Smith & Wesson Sold

Scottsdale, AZ–Saf-T-Hammer, a gun safety equipment manufacturer, has acquired $112 million gun manufacturer/marketer Smith & Wesson. Saf-T-Hammer acquired the 149-year-old gun maker from a unit of Britain’s Tomkins Plc for $15 million—significantly less than $112 million Tomkins paid for Smith & Wesson in 1987. As a result of the acquisition, Saf-T-Hammer will seek shareholder approval to change its corporate name to Smith & Wesson Holding Corp.

In addition to manufacturing and marketing its core product line of guns, Smith & Wesson mails its Apparel, Accessories, Collectibles catalog several times a year. Smith & Wesson began selling non-gun items featuring its logo about eight years ago, says marketing director Ken Jorgensen. But with the 2001 catalog, which mailed this spring, Smith & Wesson expanded its product line significantly, to include rompers for toddlers, plush toys, and travel mugs.