Spin-off Alert: The Biggest Brands Breaking Away from Their Parents in 2025-2026

The Age of Corporate Breakups

Something unusual is happening in corporate America: companies are getting smaller on purpose.

After decades of mergers, acquisitions, and empire-building, some of the world's largest corporations are now splitting themselves apart. The logic is simple but powerful: Wall Street values focused companies more highly than diversified conglomerates. By separating different business lines into independent entities, companies can unlock "hidden value" and allow each business to pursue its optimal strategy.

For brand ownership watchers, this wave of spin-offs means the corporate parent behind your favorite brands may have changed recently, or may be about to change. Here is a comprehensive guide to the biggest brand separations of 2025-2026.

Active and Recent Spin-offs

Kraft Heinz Split (Expected H2 2026)

Parent: The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ: KHC) Status: Announced September 2025, expected to close second half of 2026

Kraft Heinz is splitting into two separate publicly traded companies:

• Heinz ketchup and sauces
• Philadelphia cream cheese
• Kraft Mac & Cheese
• Lunchables
• Led by former Kellanova CEO Steve Cahillane

• Oscar Mayer
• Maxwell House
• Velveeta
• Jell-O
• Cool Whip

Why it matters: This split essentially unwinds the 2015 Kraft-Heinz merger engineered by 3G Capital and Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. The merger was widely considered a value-destroying deal, with Kraft Heinz taking a $15.4 billion goodwill writedown in 2019.

Kenvue Separation + Kimberly-Clark Acquisition (Expected H2 2026)

Parent: Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) Status: Kenvue spun off May 2023; Kimberly-Clark acquisition announced November 2025

J&J spun off its entire consumer health division as Kenvue (NYSE: KVUE) in May 2023. Kenvue took brands including Tylenol, Listerine, Neutrogena, Band-Aid, Aveeno, and Zyrtec.

Then in November 2025, Kimberly-Clark announced it would acquire Kenvue for $48.7 billion. The combined entity will own 10 billion-dollar brands spanning consumer health and hygiene.

Why it matters: Brands that consumers associated with "Johnson & Johnson" for generations will soon belong to the company behind Kleenex and Huggies. J&J retains only its pharmaceutical and medical device businesses.

GE Three-Way Split (Completed 2024)

Parent: General Electric Status: Completed

• GE Aerospace (NYSE: GE): Jet engines, aviation services. Kept the GE name.
• GE Healthcare (NASDAQ: GEHC): Medical imaging, diagnostics. Spun off January 2023.
• GE Vernova (NYSE: GEV): Power generation, wind energy. Spun off April 2024.

Why it matters: One of America's most iconic conglomerates no longer exists as a single entity. GE Appliances was sold to China's Haier in 2016, GE Lighting to Savant Systems in 2020, and NBC/Universal to Comcast in 2013.

Kellogg's Split into WK Kellogg + Kellanova (2023) + Mars Acquisition (2025)

Parent: Kellogg Company Status: Split completed October 2023; Kellanova acquired by Mars 2025

• WK Kellogg Co (NYSE: KLG): North American cereal (Frosted Flakes, Froot Loops, Raisin Bran)
• Kellanova (NYSE: K): Global snacking (Pringles, Cheez-It, Pop-Tarts, Eggo)

Then Mars, Incorporated acquired Kellanova for $36 billion in 2025. So the snacking brands that were Kellogg's growth engine now belong to the privately held Mars empire (M&M's, Snickers, Skittles).

Comcast / Versant Media Spin-off (2026)

Parent: Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA) Status: Announced late 2025, executing in 2026

• Versant Media: USA Network, CNBC, MSNBC, Bravo, E!, SyFy, Oxygen, and other linear networks
• Comcast (retained): NBCUniversal studios, Peacock streaming, NBC broadcast, theme parks, Xfinity broadband

Why it matters: This separates declining linear TV from growing streaming and broadband businesses. Similar to Warner Bros. Discovery's planned separation of its linear networks.

Unilever Ice Cream Separation (Expected 2025-2026)

Parent: Unilever (NYSE: UL) Status: Announced March 2024

Unilever announced plans to separate its ice cream business (Ben & Jerry's, Magnum, Wall's, Cornetto, Breyers) as a standalone entity. The ice cream division generates approximately $8 billion in annual revenue.

Why it matters: Ben & Jerry's, one of the most politically outspoken consumer brands, will become independent from Unilever. The separation follows years of tension between Ben & Jerry's activist board and Unilever's corporate management.

Why Companies Are Splitting

1. The Conglomerate Discount

Wall Street typically values the parts of a conglomerate at less than the sum of their individual values. This "conglomerate discount" can range from 10-30%. Spinning off divisions allows each business to be valued on its own merits.

2. Different Growth Profiles

Fast-growing brands need investment. Slow-growing brands need cost optimization. Housing both under one roof creates strategic tension. Separation allows each entity to pursue its natural strategy without compromise.

3. Investor Appetite

Growth investors want growth stocks. Value investors want stable cash flows. A conglomerate that mixes both satisfies neither. Separate companies attract their natural investor bases.

4. Management Focus

Running a diversified conglomerate requires executives to split attention across unrelated businesses. Focused companies allow management teams to specialize and execute more effectively.

5. Tax Efficiency

Spin-offs can be structured as tax-free distributions to shareholders, making them more tax-efficient than outright asset sales.

The Pattern

Corporate spin-offs tend to follow a predictable pattern:

1. Activist investor or analyst pressure highlights the conglomerate discount 2. Strategic review confirms that the parts are worth more than the whole 3. Spin-off announcement sends the stock price higher (initially) 4. Separation execution takes 12-24 months for regulatory and operational reasons 5. Independent operations begin, with each company pursuing its focused strategy 6. Potential acquisition of the smaller entity by a strategic buyer (as happened with Kellanova/Mars and Kenvue/Kimberly-Clark)

Note step 6: many spin-offs are quickly acquired by larger companies. The spin-off effectively becomes a way station between the original parent and the eventual acquirer.

What This Means for Consumers

Brand names stay the same. Tylenol is still Tylenol whether it is owned by J&J, Kenvue, or Kimberly-Clark. Philadelphia cream cheese is still Philadelphia whether Kraft Heinz is one company or two.

Customer service may change. New corporate parents often restructure customer service, warranty, and support operations.

Product availability rarely changes. Spin-offs are corporate transactions, not operational disruptions. Products remain on shelves throughout the separation process.

Long-term strategy shifts. The most meaningful impact is on long-term brand investment. A brand's new corporate parent may invest more (or less) in marketing, innovation, and quality.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a corporate spin-off?

A spin-off is when a company separates a division or subsidiary into a new, independent publicly traded company. Existing shareholders typically receive shares in the new company proportional to their holdings.

Why are so many companies splitting up?

The main driver is the "conglomerate discount," where Wall Street values diversified companies at less than the sum of their parts. Splitting allows each business to be valued and managed independently, theoretically increasing total shareholder value.

Does a spin-off affect the products I buy?

Not immediately. Products, formulations, and availability remain unchanged during and after a spin-off. Over time, new corporate ownership may influence brand strategy, pricing, and product development.

Which spin-off has been most successful?

Kenvue's spin-off from J&J is arguably the most impactful recent spin-off, separating $15 billion in consumer health revenue. Its quick acquisition by Kimberly-Clark for $48.7 billion validated the spin-off strategy.

The Bottom Line

The wave of corporate spin-offs in 2023-2026 represents a fundamental shift in how consumer brands are organized. Companies that spent decades building diversified empires are now systematically breaking them apart. For consumers, the brands remain familiar. But the corporate structures behind them are being completely redesigned.

Track brand ownership changes on WhoBrands or browse the latest updates.

Sources

1. Kraft Heinz. "Plan to Separate Into Two Companies." September 2025. 2. Kimberly-Clark. "Kenvue Acquisition Announcement." November 2025. 3. Comcast. "Cable Networks Spin-off Plans." 2025. 4. Unilever. "Ice Cream Separation Announcement." March 2024. 5. Mars, Inc. "Kellanova Acquisition." 2025.

All brand ownership data verified through WhoBrands.com's research methodology. Last updated: February 3, 2026.