Extremely rare Swiss TABAC advertising sign, printed verre églomisé in Lithography. Surrounded by hammered art ironwork in the Art Deco style.

Egyptian cigarette factory, Le Khédive

-Laurens the Khedive Cigarettes

-Nera Black Tobacco Filter tip

Ed. Laurens "Le Khédive" SA

Tobacco industry

1913, Geneva

BIOGRAPHY

Subsidiary of the company founded in 1887 by the Frenchman Edouard Laurens in Alexandria in Egypt (factory located on Salah el Din Street). Specializing in quality, even luxury, cigarettes, it notably produces the “Le Khédive” brand (named after the Egyptian sovereign Khédive Tewfik I).

In 1913-1915, the company had architects Roch and Martinet build a production unit in Geneva on the Route de Chêne. It produces so-called Egyptian cigarettes (with oriental tobacco).

In 1928, the factory had 200 workers and 50 male workers, for a production of 20 to 25 tonnes per month, 450 employees in the 1950s.

In 1933, it offered the "Laurens Filtra", the world's first mass-produced filter-tipped cigarette.
From the 1930s, the buildings were transformed and enlarged, for the last time in 1957.

Laurens was then the leader on the Swiss cigarette market but the company lost its market share in the following years (unsuccess of the Stella, Alfa and Frégate brands).

Production was transferred to Meyrin in 1965, the administrative headquarters on Route de Chêne was retained (closed in 1991).

Laurens closed its Richterswil branch in 1968.

The company was finally sold to F. J. Burrus & Cie in 1984 and then dissolved in 1995.

The Route de Chêne site was purchased by the watchmaking company Baume et Mercier, which had it renovated in 1996 to install its administrative headquarters (architect Jean-Jacques Oberson).

Since 2006, it has housed the headquarters of Banque Héritage.

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