ABOUT ROYAL APPLIANCE
The first Royal vacuum cleaners were made by the P.A. Geier Company in 1905. This makes us one of the world´s oldest vacuum cleaner manufacturing companies. Mr. Geier started producing his metal cleaners by hand in a backyard garage in Cleveland, Ohio. Soon the company grew and moved to a four-story building on 105th Street where it operated two divisions, a cleaner division and a machining division. Besides vacuum cleaners, the company produced mixers, hair dryers and washing machine units.
Vacuum cleaners, though, remained the key product, as the company introduced the industry´s first hand-held vac, the "Royal Prince," in 1937. Royal joined most manufacturing companies across the country and switched over to military production during World War II.
Vacuum cleaner shipments remained strong up to 1953 when the P.A. Geier Company was purchased by the Walter E. Schott investment group. The Schotts renamed the company Royal Appliance Manufacturing. However, the new owners were not wholly committed to the company and decided to dissolve it soon after its acquisition. Royal was then purchased by a group of employees, headed by Stan Erbor, in 1954. The company thrived under Erbor´s leadership, moving to Highland Heights, Ohio in 1969 where it expanded and refined all phases of operations. Erbor was active in the company until his death in 1981 at age 80.
INTRODUCING DIRT DEVIL
In 1981, a small group of investors saw an opportunity to purchase the company and to bring a fresh sales and marketing strategy. With this new leadership, our sales grew from just under $5 million in 1981 to approximately $408 million in 2000.
The new marketing approach included an aggressive advertising strategy and new distribution into mass retail outlets such as Kmart and Wal-Mart. In 1984, Royal introduced an innovative new product, the Dirt Devil® Hand Vac, which has grown to become Royal´s signature product and the largest selling hand-held corded vacuum cleaner in the United States. Since its debut, more than 23 million Dirt Devil Hand Vacs have been sold. This success has opened the door for many new product introductions under the Dirt Devil brand name.
Today, Royal enjoys 98 percent brand name awareness in the Dirt Devil name and manufactures uprights, hand vacs, stick vacuums, canister vacs, and carpet shampooers. These products are now sold through major retailers nationwide.
Royal´s mission is to be a premier consumer products company. We strive to recognize the needs of our customers and supply them with quality products that solve their cleaning problems. These philosophies have enabled Dirt Devil to build brand loyalty derived from strong consumer satisfaction.
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