Velcro

This article is about the company. For the type of fastener originally patented by Velcro, see hook-and-loop fastener. For other uses, see Velcro (disambiguation).

Velcro IP Holdings LLC[1]
Velcro Companies[1]
FormerlyVelcro SA.[2]
Company typePrivate
IndustryManufacturing: fastening systems
FounderGeorge de Mestral
HeadquartersUnited Kingdom
Number of locations
Manufacturing: 7 countries[1]
Area served
Worldwide[1]
Key people
  • Bob Woodruff (CEO)
  • Dick Foreman (president, Velcro N. America)
  • Norbert Nieleck (president, Velcro EMEA)
  • Paulo Garutti (president, Velcro Latin America)
  • Frank Liao (president, Velcro APAC)
[1]
ProductsHook-and-loop fasteners, and other products[1]
BrandsVELCRO[1]
Number of employees
2,500[1]
SubsidiariesAlfatex Group[3]
Websitewww.velcro.co.uk

Velcro IP Holdings LLC,[2][4][5] doing business as Velcro Companies and commonly referred to as Velcro (pronounced /ˈvɛlkroʊ/),[1] is a British privately held company, founded by Swiss electrical engineer George de Mestral in the 1950s. It is the original manufacturer of hook-and-loop fasteners, which de Mestral invented.[2]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Company Information". www.Velcro.co.uk. Velcro IP Holdings LLC. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Stephens, Thomas (4 January 2007). "How a Swiss invention hooked the world". www.SwissInfo.ch. Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR. Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2008.
  3. ^ "Alfatex Group history". www.Velcro.co.uk. Velcro IP Holdings LLC. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  4. ^ "Velcro - Meaning of Velcro in English". www.Lexico.com. Oxford English Dictionary online. Archived from the original on 13 January 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  5. ^ Suddath, Claire (15 June 2010). "A brief history of: Velcro". Time. TIME USA, LLC. Archived from the original on 20 February 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2021.