Avery Dennison Celebrates 75th Anniversary

Published: June 02, 2010

PASADENA, CA | Avery Dennison Corp., described as the product of one man's insight into retailers' needs, marks its 75th anniversary as a company on June 2 by having chairman, president, and CEO Dean A. Scarborough with the company's leadership team ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange.

Avery Dennison was founded in June 1935 by R. Stanton Avery, who is credited for having developed the world's first self-adhesive label and label-making machinery in a loft above a flower shop in downtown Los Angeles. Sales for his first six months of selling removable price stickers to gift shops and other retailers totaled $1,391.

From Avery's pressure-sensitive materials and production technologies, for which he received 18 patents over the course of his career, the company named after him has evolved into a $6 billion global leader in labeling and packaging solutions, retail branding and information solutions, and organization and identification solutions for work and home.

"Innovation that improves customers' businesses and lives has been at the heart of Avery Dennison since 1935," Scarborough said. "Avery Dennison is everywhere and impacts people every day−we're on the products in the stores they shop, the clothes they wear, the car they drive, the signs on the highway they pass, in the offices where they work and the schools they attend," Scarborough said.
"Today we express this heritage through a new vision: Everything we make and do helps make brands more inspiring and the world more intelligent," Scarborough said. "I'm excited about the future as we honor our past. Avery Dennison has always stood for innovation, and that legacy continues to propel the company forward as we invest in new markets, products and technology to better serve our customers throughout the world."

The company is planning commemorative events throughout the anniversary year. Visit www.averydennison75years.com to learn more about Avery Dennison's history.