Hemusmark Pro AD (Bulgaria)

Bulgaria's stationery manufacturer Hemus Mark, which was established in 1924, went private in 1997 when Bulgarian company Balkan Invest bought a 51% stake in the company.
Austrian industrial group Kirchdorfer Gruppe acquired in end-2004 full control of the Bulgarian company through its subsidiary Brevillier-Urban.
The Austrian group have invested some EUR 1.0 million in Hemus Mark since purchasing a 31% stake in 2001.
Kirchdorfer Gruppe said in mid-2004 it would invest EUR 5.0 million in Hemus Mark over the next several years.
The cash injection would be used to expand the company's sales beyond the current exports markets.
Hemus Mark produces over 2,000 types of pencils, coloured pencils, markers, crayons and pens under Brevillier-Urban's most famous brand JOLLY.
In June 2004, Hemus Mark signed a five-year deal with the Czech office supplies manufacturer Koh-i-noor to produce markers and pencils under the Koh-i-noor trademark.
The company exports some 80% of its output to Russia, Austria, Turkey, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, Romania and Greece.
The annual export of markers and highlighters exceeds 30 million pieces.
Kirchdorfer Gruppe said in April 2005 it had invested EUR 500,000 in new equipment for Hemus Mark, which would boost the production of the Burgas-based plant to 2.5 million tonnes from the level of 1.5 million tonnes.
The investment was related to the deal with Koh-i-noor.
Currently, the major shareholder of the company is the Czech Koh-I-Noor Holdings A.S.
In 2010 the company reported growth in sales due to the increased number of foreign clients' orders. The main clients of Koh-I-Noor HemusMark are O&K, Stylex, Brevilier Urban, Koh-I-Noor - Romania and Koh-I-Noor Hardtmuth - Czech republic.