Sharp backs Kyoto pencil museum’s first special exhibition
About 80 exhibits trace pencils and calculators, including a visible-mechanism KY SHARP and a British pencil that doubles as a pointer.
Industry
Pelikan’s D400 is set for a 25% price rise in Japan
Maruzen Nagoya lists ¥44,000 from December 1, up from ¥35,200. Its special-order rule makes the date you receive the pencil important.
MUJI passes ¥100 billion in operating profit and targets overseas growth
Record annual profit comes with renewed store expansion in North America and Europe, and a target of 1,850 shops worldwide by 2029.
Kokuyo sets November 30 start for its robotic Sendai warehouse
Kaunet’s new distribution hub targets 40% higher productivity, with more locally stocked items and a wider same-day delivery area.
Kokuyo approves ¥28 billion for Thien Long acquisition
The proposed takeover pairs acquisition funding with a growing Vietnamese export business—and a multiyear commitment to increase local R&D investment.
Shorty’s Italian-made leadholders arrive at 590 & Co.
Fourteen colors, two clip styles and a 3.15 mm core: the Japanese arrival brings a closer look at Markin’s continuation of the German-born pencil.
Kokuyo commits ¥17.6 billion to its largest logistics hub
The planned Shiga center accounts for about half of a ¥34.5 billion furniture-supply investment program, with operation targeted for 2029.
Sailor’s October prices double two SHIKIORI pencil ranges
Time Tide rises 40%, Profit 27.3%, and one five-piece eraser pack triples. The exact Japanese prices—and the parts distinction worth checking.
Nohara’s gold-finish pencils cost ¥1,100 more
The August increase targets gold-plated hardware. Nohara is separately pointing to late October for reservations covering the first half of 2027.
Hands Shinjuku expands its pen-and-pencil department by 20%
The September 30 reopening brings more space for ballpoints and mechanical pencils, KAYOU+ and Luddite, and hands-on pop-ups.
M&G reopens a 3,500 m² Shenyang flagship with Jiumu
The company calls the refurbished Shenyang location its largest stationery store in China, combining pens and school supplies with Jiumu lifestyle retail.
Barnes & Noble acquires Levenger and plans store rollout
The writing-instrument and stationery brand retains its online range as physical distribution expands.
IJ Instruments’ pricing dilemma: one price worldwide, or a US surcharge?
Lindsay Wilson’s August update reveals the shipping-cost choices behind a handmade pencil.
Sun-Star opens its first official online store
The Shindbat maker adds a direct sales channel; its opening campaign centers on stickers.
Pentel’s October prices: Kerry +25%, Orenz Nero +16.7%
The model-by-model changes behind Japan’s October 1 price revision.
IWI builds a Japanese retail campaign around an 18-pencil FUSION display
A Taiwanese pencil, a Japanese retail campaign and the value of letting someone try it.
Inside Pilot’s ¥10 billion investment year
The spending behind the catalog—and why pencil collectors should care.
Newell opens an Atlanta design center as its Writing business grows
A September investment in design, with the earnings context behind rOtring and Paper Mate’s parent.
Kokuyo’s stationery sales rise 8.7% as it expands in China
Stationery segment sales reached ¥46.595 billion, including internal transactions, with operating income up 10.0%.
Mitsubishi Pencil lifts its profit forecast after a stronger first half
Sales rose 10.4%; operating profit grew 28.6%. The company also points to the weaker yen in its revised outlook.
BIC cites mechanical pencils in North American growth
Reported stationery sales fell. The North American commentary still gives pencil readers something to notice.
Mitsubishi Pencil consolidates Yamagata operations from four sites to two
A July 1 relocation completes another step in the company’s production reorganization.
Mechanical pencils take all three top spots in GetNavi’s vote
Shindbat, AIMVISION PRO and LAMY safari KURUTOGA inside lead a 71-product field.
Kinokuniya plans a Rice Village store, bringing its Houston expansion inside the Loop
A planned second Houston-area location brings a Japanese books-and-stationery retailer closer to central-city shoppers. Its pencil assortment is still to be confirmed.
Flair expands into wooden-pencil manufacturing in Surat
The company’s Surat investment extends its pencil business; the disclosures distinguish sales scale from factory spending.
Staedtler’s July prices reach drafting pencils, leads and spare parts
The 925 25 rises 12.5%; Night Blue rises 16.7%. The replacement-parts column deserves a look, too.
Platinum schedules its official online store for May 18
A new direct channel for the maker of Pro-Use pencils and multifunction writing instruments.
Pilot’s July price list: S20 rises 15%, S10 about 15.4%
The mechanical-pencil rows—and two replacement-eraser packs worth noticing.
Mitsubishi Pencil turns to Advantage Partners for growth and LAMY integration
The April agreement pairs management support with a planned financing package and a wider supply-chain agenda.
Pentel asks buyers to keep orders grounded in actual use
An April supply notice flags raw-material uncertainty without announcing an immediate stoppage.
AIMVISION PRO receives Red Dot Design Award 2026
The award record credits LONT’s Taku Yahara and identifies the drafting pencil’s construction.
Pentel becomes Astrum as PLUS plans integration through 2028
The product brand stays. An earlier name change, a 2022 takeover and a shared management structure explain the next step for the company behind it.
