List of American Brands now owned by foreign comapanies

 I was reading about classic American brands that are now no longer owned by Americans.

I had to find out who owns them now, and here is what I found out. Sharing it with you.

If you know of others that are not included in this list, please share in the comments section.

25 Classic American Brands Now Owned by Foreign Companies

Melly Alazraki

November 16, 2022 11:54 am

Last Updated: February 27, 2023 4:47 pm

 

Summarizing here for quick reference - information taken from above article:

 

1. GrubHub
> Founded: 2004, Chicago, Illinois
> Date first became foreign: 2020
> Current parent company: Just Eat Takeaway.com N.V., Netherlands

NOTE: I had no idea this was no longer a US company. Anyway, I don't use this service, as I like to order directly from local restaurants. 

 

2. Tiffany & Co.
> Founded: 1837, New York, New York
> Date first became foreign: 2021
> Current parent company: LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, France

NOTE: I wouldn't have guessed... now I know. So that's what happened during covid times...  

 

3. Popeyes
> Founded: 1972, New Orleans, Louisiana
> Date first became foreign: 2017
> Current parent company: Restaurant Brands International Inc., Canada; 3G Capital, Brazil and USA

NOTE: aha, it's splits between three countries. I haven't eaten at Popeyes. 

 

4. GE Appliances
> Founded: 1907, Schenectady, New York
> Date first became foreign: 2016
> Current parent company: Haier, China

bought by the world's biggest appliance company, the Chinese company Haier, for $5.4 billion. 

NOTE: seriously? All this time I thought that it was American company.... so things keeps shifting. Now I know. 

 

6. Motorola Mobility
> Founded: 1928, Chicago, Illinois
> Date first became foreign: 2014
> Current parent company: Lenovo, China

NOTE: this is very interesting to know ...

 

6. Forbes
> Founded: 1917
> Date first became foreign: 2014
> Current parent company: Integrated Whale Media Investments, China

NOTE: I HAD NO IDEA!!! hmmmm.....  

 

7. Budweiser
> Founded: 1852, St. Louis, Missouri
> Date first became foreign: 2008
> Current parent company: Anheuser-Busch InBev, Belgium

NOTE: Now that explains all the controversy we read on social media ....  

 

8. Greyhound Lines
> Founded: 1914, Hibbing, Minnesota
> Date first became foreign: 2007
> Current parent company: FlixMobility (parent of Flixbus), Germany

NOTE: I had no idea .... now I know 

 

9. Hoover US
> Founded: 1908, North Canton, Ohio
> Date first became foreign: 2007
> Current parent company: Techtronic Industries, Hong Kong 

 

10. IBM PC
> Founded: 1981, New York City
> Date first became foreign: 2005
> Current parent company: Lenovo, China

NOTE: I would have never guessed .... 

 

11. John Hancock Life Insurance
> Founded: 1862, Massachusetts
> Date first became foreign: 2004
> Current parent company: Manulife Financial Corporation, Canada

 

12. Purina
> Founded: 1894, St. Louis, Missouri
> Date first became foreign: 2001
> Current parent company: Nestlé, Switzerland

 

13. Ben & Jerry’s
> Founded: 1978, Burlington, Vermont
> Date first became foreign: 2000
> Current parent company: Unilever, U.K.

 

14. Hellmann’s
> Founded: 1913, New York, New York
> Date first became foreign: 2000
> Current parent company: Unilever, U.K.

 

15. Chrysler
> Founded: 1925, Detroit, Michigan
> Date first became foreign: 1998
> Current parent company: Stellantis N.V., Netherlands

 

Adding more companies to the above list.

Additional companies no longer owned by American businesses: I will add to the above list from this source

BUYAMERICAN article:

American Brands that are Now Owned by Foreign Investors

Posted by: Rachel Wilson

 16.  JIM BEAM

First introduced to whiskey loving Americans in 1795 this brand is one of the best selling brands of whiskey in the world. It was purchased by Beam Suntory, a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings of Osaka, Japan in 2014. Production is still done in Clermont, Kentucky.

 

17. MAKER’S MARK
Known for it’s distinct square bottle with the red seal, Marker’s Mark was first introduced in 1958... The company was then sold to Beam Suntory, a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings of Osaka, Japan in 2014. Production is still done in Loretto, Kentucky.

 

18. GERBER
Started in 1927 in Fremont, Michigan. he company was purchased by Swiss owned Nestle in 2007 for $5.5 billion.

 

19. SMITHFIELD FOODS
Began in 1936 under the name Smithfield Packing Company in Smithfield, Virginia. Today Smithfield is the largest pig and pork producer in the world. The company, along with many of their brands was purchased by WH Group of China in 2013 for $4.7 billion. They have processing plants in over 500 farms in the USA. Brands include: Smithfield, Eckrich, Nathan’s Famous, Farmland, Armour, Cook’s, John Morrell, Gwaltney, Kretschmar, Margherita, Curly’s, Carando and Healthy Ones.

 

20. SMITHFIELD FOODS
Began in 1936 under the name Smithfield Packing Company in Smithfield, Virginia. Today Smithfield is the largest pig and pork producer in the world. The company, along with many of their brands was purchased by WH Group of China in 2013 for $4.7 billion. They have processing plants in over 500 farms in the USA. Brands include: Smithfield, Eckrich, Nathan’s Famous, Farmland, Armour, Cook’s, John Morrell, Gwaltney, Kretschmar, Margherita, Curly’s, Carando and Healthy Ones.

 

Additional information added:

SOURCE:

11 American companies that are no longer American

Mary Hanbury

Updated

Aug 2, 2018, 3:03 PM EDT

21. BURGER KING: Current owner: Restaurant Brands International, Canadian fast-food company

 

22. Trader Joe's: Current owner: Aldi Nord, German discount supermarket chain

 

23. Lucky Strike: Current owner: British American Tobacco company, a British tobacco company

 

24.   American Apparel: Current owner: Gildan Activewear, Canadian clothing company

NOTE: that's pretty sad, you still think it's American .... it's now sort of misleading, isn't it?

 

25. 7 Eleven: Current owner: Seven & i Holdings, Japanese retail group

 

26. Sunglass Hut: Current owner: Luxottica Group, Italian eyewear company

 

27.   Holiday Inn: Current owner: InterContinental Hotels, British hotel company

Note: I had no idea.... we always stay at Holiday Inn while on vacation. Now I know ...

 

Additional source: 29 good ol’ American companies that aren’t American anymore

 

28.

AMC Theaters

Dalian Wanda, the Chinese conglomerate run by the country's richest man Wang Jianlin, acquired North American cinema behemoth AMC Theaters for $2.6 billion (£2bn) in 2012. The Chinese group now controls 5,048 cinema screens in 347 movie theatres across the US and Canada. 

 

29.

Ironman

In 2015, Dalian Wanda raided the company coffers yet again to buy the World Triathlon Corp from America's Providence Equity Partners LLC for a cool $900 million (£679m). The corporation owns the world-famous Ironman brand and organises triathlon events worldwide. 

 

30.

Legendary Entertainment Group

Continuing the shopping spree, Dalian Wanda added an American movie studio to its bulging portfolio last year. The Chinese conglomerate parted with $3.5 billion (£2.6bn) to take over Legendary Entertainment Group, the firm that co-financed movies from Jurassic Park to Warcraft. 

 

31. 

Dirt Devil

This US manufacturer of vacuum cleaners originated in 1905 and is American as they come, but parent company Royal Appliances Manufacturing Company was actually bought by Hong Kong's Techtronic Industries in 2002 for $105.5 million (£80m). 

 

32.

Good Humor

Perhaps Good Humor should now be spelt 'Good Humour'? The American ice cream firm was founded in Ohio in 1923 but acquired in 1961 by the UK's Lipton and is now a subsidiary of British-Dutch company Unilever. 

 

33.

Popsicle

Unilever also owns Popsicle, which was bought by Good Humor in 1989. Now a generic trademark for an ice pop, Popsicle began life in 1924 when California native Francis Epperson patented his 'frozen confectionery' on a stick. 

 

34. 

 

Firestone

The American tyre company was established in 1901 by Harvey Firestone and pioneered the mass production of car tyres. Firestone was a close friend of Henry Ford and ended up supplying tyres for Ford's vehicles. Now Japanese-owned, the firm was sold to Tokyo's Bridgestone Corporation in 1988. 

 

35.

 

Citgo

Citgo was founded in the early 20th century by Ohio oilman Henry Latham Doherty, who turned it into one of America's leading oil companies. The firm was sold to the Venezuelan state oil and gas corporation in 1990 and may soon be Russian. Last year, crisis-hit Venezuela put up Citgo as collateral for its mounting Russian debt. 

 

36. 

Frigidaire

Founded in 1918, Frigidaire developed the world's first self-contained refrigerator in its factory in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and was a big player in the burgeoning air conditioning market. Owned for years by General Motors, the company ended up in the hands of Sweden's Electrolux in 1986. 

 

37. 

Waldorf Astoria

Synonymous with Big Apple glitz and glamour, the landmark Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City was acquired by Chinese Insurance giant Angbang Insurance Group in 2014 for $1.95 billion (£1.47bn). The group is planning to convert some of the hotel's rooms into luxury condos. 

 

38. 

Strategic Hotels & Resorts

Angbang increased its US presence two years later by acquiring Strategic Hotels & Resorts for $6 billion (£4.5bn). The American firm, which was sold by investment company Blackstone, has a number of Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons hotels in its portfolio. 

 

39.

 

Ingram Micro

Ingram Micro is the planet's largest technology products wholesaler and a major player in the global IT industry. Founded in 1978 in Nashville, Tennessee, the firm was US-owned until last year when it was sold to a subsidiary of China's HNA Group for $6 billion (£4.6bn). 

 

40.

John Hancock Life Insurance

The oldest firm in our round-up, the John Hancock Life Insurance Company was established by its namesake in 1862 and remained wholly American-controlled until 2004, when it was bought by Canadian insurer Manulife Financial Corporation. 

 

 

 

After reading about all above businesses, we naturally would like to know about American companies:

Here is an article worth reading:

What Is Actually Still Made in America? Part 2

by Michelle Muller 

 

 

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