A canny German company is seemingly attempting to cash in on the Louvre theft with a tongue-in-cheek advertisement.
Officials at Böcker Maschinenwerke, which is based in the town of Werne near Dortmund, spotted that the furniture lift and ladder used in the daring Paris heist was one of their models, prompting an Instagram post which reads: “If you’re in a hurry….the Böcker Agilo carried your treasures up to 400kg at 42 m/min—quiet as a whisper thanks to its 230V electric motor.” More than 40,000 people have liked the post with contributors giving mixed responses, ranging from “this is pure gold” to “this is a disgrace”.
Julia Scharwatz, the company’s marketing chief, told The Guardian: “After it was apparent that no one had been hurt, we started making a few jokes and putting our heads together on slogans we found funny.”
Scharwatz said that in 2020 the company had sold the mobile freight elevator in question to a company in the Paris region which rents it out to customers—an idea amused Instagram users were quick to respond to. One commenter wrote in jest: “I actually need one of those Böcker Agilo machines at the British Museum on December 24th, because I'm painting the exterior facade. A small, subtle touch, you know. Can you deliver it there? It's just a little paint job.”
