Juwel Safes – Italian Safe Manufacturer Ceased Trading After 100 Years
David Harvey
Juwel Safes, one of Italy's longest-established manufacturers of safes and security locks, ceased trading in 2022 after a remarkable 100 years in business.
For London & Home Counties Safes, the loss of Juwel was particularly significant.
We were the sole UK distributor for Juwel Safes from 1995 until 2022, and during almost three decades representing the company in Britain we supplied and installed thousands of Juwel safes in homes and businesses throughout London and the Home Counties.
Juwel wasn't simply another manufacturer's name in a catalogue to us. It was a brand we knew extremely well and a company whose products formed an important part of our business for many years.
Juwel Safes – established in Italy in 1922
Juwel was founded in 1922 in the Milan area of Italy and developed into a substantial Italian manufacturer of safes and security locks.
Its range included wall safes, freestanding safes, hotel safes and other security products, alongside its Sercas range of security locks. Historic Juwel literature stated that both Juwel and Sercas products were manufactured entirely in Italy.
By 2022, the company was celebrating its centenary.
Juwel's own January 2022 trade price list carried the dates 1922–2022 and marked 100 years of the company. It listed Juwel S.r.l.'s registered office in Polverigi, Ancona, together with its commercial office in Rho, Milan.
Sadly, that centenary year would also prove to be its last.
What happened to Juwel Safes?
Juwel S.r.l. was formally declared bankrupt on 4 October 2022.
Italian insolvency records identify the company as Juwel S.r.l., registered at Via Sant'Egidio 9, Polverigi, and record bankruptcy proceeding 36/2022 before the Court of Ancona.
The result was the end of the original Juwel safe manufacturing business after a century of trading.
For a company to reach its 100th anniversary and then disappear in the same year was particularly sad.
London Safes and Juwel – nearly 30 years together
Our association with Juwel began in 1995, when London & Home Counties Safes became its sole UK distributor.
From our premises in Totteridge Lane, Whetstone, North London, we sold and installed Juwel safes throughout London and the surrounding Home Counties.
Over the following 27 years, thousands of Juwel safes passed through our hands.
We became extremely familiar with the construction of the safes, their locks, their different models and, importantly, how they should be installed.
There will still be a very considerable number of the Juwel safes that we supplied during those years quietly doing their job in customers' homes and businesses today.
That longevity is perhaps one of the best tributes that can be paid to the product.
Italian-made safes with a distinctive design
Juwel had a very recognisable style.
Many people will remember the company's wall safes in particular. Built into masonry and concealed within a wall, they became extremely popular in European homes.
Juwel also manufactured freestanding safes and hotel safes, together with a substantial range of locking equipment.
The company wasn't relying solely upon its age or reputation. Juwel's historic literature documented European security certifications including EN 1143-1 for certain freestanding safes, EN 14450 for wall safes and EN 1300 for security locks, alongside ISO 9001 quality certification.
For us as safe installers, however, specifications on paper were only part of the story. After working with a manufacturer's products for nearly three decades, you get to know the engineering behind them very well.
Juwel became a familiar and trusted part of our business.
A very sad end to a century-old manufacturer
The closure of any established manufacturer is sad, but there was something particularly poignant about Juwel disappearing in the year in which it should have been celebrating 100 years of safe manufacturing.
A century in manufacturing is an extraordinary achievement.
During those 100 years, technology changed enormously. Mechanical locks gave way increasingly to sophisticated electronic locking, security standards evolved and the safe industry itself changed almost beyond recognition.
Juwel continued manufacturing through all of it.
For those of us at London & Home Counties Safes who dealt with Juwel for so many years, its disappearance represented the end of a very long relationship.
We remain extremely proud to have represented Juwel Safes in the United Kingdom from 1995 until the company's closure in 2022, and to have installed so many of its products for our customers.
We would also like to acknowledge the many people who worked for Juwel over the years and contributed to a manufacturing business that survived for an entire century.
Juwel Safes, 1922–2022.
Do you already own a Juwel Safe?
One important point for existing owners is that the closure of Juwel does not mean that their safe suddenly needs replacing.
There are thousands of Juwel safes still installed in homes and businesses, and many are likely to remain perfectly serviceable for many years.
London & Home Counties Safes continues to help owners of Juwel safes with problems including:
- lost keys or codes
- safes which will no longer open
- lock and keypad problems
- servicing and repairs
- advice about existing installations
- replacing an older Juwel with a modern insurance-rated safe
Because of our history as Juwel's UK distributor, we have considerable experience with the company's products.
If you have a Juwel safe and require assistance, the easiest thing to do is send us a photograph of the safe, including a clear picture of the lock or keypad where possible, and we can usually identify what you have and advise you on the next step.
Are Juwel spare parts still available?
There is an important distinction to make here.
The original Juwel S.r.l. manufacturing company ceased trading in 2022, but support for existing Juwel products has not disappeared completely.
A website operating today under the Juwel name provides technical assistance, compatible replacement components and conversion kits for existing Juwel safes. Its current service describes replacement parts as compatible parts, rather than suggesting that the original manufacturing company has restarted production.
Availability will therefore depend upon the particular model, its age and the locking system fitted.
If you own an older Juwel safe, it is worth seeking advice before assuming that a faulty lock or keypad means the entire safe needs replacing.
A century of Juwel Safes
From its beginnings near Milan in 1922, Juwel survived for an extraordinary 100 years.
Its safes travelled far beyond Italy and became familiar products throughout Europe and elsewhere in the world. Historic company literature described an international sales and support network and stated that Juwel products were entirely manufactured in Italy.
For London & Home Counties Safes, Juwel will always have a particular place in our own history.
We represented the company in Britain for nearly three decades, supplied thousands of its safes and still speak to customers today who own Juwel safes that we installed many years ago.
Juwel Safes – 1922 to 2022. One hundred years of Italian safe manufacturing.