and serious digital photographer. The company was acquired by Syntax-Brillian in 2006. Sakar’s acquisition of Vivitar was completed on August 21, 2008. Sakar did not purchase Vivitar’s equipment, facilities or receivables. Terms were not disclosed.

100th birthday of Minox Founder

On Sunday 4 September 2005 MINOX commemorated the 100th birthday of the company founder Walter Zapp

For over 60 years Minox cameras have been manufactured by this traditional company based in Mittelhessen, Germany

In memory and in celebration of the MINOX inventor Walter Zapp: On Sunday 4 September 2005 the company management, employees and former friends, as well as the son of Mr Zapp and the managing committee of the 1st German MINOX Club met in Wetzlar, Germany to commemorate Walter Zapp´s 100th birthday and the 60th anniversary of MINOX GmbH.

Sadly, two years ago the company´s founder died at his home in Switzerland, but Lotar Zapp, his son, gave a lively account of his memories and said what a special person his father was. Hubert Heckmann, president of the 1st German MINOX Club, Zapp-biographer and book-author reviewed the different stages of Zapp´s life which was marked not only by hard and difficult times but also by chances and new perspectives. Its for sure that Zapp knew how to take advantage of the new opportunities that came his way with his unique pioneering spirit.

Finally, MINOX director Thorsten Kortemeier, presented a silver commemorative coin showing a portrait of Walter Zapp. This coin has been released together with a hand-built chromium plated LX 8x11 camera as a special Minox birthday edition.

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