H. STEELE Y CIA.                                                 1972-1978

 

Mexican Company founded by Harry Steele, originally from New York, about 1920. he moved to San Antonio, TX and started selling watches in Monterrey, NL, Mexico. He then moved to Mexico City to become one of the largest industrialists of his time.

H. STEELE y Cia., was made up of a group of industrial manufacturing enterprises which included Presto Pressure Cookers, a joint venture with Oneida to make flatware and silverware,  Westclox alarm and wall clocks, Tiempo, S.A. to assemble Steelco and Haste Watches (The market leaders in Mexico) along with the distribution of Worldwide Brands like Eterna, Longines, Elgin, at one point Tag Heuer. H. Steele was the distributing company for all the lines with three Sales Divisions: Watches, Clocks and Housewares.

Development of packaging, selecting patterns for Oneida and the creation of three specific sales channels: Department Stores, Mass Merchandisers and Institutional (Hotel and Restaurant). Collateral Sales materials and initiation of TV and Print advertising. Sales jumped from 8MM pieces to 14MM pieces during this period.

In the Westclox division, a repositioning of the Brand, as well as the start of an innovative media strategy, which was concentrating in Radio as the only media for Alarm clocks, along with a very careful BDI by city, took us to curve a 3 year trend of a volume of 390,000 units to a hefty 600,000 units in year 2 and 650,000 units by the 3rd year. It also included new product development, the first of its kind under a license contract with the Mexican Soccer Federation, which included all the individual teams in the professional league as well as the National Team.