Colibri flame lit again
6:02 PM Fri, Jun 05, 2009 | Permalink
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EAST PROVIDENCE -- The New York-based company that acquired the rights to most of the marquee items made by the recently-closed Colibri Group jewelry and accessory company is following through on its promise to try to bring the company back to life. Alliance Time announced this week that it is in the process of returning Colibri lighters and other accessories, as well as the Seth Thomas timepieces it manufactured, back to the retail market. A spokesperson for Alliance said that about 50 former Colibri employees have been hired to resume operations at the Fairmount Avenue plant in East Providence, one of three Colibri sites in the state that closed abruptly in January. Laura Goldberg, communications consultant for Alliance, said the operations at that location mostly involve packaging and handling. She said Alliance Time has created a designated Colibri division devoted to the continuation of the popular lights, accessories for men, and Seth Thomas clocks that the Colibri company had been known for. The Rhode Island-based Colibri company started around 1928 and claimed to have manufactured the world's first automated cigarette lighter. Over the years, it acquired the rights to other high-end accessories such as Seth Thomas. About 280 people lost their jobs when Colibri closed without warning in January. Employees said they discovered that they were out of work when they arrived at Colibri locations in East Providence, Cranston and North Smithfield and found that the doors were locked. A group of the employees has filed a suit in federal court seeking the two months of pay and benefits they say they are entitled to under federal law that requires certain employers to give workers at least 60 days notice before closing. The lawsuit, filed last month in federal district court, is filed against Founders Equity and Phoenix Management, the companies that had control of Colibri at the time of its closing. Alliance, a major distributor of watches and accessories, acquired Colibri's signature line of cigarette lights and Seth Thomas and Linden clocks at a March liquidation auction of the company's assets. Alliance paid about $2.3 million for the brand names and products it is now providing to mid-size and large retailers, Goldberg said. "Now that we've been able to return the Colibri and Seth Thomas brands back to their rightful place on store shelves, we are encouraged by the warm reception they are getting from retailers and consumers alike," said Eli Katz, a top Alliance executive who now heads the Colibri division. Goldberg said that Alliance is currently leasing the East Providence space but could soon be looking to acquire its own site in Rhode Island. She said the Colibri division is aggressively marketing its products and is also planning to develop new product lines under the Colibri name. It recently also acquired the U.S. distribution rights for the Tonino Lamborghini brand of lighters. Alliance's optimism about the future of the Colibri and its product lines is reflected in the company's revamped website, which is still being developed, but bears the slogan, "The Flame Burns On." 
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