BRADFORD, Pa. (AP) — The 75-year-old Zippo Manufacturing Co. is seeking to diversify to try to offset the losses it has incurred due to anti-smoking legislation.
By 2010, Bradford, Pa.-based Zippo wants 50 percent of its products to be unrelated to smoking, said Greg Booth, Zippo's president and chief executive officer. New products will include a line of multipurpose lighters to be used for fireplaces, barbecues and outdoor activities.
Zippo has been hard-hit by anti-smoking legislation, airport security regulations and knockoffs.
''We'll continue to do what we do the best: Manufacture items that generate flame. But we'll add and diversify with products that are nonsmoking related,'' Booth told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
