Cologne (dpa) - One of the world's longest-running eau de cologne brands, 4711, has been sold by US-based multinational Procter and Gamble to a small German perfume company, which will also take over the quaint perfume shop in the city of Cologne.

Maeurer und Wirtz, a company whose best-known perfume brands are Tabac Original and Nonchalance, said Tuesday it was buying four brands after Procter and Gamble decided to drop them for "strategic reasons."

The price of the transaction, which is subject to regulatory approval, was not disclosed. Maeurer und Wirtz has annual sales of 100 million euros (130 million dollars) and is based near the city of Aachen.

The US company is to retain its perfume factory in Cologne, where other scent brands are made, but will sell rights to 4711, Tosca and two other brands to the smaller company along with the ornate, white, four-storey 4711 shop which is a tourist attraction in the city.

The German city has given its name to eau de Cologne, a product with a lower concentration of scent than so-called eau de parfum. Of the brands made in the city, 4711 has been the great survivor and is marketed in 75 countries today, publicists said.

The 4711 brand, pronounced four-seven-eleven, is derived from the shop's number in a 19th century numbering scheme of city buildings and was registered in 1875, according to the company website, but advertising has often hinted that it has a magic meaning.

Its fragrance of citrus fruits underlaid with lavender and rosemary was a scent of luxury for decades worldwide and sales to Japanese men, who perfume their hair with it, are still strong. Japan is the second-biggest 4711 market after Germany. // © 2006 DPA


Publication date: 12 December 2006   

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