I’ve worked in the Wholesale food trade most of my working life. I am 15 months off 40 years service with the same company, so I’ve seen lots of changes to who owns the food & drink brands we all buy. This great picture has caused some disquiet on social media, rightly so. It is shocking that so few conglomerates own (and determine the price of) our food.
In my business? We’re all just trying to outdo each other with;
Q: “Who used to own Kleenex Tissues?”
A: Kimberley Clarke
Q: “Who used to own Skol Lager?”
A: Ind Coope Breweries.
http://www.businessinsider.com/10-companies-that-control-what-we-buy-2014-7?IR=T
Until one of them buys out Alan’s Fruit and Veg on Knutsford market, I am still free of their control.
It’s fiendishly difficult to create a brand from scratch, hence the phenomenon of Kit-Kat(Rowntrees) Chunky, Snickers More Nuts etc.
I used to work for Dixons in the halcyon days of the consumer electronics boom of ye olde 1980s, and can totally relate to your nerdish enthusiasm for the ‘who owns who’ game:
“JVC? Ah yes, owned by Panasonic y’know, or to be totally accurate, the Matsushita Corporation…”
It’s interesting (to me, at least) that mega-corps like Unilever and P&G are promoting their identities quite a bit more than they used to. Yes the primary brand remains Persil, Colgate or whatever, but the parent company brand is also becoming more visible.
Sports Direct is also fascinating. They’ve hoovered up many famous and historic brands – Lonsdale, Slazenger etc, and Ashley clearly knows what he’s about, having amassed a billion or three. There’s not a single item available in their stores that doesn’t feature a prominent name and logo. But I’ve never understood the popularity to be honest. I’m far from immune to the lure of brands but if I can’t afford, say, Levi’s, I’d rather go ‘no brand’ than a lookey-likey – (e.g. Lee Cooper). But Mike’s billions indicate otherwise. Fascinating.
I had a pair of Lee Cooper jeans. When I put them on I felt like a Numan:
http://youtu.be/ARCZJwjcEk8
Surprised Kraft aren’t in that group. Surely they are, in top 10?
They’re Mondelez, my friend. Krafty, eh?
I heard the woman who started Green and Blacks speak recently. After selling the company to Cadburys they were still involved when the Kraft takeover of Cadburys came along. They worked right up to the deadline to make sure all the G&B range was certified organic so that Kraft couldn’t ruin the brand with cheap ingredients.
Seems they’re now branching into the music business too:
http://i1350.photobucket.com/albums/p773/minibreakfast/kraft%20werk%20cheese_zpsy19pntx3.jpg
I’m reading Stephen Fry’s ‘Chronicles’ at the moment and he goes on about the tuck available in the school shop. He lists six manufacturers, viz. Fry’s, Cadbury, Rowntrees, Nestlé, Mackintosh and Mars.
As far as I can recall, Fry’s had been subsumed into Cadbury by the time i was buying chocolate, although the brand still existed (and still does, I think). Fruit Pastilles *were* made by Rowntree Mackintosh, as were Toffos.
It’s just three big firms now alright.
You’re right, Ivan. Rowntrees of York became Rowntree Mackintosh. They were then hoovered up by the all conquering coffee and evaporated milk Euro-Giant, Nestle. So Kit Kat, Fruit Pastilles and Fruit Gums, amongst others, became Nestle brands. However, the one thing about Nestle was that they didn’t tend to muck about with the look or taste of our sweets. Unlike Kraft who, when they bought Cadbury’s, started to change everything. Kraft have morphed into the faceless (and frankly, in our trade, fecking uselessly big) Mondelez. Mars? Mars were always Mars. They’ve snapped up the odd British brand, mucked about changing Marathon to Snickers etc, but, generally, are the easiest of the 3 to deal with. It comes from having been in the UK for so long, with their factory at Slough (those 2 big chimneys you can see from J7 on the M4) and from a greater understanding of the British market.
Now, I must get back to some work.
Frys hoovered up smaller chocolate makers (like Epps) before they were conglomerised.
Cadburys ‘chocolate’ is almost inedible as far as I’m concerned. Bournville in particular is especially vile.
Slightly off-thread, but I was only thinking the other day how disappointing ‘Malted Milk’ biscuits are nowadays. The wrong texture (different fat?), not malty enough, and with a curious aftertaste (raising agent?). Comeback Elkes biscuits . . .