{draw:frame} BIC company is based in Clichy, France. It was founded in 1945. The company 's best-known for making disposable products including lighters, magnets, ballpoint pens, shaving razors and watersports products. It competes in most markets against Global Gillette and Stabilo. After his success in France, the company was located in others foreign countries.For example, in Quebec, disposable razors are also known as «bics». Ten years after the release of Bic pen in Europe, the pens were introduced to the USA. Bic's market share increased with advertising. The slogan of Bic is «Writes first time, every time». Bic sold the pens for 29 cents each and within a year prices increased to 10 cents. Bic is top-selling disposable lighter in the United Stated. In the 196O's Bic sponsored a professional cycling team led by Jacques Anquetil, French winner of the Tour de France. Bic launched water sports equipment In the early 1980's Bic diversified theirs activies into water sports equipment manufacture. Following a dispute between Windsurfer International Inc of California and Dufour Wing of Brittany over patents for the windsurfing board, Marcel Bich financed the Dufour's prior art royalty payment dispute in the United Kingdom and Canada. The company won the case and subsequently expanded to become the world's largest producer of windsurfing equipment with an annual production of 15,OOO boards. Bic Phone Vocabulary lighters : briquet to refill : recharger within : moins de ready for use : prêt à l'emploi large and medium-sized commercial outlets :