A post claiming that stationery brand Reynolds Pens has discontinued one of its most well-known products, the 045 Fine Carbure pen, has gone viral on social media.
The claim: The post was put up on X (formerly Twitter), a day after The New Indian Express published an article, 'Goodbye, Reynolds everybody’s childhood friend'.
(Note: Swipe to view both images.)
The New Indian Express published an article bidding goodbye to the brand.
(Source: TNIE/Screenshot)
Some users have also claimed that the brand is completely leaving Indian markets.
(Archives of more claims on social media can be seen here, here and here.)
Is it true?: No. The company has disregarded the claim on the brand shutting down, calling it "completely inaccurate" and misleading in an email response.
However, they did not have official information confirming whether the Reynolds 045 Fine Carbure Ball Pens have been discontinued.
How did we find out?: A relevant keyword search for any news reports or press releases regarding the company's exit or the pen's discontinuation yielded no credible results.
For more information, we visited the company's website, reynolds-pens.com, where we saw a pop-up message.
This message mentioned that the "recent misinformation" about Reynolds pens was "misleading and inaccurate," encouraging people refer to their official social media pages and website for accurate information.
A note on the company's website addressed the rumours.
(Source: Reynolds Pens/Screenshot)
The same message was posted on their Facebook and Instagram profiles.
The Quint reached out to Reynolds for a clarification over email, where a representative told us that the "news is completely inaccurate and aims to mislead readers to draw false conclusions."
It mentioned that the company is in a growth phase and was "diversifying its product range in India."
"At this time, we also do not have official information confirming whether Reynolds 045 Fine Carbure Ball Pens have been discontinued," the email read.
Conclusion: The viral claim is misleading. Reynolds Pens is not leaving the Indian market and the brand has not officially put out any information about discontinuing the 045 Fine Carbure Ball Pen.
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